PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — Michelle Kaufusi, mayor of Provo, announced a new initiative called Kaufusi’s Keikis to help provide free, optional health screenings to Provo elementary school students.
“Kaufusi’s Keikis is a free optional health outreach program to provide all elementary-aged children with potentially life-saving annual screenings,” one program webpage said.
The initiative is part of a partnership between the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine — or Noorda-COM — and the Provo City School District, and aims “to develop a preventative health outreach program with the long-term goal of changing the health trajectories of Provo’s next generation.”
So, where does the name come from?
Keiki — pronounced “kay-kee”– is a Hawaiian word that can mean child or offspring. The name “Kaufusi’s Keikis” essentially means “Kaufusi’s Kids.”
The program announced it would officially be launched on April 9, after being given a $25,000 donation from The Provo Open. The program aims to offer free, opt-in health screenings for Provo students, which it said would be “especially beneficial” for communities with low incomes.
Under faculty supervision, the health screenings will be conducted by student doctors with Noorda-COM and, eventually, other medical students in the area. One student called the initiative “an invaluable opportunity” to engage with the community.
President and CEO of Noorda-COM Dr. Norman Wright said Kaufusi’s connection to growing up in the Provo community helped to make it clear that launching Kaufusi’s Keikis “was the right choice.”
Kaufusi said the outreach program is personal to her because she grew up getting free and reduced lunch at school, as one of seven children of a single mother.
“We were always in survival mode as a family, so my success would not have been possible without a caring community who stepped in to make a difference,” Kaufusi said. “Kaufusi’s Keikis is another example of our caring community coming together for the health of our children.”
Caleb Price with the Provo City School District expressed gratitude to the Provo Open and Noorda-COM for their partnership on the outreach program.
According to a press release, the first health screening fair of the Kaufusi’s Keikis Health Outreach Program will be on May 1 at Timpanogos Elementary School. The screening stations will include vital signs, neurology and basic vision, among others.
Other optional health screenings will be held at three of the Title I schools in the Provo School District.
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of our health outreach initiative for our hometown, Provo, and to dedicate it to Mayor Michelle Kaufusi,” Wright said.
