Category: H

The health care reform plan instituted in Hawaii in 1974 with passage of a law which required all employers to provide health insurance for all employees working 20 hours a week or more. For the indigent and Medicaid, the insurance is subsidized by the government. Over 95% of Hawaiians are covered by health insurance vs.…

Programs designed to ease the transition from inpatient treatment to independent living by providing an intermediate level of care. Such programs typically provide some supervision and counseling for a limited period of time before the client returns to his or her normal living situation.  

An agent that strengthens and tones the liver.  

Underdevelopment of the reproductive organs, or genitals, as through disorders of the sex glands (gonads) or wider disorders such as Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome. A condition in which the genital organs are underdeveloped. It is characterized by reduced size of genital organs, failure of testes to descend in some cases, and incomplete development of secondary sex characteristics.…

Listless, lethargic, or considerably less active than is normal for a particular age group, seeming almost to move in slow motion, a characteristic found among some children with learning disabilities, mental retardation, or mental disorders; the opposite of hyperactive.  

Hemorrhage in the front of the eye, often looking like a bloodshot eye. Hyphema can be caused by violent shaking or a blow to the head and is one sign of possible child abuse. Bleeding into the anterior chamber of the eye, usually the result of injury. Blood in the anterior chamber of the eye,…

A skin disorder involving excess amounts of the dark pigment melanin in the skin, making dark brown patches, especially on the forehead, temples, and cheeks, which are accentuated by exposure to sun. Generally resulting from hormonal imbalance, hyperpigmentation is associated with Addison’s disease and also sometimes occurs when a woman is using birth-control pills or…

An excess amount of bilirubin (a yellowish substance formed by the breakdown of “retired” red blood cells) in the blood, which causes jaundice, a yellowish discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and the “whites” of the eyes. Often associated with liver malfunction or obstruction of ducts in the liver, or with hemolytic anemia, hyperbilirubinemia can…

Hospitalization of a child when medical or social-work staff suspect possible child abuse and neglect, often against the wishes of the parent or caretaker who has brought the child to an emergency room for treatment. Usually, social workers are quickly called in, as the state takes temporary custody of the child.  

Institutions providing medical care of a type or level that cannot generally be offered at home. Many hospitals are government institutions, run by federal, state, county, community, or city governments, sometimes at least partly funded by local contributions; many others are owned and operated by religious groups; some are linked with university research and teaching…