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Left to right: Aileen Huerta, Jennifer Bandy, Jejomar Balanay, Ku'ulei Sonomura.
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Ku'ulei Sonomura (left) and Joy Bliss (right).
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HPU nursing students participated and assisted with medical outreach activities, including wound care, vitals, and blood glucose checks for residents of Molokai.
The 2025 Medical Mission to Molokai, organized by HPU Nursing alumni Ku'ulei Sonomura and her father Mark Yamamoto, and sponsored by Kaunakakai Baptist Church and Waipahu Community Christian Church, took place from July 21-25, 2025. As part of the mission, HPU nursing students participated and assisted with medical outreach activities, including wound care, vitals, and blood glucose checks for residents of Molokai.
This mission was a collaboration which included Jennifer Bandy, HPU alumna and recipient of the 2023 Daisy Award for Nursing Excellence, as well as Jejomar Balanay (Level 4 nursing student) and Aileen Huerta (HPU pre-nursing student), who contributed to the various mission activities.
Assistant Professor and Chair of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Joy Bliss, Ph.D., RN, also attended a past Molokai Mission and is an avid supporter of this important initiative for the people of Molokai. Bliss, along with Jennifer Bandy, presented at the 7th Edition World Nursing Conference Virtual in Boston, Mass., on October 18, 2023. Their presentation, titled "Evaluation of a Medical Mission Model for Remote Locations: A Study on Underserved Hawaiian Islands and Chuuk Micronesia," highlighted their work and research surrounding medical missions to remote locations, such as Molokai. This presentation was part of their ongoing commitment to improving healthcare access in underserved communities.
The medical outreach included haircuts for the community in addition to providing medical outreach services as listed. The focus also shifted to cultural learning, where students assisted in the cleanup of the fishpond and lo'i patch.
The lo'i patch is a traditional Hawaiian agricultural system used for cultivating taro, a staple food in Hawaiian culture. It typically consists of flooded fields with terraces where taro is grown and holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. Maintaining and cleaning these lo'i patches is not only crucial for preserving cultural heritage but also supports community efforts to sustain traditional agricultural practices. For HPU Nursing students, assisting in this task provided hands-on experience in preserving cultural practices and promoting environmental stewardship. This cultural immersion complemented the medical outreach efforts, offering participants a well-rounded service experience.
This program is refining and growing, with hopes to become a yearly summer Medical Mission, where students and faculty from HPU School of Nursing continuing to assist in serving the Molokai community.
