Celebrating DOH Employees: Honoring Outstanding Contributions to Pediatric Mental Health in Maui

In a recent ceremony in Washington, D.C., the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs honored Renzy Baloran and Eden Sun from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health with the 2025 Emerging Maternal & Child Health Professional Award. This award recognizes individuals under 45 or with less than 10 years of experience who significantly impact the health of women, children, and families.

Both Baloran and Sun are graduates of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s public health program. They work on the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) initiative, which secured a $2.2 million grant in 2021 to enhance mental health care for children and youth. This program focuses on integrating behavioral health into pediatric primary care, which includes training pediatric providers and offering teleconsultation services.

Last summer, the PMHCA launched the Mental Health Pediatric Access Line (MPAL), a first-of-its-kind service in Maui County. This warmline allows primary care providers to quickly consult with mental health specialists, aiming to improve care for children with behavioral health issues. This program offers free, same-day support for pediatric providers across Maui, Lānaʻi, and Molokaʻi.

Hawaiʻi faces a significant shortage of mental health professionals. According to the University of Hawaiʻi, there is a 47.5% shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists in the state, with only 36.2 psychiatrists available for the needed 68.9 positions.

Baloran emphasizes that the award reflects the teamwork among government, community, and philanthropic organizations working together to address children’s mental health needs across Hawaiʻi. The PMHCA’s initiatives include training providers, setting up a statewide warmline for consultations with child psychiatrists, and streamlining referral processes.

Both Baloran and Sun express excitement for the journey ahead in their public health careers, eager to continue supporting mental health services for families in their community. Their work signals a vital step toward improving access to mental health care for Hawaiʻi’s youth.

To learn more about the PMHCA program, visit health.hawaii.gov/pmhca.

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