Healthy Weight & Metabolic Health in Hilo & Across Hawaiʻi — Medicaid (QUEST) Accepted

Metabolic health is about how well your body manages blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight, and supporting it lowers the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and more. Our focus is your health and how you feel, not a number on a scale or how you look. At Ohana Care Clinic in Hilo, we offer evidence-based, judgment-free support for healthy weight and metabolic health.

What metabolic health means

Your metabolism is how your body turns food into energy and manages fuel in the blood. When blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight drift out of balance together, the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions rises. Genetics, sleep, stress, medications, and life circumstances all play a role, which is why weight is far more complex than willpower, and why we approach it with respect rather than blame.

How we approach it

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends offering intensive, supportive behavioral programs that combine healthy eating and physical activity, and finds that this approach has real benefit. We build a plan around your life, your culture, and your goals, focusing on sustainable changes and overall health rather than rigid rules or short-term dieting. When appropriate, we also discuss the medical options now available, always as part of a broader, whole-person plan.

The mind-body connection

Weight, mood, sleep, and stress are tightly connected. Depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and certain medications can all affect weight, and struggles with weight can affect mental health in turn. Because we integrate primary care and behavioral health, we can support both together, gently and without shame. We do not use calorie targets or rigid plans on this page; the right approach is one we design with you.

Culturally grounded care

We care for the whole person, in the spirit of lōkahi — balance and harmony among the connected parts of life: the body, the mind and emotions, the spirit, the ʻohana (family), and our relationship with the ʻāina (land) and community. In a Native Hawaiian understanding of health, these are not separate, and neither is our care. To mālama (care for and protect) your wellbeing and to live pono (in balance and rightness), we listen to your whole story, welcome your ʻohana into the process, and honor the values and traditions that ground you. Offering kōkua (help given freely, with aloha) in a way that respects who you are is at the heart of how we practice.

Insurance and how we see you

We accept Medicare and Medicaid, including the Hawaiʻi QUEST Integration plans (AlohaCare, the Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA), ʻOhana Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan), along with most commercial insurance, and we are accepting new patients in Hilo. Primary care works best as a partnership. Your first visit is in person at our Hilo clinic. We see patients in person for physical exams, vitals, and lab work, and we use telehealth for follow-up visits, medication management, and chronic-disease check-ins whenever it is clinically appropriate.

Common questions about healthy weight and metabolic health

Is weight really about willpower?

No. Weight is shaped by genetics, sleep, stress, hormones, medications, and life circumstances, not just willpower. That is why we approach it with respect and build a plan around your whole health rather than blame.

What does evidence-based weight support look like?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force supports intensive, supportive programs that combine healthy eating and physical activity. We focus on sustainable changes and overall metabolic health, and discuss medical options when appropriate as part of a whole-person plan.

Can this care be provided by telehealth?

Yes. Much of this support, including planning, coaching, and follow-up, works well by video, with in-person visits for exams and labs.

What insurance do you accept?

We accept Medicare and Medicaid, including the Hawaii QUEST Integration plans (AlohaCare, HMSA, Ohana Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan), along with most commercial insurance. We are accepting new patients in Hilo.

References

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Weight loss to prevent obesity-related morbidity and mortality in adults: Behavioral interventions. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/obesity-in-adults-interventions

Papa Ola Lōkahi. (n.d.). Native Hawaiian health. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.papaolalokahi.org/

This page is general health education from Ohana Care Clinic, written by George Mackel, MSN, APRN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP. It is not a substitute for a personal evaluation by a qualified clinician who knows your situation, and reading it does not create a provider–patient relationship. If you think you may have a medical condition, reach out to us or another licensed provider. In an emergency, call 911.

George Mackel, MSN, APRN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP — President & Owner