On May 15, 2026, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC), and Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP filed a Motion to Intervene on behalf of Papa Ola Lōkahi in Do No Harm v. U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Services, No. 1:26-cv-01062 (D.D.C. 2026), a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program.
Case Updates:
May 2026: Papa Ola Lōkahi seeks to intervene in defense of the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program
On May 15, 2026, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC), the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP filed a Motion to Intervene on behalf of Papa Ola Lōkahi in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program. The lawsuit, brought by Do No Harm, targets a program rooted in Congress’s longstanding recognition of the United States government’s trust responsibilities to Native Hawaiians.
The Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program was established by Congress as part of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act to increase the number of Native Hawaiian health care professionals serving their communities. The program supports Native Hawaiian students pursuing health profession education and service in medically underserved areas across Hawaiʻi.
Papa Ola Lōkahi jointly administers the program with the United States Health Resources and Services Administration pursuant to a cooperative agreement, consistent with program requirements set forth in the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. As a joint administrator, Papa Ola Lōkahi has a direct responsibility to support the program’s implementation and the communities it serves.
Since its creation by Congress more than three decades ago, the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program has had a significant impact on a longstanding and continuing shortage of health care professionals serving Native Hawaiian communities. The Scholarship Program has helped more than 300 scholars pursue health care profession education and placements serving Native Hawaiians and communities in Hawaiʻi.
“This program helps strengthen healthcare access in medically underserved communities across Hawaiʻi, and we remain committed to that work,” said Sheri Daniels, Chief Executive Officer of Papa Ola Lōkahi. “Papa Ola Lōkahi has a responsibility to support the health and well-being of our communities and to carry out the mission Congress entrusted to us through the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act.”
“The Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program exists because Congress recognized a critical need and a trust obligation to address severe healthcare shortages in Native Hawaiian communities,” said Makalika Naholowaa, Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation. “This program has been fulfilling that trust duty for more than thirty years, and we are committed to defending it.”
“The United States has acknowledged and affirmed its trust responsibility to Native Hawaiians for decades, especially when it comes to healthcare,” said NARF Executive Director John Echohawk. “Defending these promises is a matter of justice and dignity and is critical for the well-being of Native communities.”
Papa Ola Lōkahi is represented by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, the only law firm in the nation dedicated exclusively to the protection and advancement of Native Hawaiian rights; the Native American Rights Fund, the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian Tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide; and Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP, a national law firm that has represented Tribal interests in federal Indian law for more than forty years.
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