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Green signs bills to help West Maui Hospital, expand nursing program

Measure paves way for hospital to seek bonds

By Melissa Tanji 5 min read

KAHULUI -- Gov. Josh Green signed a pair of bills on Tuesday that could help finance a portion of the West Maui Hospital as well as expand a program to help nurses advance their careers.

One of the measures, House Bill 1255, authorizes the issuance of $20 million in special purpose revenue bonds to assist the West Maui Hospital Foundation in the construction of the West Maui Hospital and Medical Center. The special purpose revenue bonds are not grants or subsidies by the state and do not use taxpayer money, but are rather sold to private investors who provide the actual funds. The revenues are used to fund loans to borrowers for improvement projects, according to the state Department of Budget and Finance website.

The other bill, House Bill 353, expands a program statewide that began at the University of Hawaii Maui College and allows working certified nurses' aides and other working health care professionals become licensed practical nurses while still at their current jobs. In each of the next two fiscal years, the bill appropriates $130,000 for the program's instructional costs and $200,000 for student aid for those enrolled, a news release from the Governor's Office said.

"It's amazing just what modest improvements or increase in faculty and colleagues and professionals and facilities can make, and it's extraordinary how much care we can deliver these days," Green said before signing the bills in front of Maui state legislators, local health leaders, Maui County Council members and UH-Maui students at the college's campus.

Green, a medical doctor with more than 20 years of experience, said with just one acute care hospital on island -- Maui Memorial Medical Center -- it was good that West Maui state lawmakers took up the fight for HB 1255. West Maui's state Sen. Angus McKelvey and state Rep. Elle Cochran were in the audience Tuesday.

"An acute-care hospital is greatly needed for West Maui," Green added in a news release. "The island has seen tremendous growth and projected rates of growth and visitors going forward are unprecedented."

He added that the completion of the hospital "will also generate excellent job opportunities for residents in the community."

Brian Hoyle, president of the West Maui Hospital Foundation, said via phone Tuesday afternoon, "We're very excited about it."

Hoyle, along with his company, California-based Newport Hospital Corp., have been working for 15 years to get the West Maui Hospital up and running.

"The bond will allow us to provide some financing to the construction of the West Maui Hospital," he said.

The project needs a total of $40 million more -- the special purpose revenue bonds could help with half of that, and other sources could fund the rest, Hoyle said. That includes $10 million he hopes to receive from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Millions have already gone into the project that will be a critical access hospital with five acute-care beds (down from an originally proposed 25), three operating rooms, a 24-hour emergency room, radiology, lab, pharmacy and outpatient services.

Hoyle said he hopes construction can begin in 2024 and that the hospital could maybe open in the later part of 2025.

Construction on a sewer line has been completed and the facility has already received its certificate of need from the state, he said.

Funding from the other measure signed Tuesday, House Bill 353, will help cover instructional costs for the Certified Nurse Aide-to-Practical Nurse Bridge Program at UH-MC, along with providing student aid. The appropriation includes funds for tuition, fees, supplies and other related costs, according to the Governor's Office.

The program partners with Hale Makua, 'Ohana Pacific Health and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii to help eligible health care professionals become LPNs.

"This funding contributes to a robust education system in providing health workforce education and training, to enhance the quality of health care in our community and address the dire shortage of health care workers in our state," Green said.

UH-MC Chancellor Lui Hokoana said after the news conference that the additional funding will allow for more students to participate in the program, especially on Maui. This year there were 10, and with the additional funding Maui will have room for 20 students. The program that is also offered on Oahu can now expand statewide, including to Lanai and Molokai.

Hokoana said the program's goals include keeping local workers at home and helping with worker shortages at local facilities.

Central Maui state Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran said at the news conference that the bills are "not something that we at the Legislature can take credit for."

He said they were community driven, although he also gave credit to Central Maui state Rep. Troy Hashimoto for shepherding HB 353.

"This was probably one of the easiest bills to move through the Legislature this year," Keith-Agaran said. "It wasn't something that a legislator wanted, but it was something the Maui community wanted and also needed."

"This isn't just for Maui, this is something that is going to be helpful for health care throughout the state," Keith-Agaran said.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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