The North Hawaii Drug-Free Coalition has been a Five Mountains Hawaii project since 2003. It is comprised of community leaders and Substance Abuse Task Force members from each geographic area in North Hawaii. Its goal is to strengthen local efforts to reduce substance abuse, increase communication and build social capital that will have a comprehensive impact on the community environment so that individual community members are better supported and more able to live drug free. Though the Coalition’s successes have been significant, much work remains. In response to current concerns, six new strategic areas have been identified.

• Increase the awareness and capacity of medical providers to intervene during pregnancy.
• Promote public awareness of the relationship between early childhood and substance abuse prevention.
• Advocate for State and County policy change to allow after school, intercession, and weekend use of facilities and resources including transportation.
• Collaborate with the private sector/business community/fraternal organizations and others to enable the community to create healthy activities for youth during non-school hours.
• Conduct a media campaign around positive norm messaging highlighting issues of substance abuse.
• Build public awareness of available resources for families on Hawaii Island.

Grassroots community-based groups in Waikoloa, Waimea, Kohala and Honokaa meet regularly to work on solutions that meet community needs. Members from each of these groups work with North Hawaii Drug-Free Coalition subcommittees to implement environmental strategies.

• Power Of Choice Hamakua
• Kohala Coalition Against Drugs
• Waikoloa Community Action Group
• Waimea Power of Choice

Take It Off Hawaii is a wellness initiative in Hawaii County that seeks to promote positive lifestyle change through a community-wide competition. Teams of contestants compete with other teams to receive the most ‘lifestyle points’ which are earned from adopting positive lifestyle changes and weight loss.

Its inaugural event was in 2007 in East Hawaii, but in 2008, Five Mountains Hawaii will serve on the executive planning committee that will take the initiative island-wide. The initiative is gaining an ever-widening circle of support including the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecutor, American Cancer Society, Hawaii Electric Company, and Hawaii State Department of Health ‘Healthy Hawaii Initiative’.

Take It off Hawaii will serve as a centerpiece component to many organizational workplace wellness programs in businesses on the Island.

The 12-week challenge encourages members of our community to make a conscious effort to improve their quality of life and decrease their risk of chronic disease. With the alarming rates of obesity nationwide making headline news, the time is right for our community to promote efforts that will enable individuals to take the responsibility to change their lifestyles for the better.

Please visit the site at Take It Off Hawaii

This is a collaborative project of the Big Island Good Beginnings Alliance Community Council (BIGBACC), Five Mountains Hawaii, Friends of the Future, North Hawaii Drug-Free Coalition and includes many other local businesses and service providers.

It provides support to families with young children as a drug prevention strategy such as the Hugs Not Drugs Newborn Basket. These are delivered through hospitals island-wide as a drug-prevention strategy. The goal of the newborn baskets is to ensure that all children on Hawaii Island receive a Snugli front-pack carrier, as well as other parent educational materials.

Studies have shown that the use of a ‘Snugli’, or infant front-pack carrier, serves to enhance ‘attachment’ which builds self-esteem and lessens the risk of anti-social behaviors including substance abuse later in life. Strengthening infant attachments with their parents or caregiver provide children with a better chance in life.