Paula Arcena, Vice President External Affairs, leads AlohaCare’s public policy, public relations and community investment strategies. Paula’s focus is to improve access to quality whole-person care for Hawaiʻi ’s Medicaid beneficiaries. Paula joined AlohaCare in 2009 as its Community and Government Liaison after serving as the Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Medical Association and as Senior Advisor to then Honolulu Councilmember Mufi Hannemann.
In addition to Paula’s work with the American Lung Association, she is a member of the Hawaiʻi Association of Health Plans Board of Directors, the Hawaiʻi Oral Health Coalition Leadership Council, and AlohaCare’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
Paula’s enjoys spending time with her husband and son, and traveling to both new and favorite destinations.
Paula says, "Lung health is important to me because I see it as a human right. The act of breathing is connected to life itself, from the first moments we are born, and continues to connect to our quality of life. Everyone deserves healthy lungs, so that they can participate in activities that bring them joy, and not be constrained by lung-related illness. With family members who have experienced mild asthma to lung cancer, I’ve witnessed first-hand the debilitation that comes when lung health is compromised. That motivates me to help spread awareness about education and prevention to help improve Hawaiʻi’s lung-related health statistics."