Kohala Hospital

Kohala Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital with both acute and long term care services, and a 24 hour Emergency Room. The hospital is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, an agency of the State of Hawaii established in 1996.

Kohala Hospital and Kohala Hospital Charitable Foundation Kohala Hospital in Kapaau has gone through many changes since the plantation days. For most of its early years it was a ‘stand alone’ health care facility for the people of North Kohala. Waimea and Kona were too far away to make much of a difference when a life was at stake.

In 1962, the current structure was built and it provided 24 long term and 4 acute care beds and offered emergency service 24/7. When the major employer, Kohala Sugar Company, shut down in 1975, the population declined and the hospital settled into a holding pattern.

In 2002, the State of Hawaii legislature proposed closing Kohala Hospital in a cost saving effort. A group of local citizens had another idea and formed the Kohala Hospital Charitable Foundation with the goal that if the hospital had a greater capacity to manage the health care of the Kohala community it would be more difficult for the State to close the hospital down.

Currently, Kohala Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital with acute and long term care services and a 24 hour Emergency Room . The hospital is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, an agency of the State of Hawaii established in 1996. The hospital’s future is not only secure plus it has much improved capability for saving lives, a better quality of life for the long term care residents and it offers a more pleasant work environment for its employees.

The Foundation has played a key role in these accomplishments/improvements. Due to the Foundation fundraising efforts over the years the hospital has been able to purchase furnishings for long-term care residents, a portable X-Ray machine, Ultrasound equipment, a patient transportation van, a new stove for the hospital kitchen, installed a new phone system and other infrastructure upgrades throughout the hospital.

For the past few years, the Foundation has been working closely with the hospital administrative staff in the planning the relocation and enlargement of a new Emergency Room. Construction began Fall of 2013 and completion of the ER is targeted for Spring of 2016.

The Foundation has contributed $450,000 for the ER construction project.