On Wednesday, September 8, Capture Diagnostics in a partnership with the State Department of Health and the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii opened their Community COVID-19 Testing Site located on the mauka side of the Pearl City Shopping Center. Capture Diagnostics will be conducting COVID-19 testing Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00am – 4:00pm through the months of September and October.
This unique partnership, along with the support from the Pearl City Shopping Center, has opened up a much needed option and opportunity for the State Department of Health and their partners to reach deeper into communities across the state like Pearl City, as well as surrounding communities to offer free COVID testing to residents and their families. The Community COVID-19 Testing program currently services 22 sites around the state with coverage from the Big Island to Kauai and are also in pharmacies throughout the state.
Since early August, 2021, Capture Diagnostics has administered 15,000 COVID-19 tests statewide. The lab that was started in October of last year at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport has tested over 160,000 people to date.
I had the opportunity to speak on Wednesday with State Representative Ryan Yamane who is the Chair of the Health, Human Services, and Homeless Committee who expressed the state’s priorities of providing communities options for being tested and helping everyone together beat the virus.
Tobi Solidum from the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii also shared his time with me on Wednesday while providing the latest numbers with regard to state COVID-19 tests administered. Mr. Solidum also spoke of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii’s proactive efforts to slow down the COVID-19 virus while also protecting Hawaii residents on dialysis.
State Representative Ryan Yamane – Chair of Health, Human Services and Homeless Committee
“As chair of Health, Human Services and Homeless, it’s been a priority for us to make sure we have pop-ups like this throughout our state to give all of our communities the options of being tested so that they know where they stand if it’s positive, negative and help us together beat this COVID virus.
We would like to have it where we have more vaccinated individuals because the outcomes in the ICU’s and in the community is better if we have more vaccinations. But we want to also make sure that those who choose not to, don’t get it, or become exposed and then their worried about their family members. That they have sites like this throughout the community to make it easier for them to get tested and to know where they stand if their positive or exposed as soon as possible. The quicker that we get them the information, the quicker we can reduce the exposure and hopefully beat the spread.”
Tobi Solidum, National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii
“The National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii is honored to be part of the State of Hawaii Department of Health’s Community Testing Program. Especially because of the surge in the Delta variance affecting all our communities on the West side, East side, North side, and South side. It is so devastating to see the impact the disease has on communities, and most importantly for our family and for our friends. So, whatever we can do to assist the community in getting beyond this virus, we are there to assist. We also appreciate the Health chair for the House of Representative Ryan Yamane for all of his efforts in making sure that the communities are taken care of as well in his capacity. But more importantly, just as a father, and a friend to the community. Thank you to the Pearl City Shopping Center, thank you to Pearl City residents for allowing us to host this here in your community and we hope for a better day and a better tomorrow.
The National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii was alerted to the COVID situation because the first death for this disease was actually in Washington State and it was a dialysis patient. That was a call to arms for the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii because if that was the first target, here in Hawaii, we have close to 260,000 residents with chronic kidney disease in various stages. So, we want to have a proactive effort to participate in efforts to slow down the progression of COVID in our communities, most especially to protect those on dialysis.
A special thanks to Pearl City Shopping Center owner Duane Kurisu. He’s always been a philanthropist for the community, but more importantly, he’s so down to earth. He understands the needs, not just for the community, but the people who want to help the community. He’s always first in line to go and make sure it gets done. So, to Mr. Kurisu and to his staff, we also extend from the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii our greatest and sincerest thanks.”
Mahalo to National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii CEO Glenn Hayashida, Tobi Solidum, National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, State Representative Ryan Yamane, Capture Diagnostics testing site team, Pearl City Shopping Center management team, and Ken Williams and the Pearl City Shopping Center maintenance and security team.
A very special mahalo to Pearl City Shopping Center owner Duane Kurisu for once again supporting the Pearl City community and the State of Hawaii’s efforts to test and vaccinate residents and their ohana. Mr. Kurisu and the Pearl City Shopping Center also hosted the Hawaii Pacific Health COVID-19 Vax Squad Bus team this summer on July 14 and August 4. The HPH COVID-19 Vax Squad Bus team administered over 230 free first and second round vaccination shots to the Pearl City community.
For more information and to pre-register for COVID testing log on to: preventcovidhi.com
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
