The
Wahiolanona`opio Program
 Wahiolanona
`opio ("Healing Place for Youth" in Hawaiian) Program
is a highly-structured, staff-secure, residential substance
abuse treatment program for high risk adolescents from the
Island of Hawai`i needing comprehensive treatment and education,
including mental health services. The County of Hawai`i has
recently contracted with Marimed Foundation and its partners
Na Kalai Wa`a and BISAC (Big Island Substance Abuse Center)
to provide residential substance abuse treatment services
for girls and boys on the Island of Hawai`i.
Outpatient
treatment commenced in July with the first group home (8 boys
beds) scheduled to open in November 2004 and a second home
(8 girls beds) to be completed by February 2005.
The
program is experiential in nature, making best use of the
Big Island's rich cultural and environmental resources. BISAC
will provide case management including individual, group,
and family counseling. Marimed will provide residential and
educational services. Voyaging and cultural instruction will
be provided by Na Kalai Wa`a on board and around Makali`i
Voyaging Canoe. |
We
Serve
Wahiolanona`opio
Residential Treatment Program will serve teens, ages 13-18,
and their families from the Island of Hawai`i. The program
is designed to be culturally appropriate for the Big Island's
multi-cultural population. No youth will be excluded from
treatment due to race, ethnicity, or social-economic background.
Enrollment
Youth
enrolled in the program can be referred directly by families,
Family Court, or other appropriate sources. For questions
regarding enrollment, contact Uilani Lindsey, Intake Coordinator,
962-6610 or Craig Norton, Program Director, 635-6392.
Program
Facilities
 Wahiolanona
`opio is located on 14.1 acres of agriculturally zoned land
on the east side of Hawai`i. The property boasts a relatively
new three-bedroom home, large green house for agriculture
instruction, and three stall barn, solar electricity, and
water catchment to provide a camp like atmosphere ideal for
preparing new voyagers. The surrounding rural community of
Laupahoehoe is ideally suited for substance abuse recovery
in a removed and protective environment.
|
Education
 While
living at Wahiolanona `opio, youth will be attending the program's
self-contained classroom. Here students will follow an intensive
IEP (Individual Education Plan) tailored to their specific
needs and circumstances. Youth also participate in service
learning projects, vocational education, and life skills training
to help them reconnect with their community. Navigation and
voyaging instruction will take place in Kawaihae harbor and
on the water.
Experimental
Activities
Wahiolanona`opio
is unique in its ocean and land-based experiential approach
to serving youth with moderate to severe emotional and behavioral
problems. Adventure therapy will be provided through ocean-related,
agricultural, and traditional (cultural) activities to help
substance-using youth to engage in hands-on projects that
offer immediate feedback and challenges them to learn new
interpersonal styles of coping.
The
program incorporates the core values of CHART (Community,
Honesty, Aloha, Respect and Teamwork) to help our youth and
their families make the often stormy passage through adolescence.
The program takes advantage of the importance of the ocean
to Hawai`i, historically and culturally. The appeal of the
ocean to youth helps build life skills through challenges
and experiences that are powerful and transformational. |
