Page 15 - MidWeek - March 29, 2023

MARCH 29, 2023 MIDWEEK 15
Hawai‘i Pacific Health Physicians: Passionate About Caring For Patients
FROM PAGE 14
A lthough they come from all walks of life, here in the islands, the physicians of Ha- wai‘i Pacific Health (HPH) share a common mission to create a healthier Hawai‘i. They stand ready for their patients and serve with dedication in the communi- ty. Hawai‘i Pacific Health Medical Group (HPHMG) was formed in 2019 to unite medical professionals across HPH’s four medical centers and multiple clinics.
providers at Hawai‘i Pacific Health? Well, take for exam- ple, five of them: Drs. Anne Dempsey, Mark Grief, Ian Okazaki, Russell Woo and Kelly Yamasato. Through- out this article, the doctors Dof HPH take the time to talk about their experiences and areas of expertise.
Delving deeper into her life, Dempsey explains, “The first time I came to Kaua‘i, I said, ‘I’m going to live here someday.’ I thought it would be much later in life, but then I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2012. I had surgery the following month. I finished chemo- therapy and radiation in the spring of 2013. After I was finished, I asked myself, ‘What kind of life do I want to be living?’ and ‘What will I regret not doing?’ The answer was to live on Kaua‘i. I joined the team at Wilcox Medical Center in 2014.”
Dtients, but for physicians, advanced practice providers and the nursing staff.
to all our patients. It’s better cancer care. It’s more com- prehensive from screening and prevention to the entire continuum where you have palliative care and terminal care.”
“We want to take care of a patient’s health before they have complications from their conditions.”
The HPHMG team works in the following clinics and medical centers across the state: Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Chil- dren, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Medical Cen- ter and clinics, Wilcox Med- ical Center and Kaua‘i Med- ical Clinic.
ack on O‘ahu, Dr. Mark Grief is a pio-
r. Anne Dempsey specializes in inter- nal medicine at Wil-
r. Ian Okazaki is a specialist in hema- tology and oncology
Okazaki also believes that what really needs to be em- phasized to everyone in Ha- waiʻi is that clinical research matters.
HPHMG comprises more than 800 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician as- sistants, nurse anesthetists, optometrists, psychologists and genetic counselors. Many have been serving Hawai‘i patients for decades.
cox Medical Center. She’s a primary care physician who survived cancer and builds strong relationships with her patients to promote preven- tive care.
at Straub Medical Center who is fascinated by the molecular aspect of cancer and finding the genes that cause cancer. The committed leader in cancer care regularly goes to Maui and to Wilcox Medical Center on Kaua‘i. HPH teams travel statewide.
Dr. Ian Okazaki
vices are standardized across our system,” says Okazaki. “Our facilities and our cancer centers still have specialized care, like pediatric oncology at Kapiʻolani, but patients can expect unified services from one facility to the other from our top-notch nurses to infusion processes. Having our network of care has also allowed us to build out sites of excellence that are unique in what they offer.”
“We’ve created specific cancer teams made up of physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners who all work together. There’s a lung can- cer team, breast cancer team, skin cancer team, malignant hematology team, gastro- intestinal cancer team and urologic cancer team, each focused on an individual pa- tient’s needs. The whole in- tent of this system approach is to provide better expertise
“We cannot make advances in cancer care unless we are also leading the drive to get active cancer clinical trials in Hawaiʻi so that people have access to them. That’s how we make advances, that’s how cancer care improves, and that’s how survival rates improve,” Okazaki declares.
“I stayed in Dallas to do my residency and training, and then went to Austin and was a hospitalist for nine years. I’ ve been practicing for over 20 years now,” says Dempsey.
Okazaki says he’s passion- ate about traveling to rural areas across the state to help those who need it.
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bariatric care at Pali Momi Medical Center with near- ly four decades of surgical expertise. In fact, Grief was one of the original physicians when the medical center opened in 1989.
She also shares that it’s the relationships she enjoys most
“We want to take care of a patient’s health before they have complications from their conditions. People can reverse their high blood pres- sure or improve their diabetes largely with lifestyle changes. With the Health Management Program, we work closely with patients to empower them to help themselves,” she says.
Health management is one topic that is near and dear to Dempsey’s heart.
“Like lots of us, my dad’s side of the family is a plan- tation family from the Big Island. My mom grew up in Honolulu. People need help no matter where they are,” he says. “You can’t really say that you are compas- sionate and committed until you make sure that the ones who have the least amount of access to health care or are among the populations that are overlooked have what they need.”
neering physician for
HPHMG providers care for patients in their own commu- nities. The wide network of doctors serves patients across the state — from Hawai‘i Is- land to Kaua‘i — for the best health outcomes possible.
He also elaborates that HPH has complete multidis- ciplinary care teams.
Grief was exposed to medicine at age 16 when he worked as an operating room orderly in Kentucky. As a teen driven to be a surgeon, he also tried to become am- bidextrous by trimming cab- bage with his nondominant hand at a grocery store job.
The medical group collab- orates closely with more than 500 physicians in Hawai‘i Health Partners — HPH’s physician-led accountable care organization.
Dr. Anne Dempsey
patients. Sometimes I even take care of their families, whether it’s their husbands or wives, their parents or adult children. It’s just been a wonderful experience. On Kaua‘i, I get to be the community doctor. I see my patients everywhere I go,” Dempsey notes.
According to Dempsey, “When you get people on the right track with the right med- ications or the right counsel- ing, and they’ re motivated to change, it’s incredible. I have patients who say these lifestyle changes ‘saved my life.’”
Okazaki also explains that HPH has accomplished much in cancer care that has been beneficial to the entire state of Hawai‘i.
Since he started his career, Grief has seen surgery dra- matically evolve.
HPHMG also works close- ly with the University of Ha- wai‘i’s John A. Burns School of Medicine to grow the next generation of doctors and health care professionals for the state.
She also notes that HPH has really embraced team- based care, which has been significant not only for pa-
“A big step Hawaiʻi Pacif- ic Health has taken is to inte- grate services as a system for cancer. Whether you live on Kauaʻi, in Central and West Oʻahu, or in town, our cancer centers are unified, and ser-
SEE PAGE 16
about her career.
“I really get to know my
“I would say 70% of the cases I do now were not even taught when I was a surgical resident. That’s how much medicine evolves and changes. Then, operations
What are a few of the per- sonal stories of these medical