Our mission

Ho'ōla Koa, "Healing Warriors" is improving health outcomes for the men in Hawai'i by providing health screenings in trusted community spaces.

Community Screening

Help us understand your needs.

Anonymous questions about your healthcare experiences. Takes 2 minutes. No names or contact info collected.

Take the screening 100% anonymous

Men and medical care: a gap we can't ignore

72%
of men would rather clean toilets than go to the doctor
65%
avoid the doctor as long as possible, even with symptoms
50%
only half of men get regular checkups
37%
have withheld information from their doctor

Sources

Disclaimer: The statistics above are drawn from national U.S. surveys and may not fully represent the experiences of men in Hawai'i. Data reflects self-reported responses and should be interpreted as general trends, not clinical findings. Ho'ōla Koa Men's Health does not endorse any third-party sources linked above.

Why Hawai'i needs this

These conditions don't hit everyone equally.

Diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease are disproportionately affecting communities across Hawai'i.

Diabetes
~121k

adults in Hawai'i living with diabetes, with another 39,000 estimated undiagnosed.

37% of Hawai'i adults — about 410,000 people — have prediabetes.

Hypertension
1 in 3

adults in Hawai'i have high blood pressure — and most have no symptoms at all.

Native Hawaiian men face cardiovascular death rates 4× higher when combined with diabetes.

Kidney Disease
156k

estimated adults in Hawai'i with CKD. The state's kidney failure rate is 30% above the national level.

9 in 10 adults with CKD don't know they have it — and it often goes undetected until late.

These conditions are connected.

Diabetes and hypertension are the two leading causes of kidney disease — and high blood pressure often shows no symptoms until damage is already done. That's why a quick blood pressure check matters — it takes only minutes and can catch problems years before symptoms appear.

Who's most affected

Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and Pacific Islander men face the highest rates of kidney disease and diabetes in Hawai'i. End-stage kidney disease is 9.5× more prevalent among Native Hawaiians than non-Hispanic whites, and 88% of Hawai'i's dialysis patients are of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry. These are the communities our screenings are built for.

Sources: Hawai'i BRFSS (2022); National Kidney Foundation of Hawai'i; American Diabetes Association, Burden of Diabetes in Hawaii (2024); CDC Preventing Chronic Disease (2020); USRDS Annual Data Report.

The real cost of skipping care

Cost comparison

Preventative Screening

$0

Blood pressure check. Takes only minutes. Know your numbers today.

vs.

Treating Unmanaged Hypertension

$2,759/yr

Average additional annual healthcare cost for adults with unmanaged high blood pressure — medications, visits, and procedures.

Source: CDC / MEPS 2024

That's $13,795 over 5 years — before accounting for a heart attack or stroke.

What's happening around you

How do you compare to other men?

1 in 2

men do not get regular checkups — meaning half the men you work with are flying blind on their health numbers.

69%

of men who have their first heart attack had undetected high blood pressure beforehand. No symptoms. No warning.

77%

of first strokes occur in people with high blood pressure — most of whom didn't know they had it.

Sources: Cleveland Clinic MENtion It Survey (2019); American Heart Association; CDC.

Risk timeline

What untreated high blood pressure looks like over time

No symptoms. No signs. Just silent damage building up.

30s

Feel fine

BP quietly rising. Zero symptoms.

35

Still no signs

Heart & arteries under strain. Still undetected.

40s

Damage accumulates

Kidney strain, thickened walls, fatigue dismissed as "getting older."

50+

Crisis point

Heart attack or stroke risk peaks. Men with hypertension at 50 live 5.1 fewer years on average.

Sources: Franco OH et al., Hypertension (2005); American Heart Association Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics 2024.

Programs & Services

Targeting diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease.

Blood Pressure Screening

Free blood pressure check — the single most important number for preventing heart attack and stroke.

Monthly · Free

Health Navigation

One-on-one support navigating healthcare systems, insurance, and finding the right providers.

By appointment
Know your numbers

Blood Pressure Categories

Category

Systolic (top)

Diastolic (bottom)

Normal
Less than 120Less than 80
Elevated
120–129Less than 80
Stage 1 Hypertension

High Blood Pressure

130–13980–89
Stage 2 Hypertension

High Blood Pressure

140 or higher90 or higher
Hypertensive Crisis

Call 911 if you have symptoms*

Higher than 180Higher than 120

*Symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking. Based on American Heart Association guidelines.

Learn more about high blood pressure at heart.org

Normal
SystolicLess than 120
DiastolicLess than 80
Elevated
Systolic120–129
DiastolicLess than 80
Stage 1 Hypertension
Systolic130–139
Diastolic80–89
Stage 2 Hypertension
Systolic140 or higher
Diastolic90 or higher
Hypertensive Crisis

Call 911 if you have symptoms*

SystolicHigher than 180
DiastolicHigher than 120

*Symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking.

Learn more at heart.org

Connect with us

Contact us to get support, volunteer, donate, or if you have a question.

Fiscally sponsored by

Healthforce Foundation, Inc. IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit · EIN 46-3357787

Our healthcare partners

Pacific Primary Care