Kaiser Permanente volunteers support cultural preservation, environmental restoration on Maui

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, about 100 volunteer physicians, providers, nurses, staff and their family members participated in the Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi Annual Day of Service.

The volunteers worked at Paeloko Learning Center, a Native Hawaiian education center in Waiheʻe that provides hands-on learning opportunities through educational field trips, cultural workshops and environmental restoration projects.

Volunteers worked on projects that included clearing and cleaning kalo loi, planting native plants and improving the facilities at the center.  

“The medical care we provide in our Kaiser Permanente facilities is just a small part of what helps communities stay healthy,” said Chris Martin, MD, assistant area medical director for Kaiser Permanente on Maui. “Weʻre honored to be back at Paeloko to support biocultural restoration efforts that improve health and wellness.” 

Today’s volunteer project was part of a larger community service effort by more than 1,000 Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi physicians, providers, nurses, staff, families, and community organizations statewide that volunteered simultaneously on Maui, Oahu, the Big Island and Kauaʻi.