Mana Mama Mobile Clinic - Reaching Families Where They Are

Justin G3/29/21

by Justin Gray

Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies in partnership with Aloha Care created the Mana Mama Mobile Clinic which reaches families where they are.

Mana Mama Mobile Clinic

What is Mana Mama?

Community-Based
(from Mana Mama) Mana Mama is a community-based midwifery model of care reaching people of Hawaii with a holistic approach during pregnancy and the baby’s first year and beyond. Clinical services are provided by our Hawaii State Licensed midwives and nurse practitioner. Mana Mama has lactation consultants on staff to help assist with any breastfeeding concerns you may have. In addition to clinical services, participants receive comprehensive phone support and referrals to resources and information, as well as referrals to HMHB’s other programs.

Mana Mama Mobile Clinic

Where does Wagan fit in to this?

Reliable Power
We're proud to say that A Wagan Tech 3,000 watt Pure Line Inverter was selected to power the entire Mobile Clinic. Paired with a large lithium-ion battery power bank, solar charge controller, and all the safeties in-place, the Mana Mama Mobile Clinic is poised to serve the community with Wagan Tech providing the power required to accomplish its daily tasks.

Mana Mama Mobile Clinic

KHON2 News Take2 Interview Video:

More from KITV:

Coalition executive director Sunny Chen says it took more than a year to conceive this baby and calls it a true labor of love. The van's first patients? First time mom Riva Torno of Aiea and her five week old son Salem who's learning to breastfeed.

"You feel kind of isolated. Yeah, it's hard to reach out to other families and friends during this time," Torno said. "It's been a struggle with asking for help. So being in this program, it's been very helpful, because they check for me and hold me accountable. And I'm really able to just express my needs and wants, at that time when they come to me instead of me asking me where I was."
The nonprofit's doula program offers support for all stages of childbirth. Clients are referred by hospitals and community health centers.
"If a provider has an issue or concern and be like, hey, I haven't seen this mom in eight weeks. And I really want to check up on her," said Kari Wheeling, the coalition's Clinical Services Director.
According to Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, about half of the 19,000 births in the state each year are subsidized by the MED-Quest Medicaid program. And they're serving new clients who've never enrolled in social services.
"I wasn't sure about what I was doing in general. So I really wanted to see what was out there that could help me benefit myself and the baby," Torno said.