Hui! ʻO Alexis Whellan koʻu inoa a he haumāna MD/MPH ʻehā au ma UTMB ma Galveston. Ke noi nei au i nā papahana noho no ka Internal Medicine i kēia manawa a hoʻopau i kaʻu mau koi Master of Public Health ma o ke komo ʻana me ke Keʻena Nutrition ma GCFB!

Ua hānau ʻia au a hānai ʻia ma Austin, Texas a ua ulu me koʻu kaikuahine, 2 pōpoki a me kahi ʻīlio. Ua hele au i ke kulanui ma New York ma mua o koʻu hoʻi ʻana i Texas no ke kula olakino. Ma o ka papahana MD/MPH ʻelua-degere, ua hiki iaʻu ke nānā aku i ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ka poʻe i mālama ʻole ʻia i ka lāʻau lapaʻau ma Galveston County. Ua hana au i nā hana he nui ma St. Vincent's Student Clinic a ua hāʻawi manawaleʻa aku me GCFB ma kekahi mau hana like ʻole.

I loko o nā mahina i hala iho nei, ua kōkua au i kahi papahana e hoʻohui pū ana i nā pahu meaʻai no nā mea kūʻai aku o GCFB me ka pilikia o ka maʻi diabetes ma o ka haʻawina mai Blue Cross Blue Shield o Texas (BCBS) i kapa ʻia "GCFB Fights Chronic Health Conditions: Diabetes with Hoʻonaʻauao Nutrition a me Rx Meal Kits”. Ua hoihoi au i ke kōkua ʻana i kēia papahana no ka mea, ua kālele ʻo ia i ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka meaʻai no ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ke olakino o ka poʻe, kahi e hui pū ai i koʻu makemake no ka mālama ola kino a me ke olakino lehulehu.

No ka papahana BCBS, ua kōkua au i ka hana ʻana i nā mea ʻike maʻi diabetes, nā ʻano ʻai, a me ka hoʻohui pū ʻana i nā pahu pahu meaʻai a mākou e hāʻawi nei. No kēlā me kēia pahu meaʻai, makemake mākou e hāʻawi i ka ʻike e pili ana i ka maʻi diabetes a pehea e mālama ai a mālama i ka maʻi diabetes me nā meaʻai kaulike. Ua makemake pū mākou e hāʻawi i ka ʻike meaʻai me kēlā me kēia meaʻai a mākou i kūkulu ai. He mea nui i ka poʻe me ka maʻi maʻi a i ʻole ka pilikia o ka ulu ʻana i ka maʻi maʻi e hoʻomaopopo i ke ʻano o ka hana ʻana o ka meaʻai i ko lākou olakino, a ʻo nā mea ʻai a me nā pepa ʻike aʻu i hana ai i manaʻo ʻia e hoʻonui i ka ʻike no kēia ʻoiaʻiʻo. Ua hoʻomohala mākou i ʻehā mau meaʻai no ka hāʻawi ʻana i pahu meaʻai i nā poʻe ma Galveston County. Ua kōkua au i ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana i nā pahu meaʻai a kōkua i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i ka ʻikepili wikiō no ka poʻe e hahai ai i kā lākou hana ʻana i kā lākou pahu meaʻai. 

