Tropic Care 2013

June 4th - June 12th  l  8 am - 4 pm (or as posted at site)

Central Maui   l   West Maui   l   South Maui  l   Hana   l   Lanai   l   Molokai

Residents of Maui, Molokai and Lanai will be able to receive free health, dental and vision care June 4th - June 12th as part of a military deployment exercise Mayor Alan Arakawa announced Tuesday in a news release.

The health care will be offered June 4th - 12th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or as posted at sites) in Central Maui, West Maui, South Maui, Hana, Lanai and Molokai.  About 400 uniformed personnel, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ophthalmologists, dentists and others from active and reserve ranks of the armed forces around the country, will be performing the medical care. The rapid deployment exercise is named Tropic Care 2013.

Maui County was selected as the designated location for this free program per a request by Arakawa to the U.S. Department of Defense in 2011.  The free clinics will be open to all residents. Identification will not be required. The clinics will not accept advance appointments.  Participants will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis.

The health services include physical examinations, vision checks (and single-lens glasses), basic dental care and nutrition counseling. Joe Pontanilla of the Mayor's Office said that glasses can be made for free, medications dispensed, basic lab tests administered and cavities filled. 

"This program will provide vital health care services for residents, especially those who don't have or cannot afford any medical insurance," Arakawa said. "I am confident that hundreds, if not thousands, of Maui County residents will benefit from these services."

Tropic Care is a collaboration between Arakawa, the state Department of Health and the Innovative Readiness Training Program of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.  Last year, Tropic Care helped an estimated 12,000 Kauai residents receive roughly $1 million in free health screening services, according to military officials.

"This opportunity will allow the Department of Health to save thousands of dollars and collect substantial and important data to map the landscape of Maui County's health status," added Dr. Lorrin Pang, health officer of the Maui County district. "Tropic Care is a huge undertaking, but our federal, state and county levels of government are doing this so the community can reap the benefits."

For more information, visit the Tropic Care page of the Maui County website or call 270-7855.

The original press release is available on the County of Maui website.

 

Hawaiian Energy Sports is not affiliated with Tropic Care 2013.  We are providing information on Tropic Care 2013 in an effort to help spread the word on this community event.