Ku Aloha Ola Mau

About Ku Aloha Ola Mau

Kū Aloha Ola Mau is an outpatient opioid treatment program in Hilo, on Hawai’i Island, with a second clinic in Honolulu. Since 1976 they have provided methadone and buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, serving people dependent on heroin or prescription opioids, often alongside other substances. Their name reflects roots in Hawaiian spirituality and holistic healing, and they call each participant a haumana, or student, out of the belief that anyone can recover. They also recognize that families and children need healing too, and they work with hospitals, physicians, mental health providers, probation, and jails as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Medication treatment is paired with individual and group counseling, and both short- and long-term maintenance options are available. Buprenorphine moves through induction, maintenance, and a gradual taper when the patient and physician agree the time is right, while methadone is dosed daily at the clinic, with take-home doses possible over time under state and federal rules. Nurses and public health educators offer screening and testing for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis, along with hepatitis A and B vaccines, prenatal counseling, and medical case management. Counselors also help with practical needs, such as referrals for housing, SNAP, and employment support, as well as coordination with clean and sober living programs, hospitals, and the courts. They accept state, federal, insured, uninsured, and self-pay clients.