A West Maui Hospital has been an idea for a log time. It has never made any medical or financial sense in the past, and it still does not. There is not to my knowledge ANY member of the Health Care Community on Maui that sees any need for a such a Hospital on the West Side, or any possibility of making it in any way financially viable. The unfortunate reality is that there are not nearly enough potential patients on this side for it to serve, and there is certainly not any ability to staff it with nurses, etc, much less physicians and specialists. We cant even staff the hospital we already have on the other side!
There would have to be an enormous continuous funding stream for this, and such funds woiuld certainly be better spent having some kind of real beneficial effect for the people of Maui. With there being NO support of any member of the entire medical community on Maui for such a project, it makes no sense and the chances of being at all viable are dismal.
Norman M. Estin, M.D.
Medical Director,
Doctors On Call
I am concerned in the staffing of the proposed hospital on west Maui. I do not know of any physicians currently practicing medicine on the west side of Maui who would be willing to work in a new hospital on the west side. Considering the lack of nursing and support staff being experienced at MMMC, I question where the staffing for a new hospital would come.
My concern is this hospital will not have enough beds to make a real difference. We need more primary care Doctors in West Maui. The one medical facility we has 2 and one may be retiring soon. We can barely staff the one hospital we have. We need more doctors, medical specialists, and better trained support staff before expanding to the West Side. More importantly to improve the nursing training and staffing that we have already which UHMaui is attempting to upgrade. Not to mention, it doesn't pencil out! Not every patient is going to be on Medicare which pays in full in rural areas. The financials don't make sense, especially with 5 beds.
we are not going to be able to staff it with qualified specialists................financial experts who have studied the West Maui Hospital situation all say that the hospital will be a huge money loser...............it doesn't "pencil out"..................
I am writing in strong support for establishment of the Proposed West Side Hospital and Medical Center. While I am writing this on my personal behalf, I currently serve as the President of the Masters at Kaanapali Hillside, a condominium project located adjacent to the Coffee Farms where the hospital will be placed.
The Masters is a community of 200 owners. We are not a vacation or daily rental property. Roughly 40% of our owners are full-time owners/Maui residents. 50% of owners are part-time owners who spend 3 to 9 months a year on Maui. The average owner age is 65, the age at which quick medical intervention is often crucial. Many of us have been long time supporters of building a West Side hospital and medical center.
Unfortunately we have seen what happens when an owner becomes sick with a heart or other serious injury or illness that requires immediate care rather than being transported for 45 minutes or longer to receive the immediate hospital care they need. Sadly, we have seen a couple of owners pass away because they couldn’t immediately receive hospital type medical assistance.
For these and other reasons, my wife Amey and I strongly support passage of this proposal and urge its adoption by the Committee and consideration by the Maui County Council on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Mahalo,
Jasper Hempel
Amey Hempel
50 Puu Anoano Street, Unit 1601
Lahaina, HI 96761
808-463-7813
A West Maui Hospital has been an idea for a log time. It has never made any medical or financial sense in the past, and it still does not. There is not to my knowledge ANY member of the Health Care Community on Maui that sees any need for a such a Hospital on the West Side, or any possibility of making it in any way financially viable. The unfortunate reality is that there are not nearly enough potential patients on this side for it to serve, and there is certainly not any ability to staff it with nurses, etc, much less physicians and specialists. We cant even staff the hospital we already have on the other side!
There would have to be an enormous continuous funding stream for this, and such funds woiuld certainly be better spent having some kind of real beneficial effect for the people of Maui. With there being NO support of any member of the entire medical community on Maui for such a project, it makes no sense and the chances of being at all viable are dismal.
Norman M. Estin, M.D.
Medical Director,
Doctors On Call
I am concerned in the staffing of the proposed hospital on west Maui. I do not know of any physicians currently practicing medicine on the west side of Maui who would be willing to work in a new hospital on the west side. Considering the lack of nursing and support staff being experienced at MMMC, I question where the staffing for a new hospital would come.
My concern is this hospital will not have enough beds to make a real difference. We need more primary care Doctors in West Maui. The one medical facility we has 2 and one may be retiring soon. We can barely staff the one hospital we have. We need more doctors, medical specialists, and better trained support staff before expanding to the West Side. More importantly to improve the nursing training and staffing that we have already which UHMaui is attempting to upgrade. Not to mention, it doesn't pencil out! Not every patient is going to be on Medicare which pays in full in rural areas. The financials don't make sense, especially with 5 beds.
we are not going to be able to staff it with qualified specialists................financial experts who have studied the West Maui Hospital situation all say that the hospital will be a huge money loser...............it doesn't "pencil out"..................
Aloha Human Concerns and Parks Committee,
I am writing in strong support for establishment of the Proposed West Side Hospital and Medical Center. While I am writing this on my personal behalf, I currently serve as the President of the Masters at Kaanapali Hillside, a condominium project located adjacent to the Coffee Farms where the hospital will be placed.
The Masters is a community of 200 owners. We are not a vacation or daily rental property. Roughly 40% of our owners are full-time owners/Maui residents. 50% of owners are part-time owners who spend 3 to 9 months a year on Maui. The average owner age is 65, the age at which quick medical intervention is often crucial. Many of us have been long time supporters of building a West Side hospital and medical center.
Unfortunately we have seen what happens when an owner becomes sick with a heart or other serious injury or illness that requires immediate care rather than being transported for 45 minutes or longer to receive the immediate hospital care they need. Sadly, we have seen a couple of owners pass away because they couldn’t immediately receive hospital type medical assistance.
For these and other reasons, my wife Amey and I strongly support passage of this proposal and urge its adoption by the Committee and consideration by the Maui County Council on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Mahalo,
Jasper Hempel
Amey Hempel
50 Puu Anoano Street, Unit 1601
Lahaina, HI 96761
808-463-7813