KEALAKEKUA – Governor Josh Green, M.D., joined Kona Community Hospital (KCH) officials and state legislators on Monday in a special blessing ceremony to celebrate the completion of the hospital’s newly expanded pharmacy. This marks a significant milestone in health care access for West Hawaii residents.
The expansion includes a new compounding suite that will allow KCH to safely prepare medications – including chemotherapy drugs – on site.
“It will bring important efficiencies to our operations and, more importantly, better serve our patients by eliminating the need to outsource this critical service,” said Clayton McGhan, West Hawaii Region CEO.
Joining Governor Green at the blessing ceremony were Senate President Ron Kouchi, Sen. Dru Kanuha, Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa, and Sen. Tim Richards.
The new facility supports longer beyond-use dates, which improves efficiency and reduces labor and material costs. It also strengthens KCH’s emergency preparedness by increasing the volume of compounded medications on site, and enhances KCH’s ability to provide oncology and other specialized treatments.
“Today marks more than just the completion of a construction project; it represents a major advancement in how we care for our community,” said Rick Cleave, Kona Community Hospital interim regional director of pharmacy.
With this expansion, many patients, who previously needed to travel to Hilo or Oahu for treatment, can instead receive care closer to home.
The $2.3 million pharmacy expansion project was funded by the Hawaii State Legislature and Governor Green’s administration. The new compounding suite is expected to be fully operational by the end of the summer.
KONA, HAWAI‘I – In a milestone collaboration aimed at transforming health care delivery in West Hawai‘i, the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation West Hawaii Region (WHR), The Queen’s Health Systems (Queen’s), and Ali‘i Health Center have formalized a shared workforce agreement after a year and a half of strategic dialogue.
This initiative brings together Kona Community Hospital, Kohala Hospital, and provider groups from Queen’s and Ali‘i Health Center under a unified effort to keep care local and strengthen specialty services on the island.
The groundbreaking agreement allows health care providers from all three organizations to deliver services across each other’s facilities, creating a seamless, patient-centered care experience and enhancing access to specialized care close to home.
“This agreement represents a huge step forward in how we collaborate to meet the needs of our West Hawai‘i communities,” said Dr. Jeffrey Palmgren, Chief Medical Officer of WHR. “By sharing our workforce and aligning our goals, we can build a true physician group culture that supports our current providers, attracts new talent, and ultimately keeps our patients from having to leave the island to get the care they need.”
The shared workforce model is designed to:
Keep health care local by reducing the need for off-island referrals
Expand access to a broader spectrum of specialty care
Foster a unified physician group culture for improved recruitment and retention
Develop a pipeline of future providers through Graduate Medical Education
“At Queen’s, we are deeply committed to our mission to provide quality health care services to improve the well-being of all the people of Hawai‘i,” said Dr. Whitney Limm, Executive Vice President of Clinical Integration and Chief Physician Executive at The Queen’s Health Systems. “This partnership sets the stage for sustainable growth in the region’s health care system, ensuring that patients receive high-quality, coordinated care.”
Dr. Daphne Edmonston Hemmings, a general surgeon with Queen’s University Medical Group (QUMG), will be the first physician to provide care to West Hawai‘i patients under this new agreement starting June 6, 2025. QUMG is a prestigious team of more than 750 providers representing 17 specialties.
“We thank West Hawaii Region and Ali‘i Health Center for this innovative partnership that will deliver access to a broader network of providers and services, advance workforce development, and improve the overall health of West Hawai‘i communities,” said Dr. Rick Bruno, President of QUMG. “Queen’s is pleased that this agreement will mean better care and an enhanced experience for patients on Hawai‘i Island.”
“This partnership reflects the power of working together with a shared vision of community-centered care,” added Dennis Tognoli, Interim CEO of Ali‘i Health Center. “We’re proud to be part of this initiative, which will expand services, improve continuity of care, and create new opportunities to grow our local health care workforce.”
KEALAKEKUA, HI— Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital, which form the West Hawaii Region of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC), proudly introduced their new brand on Monday, March 24, representing the region’s longtime commitment and dedication to providing exemplary care to West Hawaii.
“When people walk through our doors, we want them to feel seen and heard. We want them to know that they matter to us, and we will do everything we can to provide the personalized care and attention they and their families deserve,” said Clayton McGhan, CEO of West Hawaii Region and Kona Community Hospital. “Each person’s medical needs and preferred care are as unique as they are, and they deserve to be treated with compassion.”
The new brand means a fresh look, complete with a reimagined set of logos and color palette. The bold triangles are culturally significant, paying homage to the sails of Polynesian voyaging canoes and symbolizing the commitment to navigating each medical journey in a collaborative, innovative way that moves health care in West Hawaii forward.
The colors thoughtfully represent each hospital’s unique location and cultural connection. The teal for Kona Community Hospital is reflective of the waters off Kealakekua that are visible from the hospital campus. The earthy red for Kohala
Hospital signifies the richness of the land there and the culture rooted in the area’s history. The golden yellow of the regional logo is reminiscent of the sun that shines light and fosters life and growth across the region.
