Information On
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
B.I.G. Information Regarding COVID-19
As of March 6th, 2020 at 6:33pm, the State of Hawaii confirmed it’s first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the islands. Big Island Grown (B.I.G.) wishes for all 329 patients and the public to know that our primary concern during this time is the health and safety of our patients, employees and the communities we serve. We are closely monitoring and preparing for the potential impact of this virus on our community and operations.
B.I.G. External Announcement (4/21/20)
B.I.G. External Announcement
Extension for Driver’s License Expiration
& Required Face Masks
Aloha B.I.G. Patients,
As we continue to keep our patients informed of how COVID-19 may impact their experience with us, we wish to inform you of two new changes that will do just that. The first change is that the Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division has closed all of its office locations to minimize the potential spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus within Hawaiʻi County. This change may impact some of our patients as a valid ID is required to enter our facilities, but thankfully, the state has extended expiration dates as follows:
“Driver's license, State ID's, Commercial Driver's License expiring March 16th through May 15 have been extended and is considered valid in the State of Hawaii. This includes all instructional permits for all license categories.”
IDs that expire in this time frame are now valid until 5/15/2020 and will be accepted as valid ID at all B.I.G. Locations. For information on driver's license renewals by mail, please email renewals@hawaiicounty.gov.
The second change that will affect ALL B.I.G. Patients is that as of Friday, April 17, 2020 Governor Ige signed an Emergency Supplemental Proclamation that now mandates that everyone wear a face mask or covering while in essential businesses or while waiting to get inside, effectively immediately.
B.I.G. is required to follow these new regulations and we will be forced to turn away anyone who is not wearing a face mask. If you are unable to purchase a medical mask, you can make one from items found at home. Here is a video example from the US Surgeon General.
Please reach out to us with any questions at info@bigislandgrown.co
Mahalo,
Your Big Island Grown Management Team
B.I.G. External Announcement (3/26/20)
B.I.G. External Announcement
Extension on 329 Card Registration
Aloha B.I.G. Patients,
On March 23, Governor Ige signed Executive Order 20-01, extending the effective period of registration for qualifying 329 patients and primary caregivers with registration cards expiring March 2020 and April 2020 for 60 days. This does NOT apply to the registration of a qualifying out-of-state patient or a caregiver of a qualifying out-of-state patient.
This means that if your 329 card has an expiration date in March or April of 2020, your card will still be valid for an additional 60 days past your current expiration date and you will continue to have access to your medicine until you are able to complete your renewal process like normal. Examples:
-
March 31, 2020 expiration dates will extend to May 31, 2020
-
April 30, 2020 expiration dates will extend to June 30, 2020
If you have already renewed and received your approval notification or hardcopy card in the mail – you are registered and good to go! Executive Order 20-01 will not impact you or affect your new card’s expiration date.
If your renewal application is pending, your current registration will extend for 60 days if it expires in March 2020 or April 2020. Once your pending application has been approved, your new 329 registration expiration date will also reflect the executive order extension. Please check your emails for notifications either for an approval or corrections to be made.
If you have not been able to renew your 329 registration and your 329 card expires in March 2020 or April 2020, your expiration date will be extended for an additional 60 days.
Read the full announcement from the DOH Medical Cannabis Program Registry. If you have further questions about this extension, you can reach out to the Medical Cannabis Program Registry at medicalcannabis@doh.hawaii.gov
Mahalo,
Your Big Island Grown Management Team
B.I.G. External Announcement (3/24/20)
B.I.G. External Announcement
COVID-19 "Stay At Home" Proclamation
Aloha B.I.G. Patients,
Yesterday, March 23rd, Governor Ige announced the "Stay At Home" orders for the entire state of Hawai'i. These orders are to quarantine at your place of residence in an effort to prevent the further spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the islands. The quarantine goes into effect Wednesday, March 25th at 12:01am and will remain in effect until Thursday, April 30th at 11:59pm. Read the full proclamation.
