Malu Kou Community Connection Center by UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawai’i opened Jan. 6 as a “shade or covering of protection” for individuals and families seeking assistance. It was named by Kumu Sam ʻOhu Gon and a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony took place in March.
For UnitedHealthcare members and non-members alike, the center aims to refer people to subject matter experts and organizations already assisting with services such as health and wellness, including basic hygiene supplies, mental health and substance abuse support, information on health care benefits and coordination with providers. It also offers resources for those in need of food, enrollment in Medicaid and The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), emergency shelter or housing and employment, among other social services. Read the full brochure here.
Malu Kou, which is located at 51 N. Hotel St., Suite A, in Chinatown, operates from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
According to Recovery and Resiliency Manager Adrian Contreras, the center to date has served more than 90 unique individuals and families, or about 200 aggregated visitors, with the help of eight community-based organizations
“What’s advantageous about this spot is that it’s off of a bus line. It’s a very high foot-traffic area, you can walk right in, and there’s a lot of social service providers and organizations around here,” Contreras told Aloha State Daily. “Our full-time staff members are generous with their time and energy, welcoming folks and making them feel comfortable. Because of them, we see a lot of members return."
In addition to him, the team also includes Housing Program Manager Roddy Marengo and Member Advocate Kerrian Bennett.
Contreras, who holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Hawaiʻi, has worked for UnitedHealthcare for nearly a decade and previously ran Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi’s Family Assessment Center, which helped people move into or maintain affordable permanent housing.
For him, the most rewarding part of this job is working with people and helping people “take a load off,” he said, adding, “It’s intended to be a place of respite – ‘shade from the kou tree.'”
“It’s evolved into more of a shared space to talk story. ... We see about two-to-eight members per day,” Contreras said. “We want to get to point where every day something is happening here, where we have a new provider come in to satisfy different needs. Right now, our work is grounded in understanding what the needs are.”
Malu Kou is essentially a pilot program envisioned by local UnitedHealthcare leadership and supported by its funding and staff, he said. “I’m not sure if there are any other UnitedHealthcare brick-and-mortar, one-stop-shops like this elsewhere, but I know there’s interest from local leadership to expand office space and to bring this to different communities.”
Contreras added that the idea for the center came shortly after the health plan and others banded together in response to the 2023 Lahaina fire. During the aftermath of the fires, he was a part of UnitedHealthcare’s local outreach team, which provided medical services to anyone, regardless of insurance coverage.
That’s where the inspiration to have a color-coded whiteboard at Malu Kou came from, with all the services and names/times for the month, said Contreras, whose hope for the future is to fill it with partner names.
Malu Kou Community Connection Center by UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawai’i
Address: 51 N. Hotel St., Suite A, Honolulu
Phone: 808-766-9920
Email: malukou@uhc.com
Hours: 7:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