Over the next weeks and months, the hospitals will gradually begin integrating the new logos and colors, but the essence of each facility and the West Hawaii Region remains unchanged and true to its core.
“We are a family, and to us, each person who comes in here becomes part of our family,” said McGhan. “Our commitment is more than a word. It is our promise to our community that at Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital, you will be treated with respect, understanding, and aloha. Here, you will feel safe and protected. We are here to serve and provide you with exemplary care each step of your medical journey.”
To help ensure smooth and timely care for your patients, we kindly ask that patients arrive for imaging services with the necessary requisition forms in hand. Having the correct documentation prepared in advance will prevent any delays and allow us to provide services more efficiently.
For CT, MRI, or Ultrasound appointments, please make sure the following are completed:
Requisition form
Pre-authorization
Lab results (if applicable)
With these documents, we can often schedule or provide services as early as the next day. Walk-in X-ray services are also available with a requisition form.
Requisition forms can be sent via fax to (808) 322-4576. If you have any questions, our scheduling team is happy to assist at (808) 322-4490.
You can download the necessary forms and learn more about imaging appointments here.
The hardest part of being a caretaker for Teresa Kuala‘au is watching her husband Wendell of more than 40 years wither from the once muscular, 180-pound Hawaiian fisherman to only 129 pounds as he battles diabetes and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Now, the emotional exhaustion and uncertainty is even greater for 64-year-old Kualaʻau because it’s her husband’s third bout with cancer. But Kualaʻau does have some peace of mind that she knows her 69-year-old husband’s end-of-life medical wishes.
Teresa and Wendell Kuala‘au. Photo courtesy: Teresa Kuala‘au
Twenty years ago, the couple created advanced health care directives at the advice of their primary care physicians. They have been updated over the years.
On Saturday at the second annual Empowering Caregiver Resource Fair, Kona Community Hospital is hoping to educate more caregivers about health care directives and how they can better take care of their loved ones who are suffering from declining health and themselves.
The event will be at the Sgt. Rodney JT Yano Hall, 82-6156 Māmalahoa Highway in Captain Cook from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
So far, 63 people have RSVP’d.
Speakers will explain the nuances of health care directives, which are legal documents that provide instructions for medical care and only go into effect if you cannot communicate your own wishes. The two most common advance directives for health care are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care.
Anne Padilla, spokesperson for Kona Community Hospital, helped organize the first caregiver resource fair in 2023, where a little more than 100 people attended. She said the need to educate caregivers about advanced health care directives became apparent when it was learned that many of the waitlisted patients at the hospital who were awaiting discharge to a skilled nursing facility for continued care and/or rehabilitation did not have one.
At the first resource fair, speaker Amy Hamane with Community First Hawai‘i said the biggest concern among caregivers was they didn’t have a legal document about the medical wishes of the people they were caring for.
“When someone is no longer able to speak and communicate, having an emergency situation, the directive documents what your wishes are if you’re unable to communicate,” Hamane said.
Community partners will share their expertise and connect caregivers with local resources. Speaker topics include:
Understanding Dementia-Related Behaviors presented by the Alzheimer’s Association
Advance Health Care Directives presented by Community First Hawaiʻi
Safe Lifting and Transfer Techniques for Caregivers presented by Kona Community Hospital’s Rehabilitation Department
Third Circuit Court Judge Peter Kubota also willl be at the event to discuss planning ahead of a loved one’s death and what documents need to be done.
Additionally, the hospital created Emergency Medical Folders that provide a central location for caregivers to store and organize medical information, including lists of medications and the health care directive.
Kuala‘au said the folders come in handy if she shows up at the hospital with Wendell and she’s too shaken to communicate with the health care workers, noting the folder includes all the information a doctor would need, including a medication list, names of doctors and even a power of attorney document.
Padilla said the folders help streamline information when it’s needed. Last year, they gave out 100 folders.
Call 808-322-4559 for more information about the resource fair or register online to RSVP for the Empowering Caregiver Resource Fair.
Hamane also will be at the second fair to register people for an upcoming October workshop, where caregivers will be given step-by-step guidance through filling out a health care directive and providing an understanding of the choices to be made.
Kuala‘au will provide her services free as a notary public since these documents require notarization or two people witnessing.
The workshop is co-hosted by Community First Hawai‘i and the hospital.
In the advance health directives made by Wendell and Teresa Kualaʻau, they have named each other as the person who can make decisions about their health if they are unable to do so.
They both also include instructions that they won’t wont to have their lives prolonged if death is inevitable, with Teresaa Kualaʻau saying: “There’s no sense in that.”
But having these wishes documented is important, she said, “so family members aren’t guessing.”
Kealakekua, HI – Kona Community Hospital (KCH) is proud to announce the successful launch of its Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) imaging service. This milestone achievement, in partnership with Aliʻi Health Center (AHC), represents a significant leap forward in non-invasive cardiac diagnostics.
