By Todd Ransdell, Young Adult Program Director Polynesian people throughout the Pacific Ocean have long used the many types of Wa’a (pronounced vah-ah) to travel, explore, and fish. It is an integral part of Hawaiian history – Polynesian sailors and navigators crossed immense distances to find and colonize the islands of Hawaii without the use of …
Pacific Quest is pleased to welcome Jody St. Joseph as the new Adolescent Program Director. In her new role, Jody is responsible for supervision of the adolescent program, personnel management, and assistance with outreach coordination. Other responsibilities will include co-development and quality assurance of supervisory roles, ensuring follow-through of behavioral treatment plans as well as …
By Yvette Slagle, Outreach Assistant I stand quietly and look at the garden…the jalapenos and basil, cilantro and parsley, a gourmet salad mix that boasts an array of greens, purples and reds. There are marigolds, sunflowers, calendula– and of course, nasturtiums. We decided this time around we should do a succession of Provider Beans, a …
We received this letter from an airline passenger who was seated by a Pacific Quest student who recently completed the program. It’s a good reminder of how even brief encounters can leave lasting impressions. I was in Hawaii until yesterday and had the profound pleasure of sitting next to one of your recent graduates. Please …
By Dr. Britta Zimmer, Medical Director It is time to face a simple fact and reclaim health: Nutritious Food is Medicine It’s easy to get caught up in the complexity of science, research, and the physiology of the human body, therefore I am constantly reminding myself, my patients, and my patients’ parents to get back …
By Mike Sullivan, Therapist “Belay on!” shouts Johnny, whose legs are shaking and hands trembling as he prepares to climb his first route of the day at the Hangar 18 rock climbing gym in Los Angeles. Moments before this, Johnny had pulled me aside and said, “Mike, I wasn’t kidding when I told you and …
By Tess Barnes Dunn, Academic Coordinator Recently, I had an opportunity to spend a day working with my new Pacific Quest colleagues in the area of our garden set aside for our Rites of Passage ceremony, known as Huli Ka’e. A rite of passage is an important event that serves to mark the passage from …
By Maile Green, Naturopathic Physician As the holiday season is in full swing, I find myself thinking about my daily routines for creating health. I believe health and a sense of vitality are more than the absence of disease. I believe physical and mental health are the product of daily practices and habits that create …
By Jody St. Joseph, Adolescent Program Director It wasn’t two very large strangers who woke me in the middle of the night, but it was close enough. My alarm screamed me awake at about 4 am and before long I was at the airport about to leave behind my doggie, my home, and my family. …
Written through the voices of incoming Pacific Quest staff and their stories of arrival… (Through the lens of Kenny) As we fly into Hawaii the feeling of nostalgia wouldn’t wear off. I have left my family in the midst of winter to join a group of strangers in the field of troubled youth reform. There …