Ua komo pū au me nā papa ʻelua i aʻo ʻia e ka 'Oihana Nutrition i kēia hāʻule - hoʻokahi ma ke kula kiʻekiʻe ʻo Texas City a ʻo kekahi ma ka Nesler Senior Center ma Texas City. Ma ke kula kiʻekiʻe o ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Texas, ua kōkua au i nā kumu hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai e aʻo i nā haumāna kula kiʻekiʻe e pili ana i nā hana ʻai olakino a kōkua i nā hōʻikeʻike meaʻai no nā haumāna. Ma ka Nesler Senior Center, ua hoʻoponopono au i ka ʻike no kahi papa e aʻo ana e pili ana i ka "Reducing Added Sugars" a alakaʻi i kahi hōʻikeʻike meaʻai a me ke aʻo ʻana i ka papa kiʻekiʻe. Ma ka papa Nesler Senior Center, ua hāʻawi pū mākou i nā pahu meaʻai i ka poʻe i komo a noi aku i nā manaʻo mai iā lākou e pili ana i ko lākou ʻike me ka pahu meaʻai a me nā pepa ʻike. Ua makemake nui lākou i ka ʻai a lākou i hana ai a manaʻo lākou e kōkua ka ʻike a mākou i hāʻawi iā lākou e hoʻomau i ka hoʻoholo ʻana i nā meaʻai olakino.

ʻO ka hope, ua hana au i nā noiʻi e nānā pono i ka pono o ka papahana BCBS. I ka makahiki e hiki mai ana i ka wā e ʻōwili ʻia ai ka papahana, hiki i nā poʻe komo i ka papahana pahu ʻai a me ka poʻe i loaʻa nā mea hoʻonaʻauao ke hoʻopiha i ka anamanaʻo no ka hāʻawi ʻana i nā manaʻo i ke Keʻena Nutrition a hoʻomaopopo i nā papahana hāʻawi e hiki mai ana. 

I koʻu noho ʻana me ka ʻOihana Nutrition, ua loaʻa iaʻu ka manawa kūpono e kōkua i nā limahana i ka hale ʻai GCFB. He leʻaleʻa ka ʻike ʻana i nā limahana pantry a hana pū me lākou e hāʻawi i nā mea kūʻai i kekahi manawa ma mua o 300 poʻe i ka lā hoʻokahi! Ua ʻike pū au i kahi papahana Corner Store ma San Leon. He ʻike hou loa kēia noʻu, a ua hauʻoli ka ʻike ʻana i nā huahana hou i hāʻawi ʻia i nā kamaʻāina o Galveston County ma kahi hale kūʻai maʻalahi. I kekahi lā o Nowemapa, ua hoʻohana ke Keʻena Nutrition i ke kakahiaka ma Seeding Galveston, e aʻo ana e pili ana i ka mahiʻai ʻana i ke kūlanakauhale a me ka hoʻomau. Noho au ma ka mokupuni ʻo Galveston a ʻaʻole au i lohe mua i kēia papahana, no laila ua hauʻoli wau e aʻo hou e pili ana i nā ʻano hana like ʻole o ka poʻe e hana nei no ka hakakā ʻana i ka palekana o ka meaʻai ma koʻu kūlanakauhale ponoʻī. Ua hiki nō iā mākou ke komo i ka Hui Kūloko makahiki mua ma ka Hale Hōʻikeʻike o nā Keiki ma Galveston, kahi i hoʻonaʻauao ai mākou i nā ʻohana i ke koʻikoʻi o ka holoi ʻana i nā huaʻai a kaʻana like ʻana i kahi meaʻai sopa hoʻoilo maikaʻi me lākou. 

He mea kupanaha ka hoʻokomo ʻana ma GCFB. Ua loaʻa iaʻu ka manawa kūpono e hana pū me kekahi mau limahana kupanaha i hoʻolaʻa ʻia i ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana i nā kamaʻāina o Galveston County a me ka hakakā ʻana i ka palekana o ka meaʻai i ko lākou kaiāulu. Ua hauʻoli wau i ke aʻo ʻana i ka holo ʻana o ka waihona meaʻai a me nā hana a pau e komo ai i kēlā me kēia papahana a me kēlā me kēia papa hoʻonaʻauao. Ua ʻike au ʻo nā mea aʻu i aʻo ai ma ʻaneʻi i nā mahina i hala aku nei e kōkua iaʻu e lilo i kauka maikaʻi i ka wā e hiki mai ana, a ke mahalo nui nei au i ka ʻOihana Nutrition no kēia manawa.