CCTA testing provides doctors with a detailed visualization of coronary arteries, facilitating early detection of coronary artery disease and providing a safer, more convenient option for patients. This enhancement in diagnostic capability means patients can now receive timely care within their community, reducing wait times and the need to travel elsewhere for cardiac imaging services.
“We know from our recent healthcare site and needs assessment analysis that cardiac care is urgently needed in this community,” said Clayton McGhan, Kona Community Hospital CEO. “The introduction of the CCTA imaging service is a step in the right direction for us to be able to provide this care in our community.”
KCH and AHC worked for more than two years to bring this technology to West Hawaiʻi, implementing workstation upgrades in its radiology department to accommodate the state-of-the-art diagnostics and establishing a dedicated protocol for administering the medications needed for the procedure.
“This technology is game-changing for cardiology in Kona,” explained Jaime Westlund, DNP, Chairperson of Aliʻi Health Center’s Cardiology. “Getting to this point required a considerable amount of time and dedication, but it means our outpatient cardiac patients will have better cardiac diagnoses and care close to home.”
Kealakekua, HI – In an initiative to promote water safety awareness among Hawai‘i’s newest families, the Alex and Duke De Rego Foundation generously donated 50 gift baskets to new parents at Kona Community Hospital (KCH). This contribution underscores the critical need for water safety education from the earliest stages of life. Each gift basket contains newborn baby items along with crucial water safety educational materials to empower parents with the knowledge to protect their children around water.
Foundation President Shirley De Rego spoke to KCH staff passionately about the importance of water safety for all Hawai‘i’s children. She expressed her hope to donate 50 gift baskets annually during Water Safety Month, with ongoing efforts to distribute water safety educational materials to parents of newborns at KCH throughout the year.
A few families have so far received a gift basket at KCH, with some remembering hearing of the De Rego ʻohana.
“The life of a child is precious. It’s an honor to provide this Infant Water Safety information,” shared De Rego whose dedication to the safety and wellbeing of Hawai‘i’s keiki is deeply personal. “Knowledge is power. Anything we can do to safeguard our keiki is important. My mission is to do this with water safety and first aid /CPR.”
The Alex & Duke De Rego Foundation honors the memories of De Rego’s two sons who died in separate accidents when they were young. The foundation’s mission is to empower young people in Hawaiʻi with water safety and emergency lifesaving knowledge through hands on training.
“Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Alex and Duke De Rego Foundation, we are able to extend vital water safety education to new parents. By equipping families with this knowledge from the start, we can help reduce the number of water-related accidents and save lives,” shared Wendi Wagner, Trauma Program manager at KCH.
Kona Community Hospital launched a Hospital Site and Needs Assessment initiative to evaluate our community’s healthcare needs and the feasibility of a new hospital.
Join hospital officials on the following dates for Public Informational Sessions to learn about current and future healthcare needs of West Hawaii:
Monday, June 24 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. West Hawaiʻi Civic Center, Building A 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Thursday, June 27 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Kona Community Hospital Conference Rooms, Admin Building 79-1019 Haukapila Street Kealakekua, HI 96750
Kona Community Hospital is one step closer to constructing a wastewater treatment system.
In a letter to the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development Environmental Review Program,Clayton Mcghan, KCH CEO said the Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) assesses the potential effects of constructing and operating the proposed project.
“Kona Community Hospital, as the proposing and approving agency, anticipates that the proposed action is not likely to have a significant effect and therefore is issuing a notice of an Anticipated Finding of No Significant Impact, subject to the public review provisions of HAR Section 11-200.1-20,” the letter states.
According to the DEA, KCH is proposing a redundant wastewater treatment system with a capacity of 50,000 gallons-per-day (gpd) to supplement its existing 50,000-gpd system, which requires a shutdown to perform critical repair and maintenance. Because hospital operations must not be disrupted, KCH will divert the wastewater flow to the redundant system while the existing system is offline, and whenever future maintenance is needed.
The project will be timed to minimize effects to medical facility operations, personnel and patients. The project would not adversely affect surface water or groundwater. No valuable natural or cultural resource would be committed or lost at the quarter-acre grassed/paved project site through construction and use of additional wastewater treatment system facilities at the hospital.
KCH has determined that its wastewater treatment system (WWTS) requires a shutdown to perform critical repair and maintenance in order to continue effective operation. The hospital was built in 1975 and after many renovations is now a full service hospital with services including acute inpatient medical/surgical, obstetrics, skilled nursing, intensive care, and outpatient surgery.
The project would build a second, redundant WWTS with a capacity of 50,000 gpd. Once the redundant system is fully operational, repairs to the existing system can be conducted.
A nearby seepage pit area previously permitted for emergency use will be used for the absorption process during the brief time required for the diversion of the influent to the new system. After that, the systems will be capable of being operated alternately. Current demand can be filled with just one system operational at a time, and there are no immediate significant expansion plans at KCH that would generate substantially more wastewater.
The entire construction area will be less than a quarter-acre.