The proclamation has deemed Big Island Grown an essential business in the community where patients will continue to have access to lab tested medicine throughout the quarantine. As an essential business, we will implement separate operating hours for elderly and high risk patients to provide a time to obtain their medicine. This "Kupuna Hour" will be DAILY from 9:00am to 10:00pm, 7 days a week.
We ask all our patients who are not elderly or high risk to please respect the "Kupuna Hour". Please help us keep them safe by not waiting outside the door until we open back up to the general public, instead please wait in your vehicle until 10:00am when we will be happy to serve you.
As a community we can help keep each other safe, we appreciate your continued understanding through these changes. We will continue to update our patients should further changes be required. As always, please reach out to us with any questions, comments, or concerns at info@bigislandgrown.co
Mahalo,
Your Big Island Grown Management Team
B.I.G. External Announcement (3/21/20)
B.I.G. External Announcement
Waiting Room Practices Amidst Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Aloha B.I.G. Patients,
As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, we are now encouraging patients to come check in with our Door Security Staff to present your identification and your cell phone number. After checking in, you may return to your vehicle to wait for your turn to be served while practicing "Social Distancing". We will call you when it is your turn to be served and you may return back to the building from your vehicle.
For the time being, we will still allow patients to wait in our waiting rooms, but at a maximum of 10 people (including staff) as recommended by the state. Should the waiting room already have it's maximum 10 people, you will have to wait until more guests have been served and left. Whether you wait in the waiting room or in your car, you will be served in the order of when you checked in.
We appreciate your understanding during these times, we will continue to update you on our practices as we receive further recommendations from the CDC and State.
Should you have any concerns or questions about our operations moving forward, please do not hesitate to reach out to Big Island Grown at info@bigislandgrown.co
Mahalo,
Your Big Island Grown Management Team
B.I.G. External Announcement (3/10/20)
B.I.G. External Announcement
Preparing for Coronavirus (COVID-19)
As of March 6th, 2020 at 6:33pm, the State of Hawaii confirmed it’s first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the islands. Big Island Grown (B.I.G.) wishes for all 329 patients and the public to know that our primary concern during this time is the health and safety of our patients, employees and the communities we serve. We are closely monitoring and preparing for the potential impact of this virus on our community and operations.
All B.I.G. retail locations (Hilo, Kona, & Waimea) and facilities will continue to remain operational during normal business hours and we have taken proactive measures to help ensure that our teams are able to continue providing high quality, lab tested medicine to patients of Hawai’i Island while the CDC continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation. These measures include, but are not limited to more thorough cleaning and disinfecting procedures that comply with CDC recommendations, as well as mandatory leave for staff with flu-like symptoms.
B.I.G. has always handled our products in a clean, safe, and responsible manner and thanks to this, we have not needed to make changes to our product handling procedures for COVID-19. All B.I.G. medicinal products are manufactured and stored in “Clean-Rooms” until sold. These rooms are highly monitored and have limited access to only those employees that are authorized to handle product in the appropriate manner. This means that the products you purchase have had limited contact and that contact involved the necessary safety precautions including a mask and gloves.
At this time, the CDC recommends to “Avoid close contact with people who are sick”. While B.I.G. will remain open during normal business hours, we highly encourage patients to take advantage of our Online Pre-Order System to limit the length of time that they will be inside of our facilities in close proximity to others. While we continue to monitor the situation internally, we will be prioritizing Online Pre-Orders over Orders Placed In-Store to assist patients as quickly as possible and to avoid large numbers of patients in our waiting rooms at one time. To find our Online Pre-Order System, please go to the following website address and click on the “Menu” for your desired pick up location.
With our commitment of Safety and Transparency to the public, we have created a page on our website where anyone is able to find current updates for B.I.G. operations and services, as well as links to health and safety resources that provide guidelines on how to protect yourself, your family, and our community against Coronavirus (COVID-19). We will continue to update this page as this situation progresses and internal decisions are made.
Should you have any concerns or questions about our operations moving forward, please do not hesitate to reach out to Big Island Grown at info@bigislandgrown.co
Mahalo,
Your Big Island Grown Management Team