News Release – Kauaʻi District Health Office Releases Report of Island-Wide CASPER Survey

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIA‘ĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

KA ʻOIHANA OLAKINO

KENNETH S. FINK, M.D., MGA, MPH

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HO‘OKELE

KAUAʻI DISTRICT HEALTH OFFICE RELEASES REPORT OF ISLAND-WIDE CASPER SURVEY 

26-080

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2026

LIHUE, Hawaiʻi — The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Kauaʻi District Health Office (KDHO) has released its report of the 2026 Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey.

From June 15-19, 2026, KDHO teams conducted door-to-door surveys at randomly selected households across the island. Over the course of five days, survey teams completed a total of 175 interviews, collecting valuable data about Kauaʻi residents’ health, well-being and emergency plans.

The CASPER survey is a validated needs assessment methodology developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to rapidly obtain population-based estimates about the health and resource needs of a community pre- and post-disaster. This is the ninth CASPER survey conducted on Kauaʻi since 2017.

“This annual survey helps KDHO gather data to improve our program planning, set our priorities, and inform our education and outreach efforts,” said Kauaʻi Acting District Health Officer Lauren Guest.

The 2026 Kauaʻi CASPER survey asked Kauaʻi residents about their basic household demographics, emergency plans, infectious disease awareness and concerns, and general health and well-being. A few key findings include:

• As observed in prior years, Kauaʻi households reported that as the category of storm increases, they are more likely to go to a public shelter than shelter in place at home. While only 12% of households would seek public shelter for a Category 1 hurricane, this increased to 27% for category 3, 30% for category 4, and 31% for a Category 5 storm. No statistically significant changes to shelter-seeking behavior were observed from 2019 to 2026.
• The majority of Kauaʻi households have an emergency communication plan (73%), designated meeting place (59%) and copies of important documents stored in a safe location (71%).
• Most households (70%) have taken measures to protect their home from wildfires, such as clearing brush, cleaning gutters and/or keeping plants at least five feet away from their home, compared to 60% in 2024. The observed increase was statistically significant (p < 0.03).
• Kauaʻi households reported higher levels of concern regarding mosquito-borne diseases becoming established in Hawaiʻi than they did about the impacts of measles and chickenpox outbreaks. The majority of households (60%) are following the DOH recommendation to dump standing water at least weekly to reduce mosquito breeding activity.
• In 2026, 62% of Kauaʻi households think it is very important, 25% somewhat important, and 8% not important to stay up to date on recommended vaccines. No statistically significant changes were observed between 2025 and 2026.
• While the majority of Kauaʻi households indicated that all members (88%) have a regular source of healthcare and saw their provider (82%) in the past year, 14% had members who had delayed or skipped care because they couldn’t afford it.
• About 20% of Kauaʻi households indicated that at some point in the past year the food they bought didn’t last and they didn’t have money to buy more. Seventeen percent of households reported having received food assistance through a government program or charitable organization in the past year.
• Only 41% of Kauaʻi households are aware that Naloxone, used to treat opioid drug overdoses, is available for free on Kauaʻi.

Kaua‘i’s annual CASPER surveys have served as an enormous capacity building exercise for KDHO and partner agencies, with over 150 staff and volunteers trained in this methodology over the past nine years, while simultaneously increasing local awareness of services available in our community. The 2026 survey was conducted with the support of DOH staff from Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Island, contributing to the expansion of this capability statewide and furthering the capacity built during the inaugural Hawaiʻi Island CASPER conducted in May 2025.

“Mahalo to our Kauaʻi residents for their continued support and participation in our annual CASPER surveys — and a special thanks to every member of our survey teams for their hard work and dedication to serving our community,” Guest said.

Click here for the 2026 Kauaʻi CASPER Report.

Previous CASPER Reports are available here: https://health.hawaii.gov/kauai/Casper/.

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