Impact of COVID-19 on Hawai'i Community Agencies, Service Organizations, and the Individuals They Serve: A Snapshot from a Spring 2020 HI-EMA Survey

ABSTRACT

Health and social service organizations across Hawai'i were surveyed between April 29 and May 11, 2020 by the Community Care Outreach Unit of the Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency. This article contextualizes and describes some of the major findings of that survey that reveal the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Hawai'i community agencies, service organizations, and the individuals they serve. Major issues for individuals served by the responding organizations included securing basic needs such as food and housing as well as access to health services, mental health needs, and COVID-19 concerns (such as inadequate personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, quarantine, and testing issues). Respondents reported that job loss and the resulting financial problems were a root cause of personal strain among clients served. Community-level stress was related to the distressed economy and store closures. Fulfilling immediate and future needs of health and social service agencies and the individuals they serve, as articulated in this report, could dampen the effect of COVID-19, promote population wellbeing, and support community resilience. ©Copyright 2021 by University Health Partners of Hawai‘i (UHP Hawai‘i).