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.
