WE SAW THE ICE FILM, NOW LET'S ACT

Two of the most powerful lines in Edgy Lee's documentary on Hawai'i's crystal
meth problem came in the closing remarks. They were powerful because they were
specific calls for action. The first:

"Hold your politicians accountable."

There's been a lot of what is politely referred to in certain circles as
"Talking outta' both sides of yo' mout'."

On the one side, politicians are talking about "breaking the ice" and "saving
the youth of Hawai'i."

On the other side come talks of budget cuts to school athletics, to youth
centers in Kalihi, to library hours, to all manner of human services. The talk
should be about health insurance coverage for detox and drug treatment. The
talk should be about paying for more positions for counselors, social workers
and public health outreach workers. The talk should be about increasing support
for programs for kids.

There was lots of talk in the waning years of the Cayetano era about making
Hawai'i the health and wellness state. World-class healthcare (which, many
would point out, we have in a number of fields), a beefed-up research arm of
the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Doc Buyers and his
nutraceuticals ...

Providing this idea didn't go out with the Democrats' bath water, doesn't drug
treatment fit into the vision?

Or maybe we just like the idea of wealthy folks dropping by in their jets for
vanity colon scans and Botox parties by the pool. Drug addicts tend not to be
wealthy.

Yet Minnesota has grown an industry around addiction treatment. Look up
treatment centers in Minnesota and you'll find pages and pages of resources. Of
course, drug treatment is just a part of the thriving healthcare industry in
the area, which includes medical research at the Mayo Clinic and the University
of Minnesota. Drug treatment isn't seen as solely a money pit. It's part of a
larger, robust health industry.

So lets make sure our politicians are keeping their promises. Hawai'i, the
healthcare state. Hawai'i, the wellness state. Let's go.

The other quote from the closing lines of the documentary was almost issued as
a challenge:

"Become a foster parent."

Gay Tsukamaki of Friends of Foster Kids, a nonprofit organization that supports
foster families, is hoping that folks took that one to heart.

"Foster parents are the soldiers in the war against ice," she says. "I heard
someone say that and I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, that's it.' "

Hawai'i Behavioral Health is the agency that licenses and trains families.
Right now, there is a huge need for stable, loving families to take in kids, to
rescue them from the chaos of homes where drugs have taken hold, to show them
that there is hope for a better life.

"There's a big need especially on the Leeward coast," Tsukamaki says. "I was
told that 130 kids were placed in foster care just in that area so far in the
month of September."

Tsukamaki believes there is a way that every person can help. The largest
commitment, of course, would be to become a foster parent. For more information
on how to apply, you can contact Hawai'i Behavioral Health at 454-2570.

Prospective foster parents (and yes, single parents can be foster parents)
receive training from the agency. "Most of the families really enjoy the
training," Tsukamaki says. "And also, if that doesn't sound like something they
can do, they can channel themselves out and say, 'Well, I can't be a foster
parent but I can do something else.' "

The 'something else' could be to support Friends of Foster Kids, either with a
financial donation or by volunteering to help at one of their seasonal events
for foster families, or by even offering to help a foster family cook meals or
drive kids to lessons.

To reach Friends of Foster Kids, call Gay Tsukamaki at 521-9531, ext. 299.

Hawai'i, the aloha state. Let's go.