🌸 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to share important Community Health Programs available to support women’s health and cancer prevention. Please remember to confirm eligibility and coverage by checking your insurance plan’s website.
HMSA Community Health Programs
In partnership with The Queen’s Medical Center – Women’s Health Center and the Hawai‘i Department of Health, HMSA is offering services to help with early detection and prevention.
Breast & Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
📅 When: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
🩺 Services: Mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, clinical breast and pelvic exams, Pap tests, and diagnostic evaluations.
👩 Eligibility: Women ages 40–64 who are uninsured or underinsured (including private insurance) and meet income requirements.
📞 Contact: BCCCP Coordinator at (808) 691-7726 | Fax: (808) 691-7021 | Email:
Mammogram & Cervical Cancer Screening
📅 When: Every other Friday, 8 a.m.–12 p.m.
💵 Cost: Free
👩 Eligibility: Women ages 50–64 who are uninsured, underinsured, or low income.
📞 Contact: (808) 691-7726
New Hawaii program lets Medicaid pay for housing for houseless persons.
Hawaii Launches New Medicaid Housing Program for Unhoused Individuals
Honolulu, HI – [2025] — Hawaii is taking a major step forward in addressing homelessness by expanding its Medicaid program to support housing stability among people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The move aims to tackle one of the root causes of health decline and high medical costs: lack of safe, stable housing.
What’s the Program?
The Medicaid Community Integration Services (CIS) program—administered by the Hawaii Department of Human Services’s Med-QUEST Division—provides both pre-tenancy and tenancy support services for Medicaid beneficiaries. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
These services are designed to help people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness (for example due to eviction), or transitioning from institutions back into community life—especially if they don’t yet have housing. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
Who Qualifies?
To be eligible:
- You must be enrolled in QUEST Integration (QI) health insurance through Medicaid. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
- Be at least 18 years old. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
- Meet health-needs criteria, such as having a chronic illness, mental health condition, or substance use disorder. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
- Meet at least one risk criterion (e.g. homelessness, risk of homelessness, or frequent/lengthy institutional stays). (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
What Services Are Covered?
Some of the support services under CIS include:
- Helping members transition into housing
- Coaching on how to maintain good tenant/landlord relationships
- Assistance with paperwork, resolving disputes with landlords, financial literacy, maintaining housing recertification, and crisis planning (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
- Connecting health care coordination with other needed services so members can retain housing and avoid institutionalization. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
Why It Matters
- Health outcomes: People who are homeless frequently have worse health outcomes; stable housing reduces emergency room visits, avoids crises, and provides a more consistent platform for health services. (Hawaii Public Radio)
- Cost savings: Stable housing can reduce medical costs associated with repeated ER visits, unmanaged chronic illnesses, and institutional care. Hawaii has characterized housing as integral to health care. (Hawaii Public Radio)
- Preventing cycles of homelessness: By offering both pre- and post-housing support, the program helps people stay housed, rather than experiencing repeated bouts of homelessness. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
Challenges & Considerations
- While CIS provides support services, it doesn’t directly pay rent or build housing stock. The focus is on helping individuals become and remain successful tenants. (homelessness.hawaii.gov)
- Funding, provider capacity, and coordination among landlords, health plans, and social services will be essential to make the program work effectively.
- Outreach is needed so people who are eligible know about the program, and providers are capable of delivering the required services.
What’s Next
Hawaii is one of the states selected to participate in the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator, a federal initiative designed to help states expand housing-services under Medicaid. (Hawaii Public Radio) This could provide technical assistance and resources to scale up programs like CIS.
Bottom line: Hawaii’s expanding Medicaid housing support is more than just a health policy tweak—it represents a shift in viewing housing as foundational to health. For many people, having stable housing isn’t just a roof—it’s a key tool for better health, stability, and lower public costs.