Hale Makua marks 80 years, plans expansion
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Hale Makua began by caring for elderly Maui residents who had no family or others available to help them.
The residents initially lived in part of a plantation hospital and later in a Buddhist hall. After World War II, community leaders responded to the need by establishing the private nonprofit organization that became Hale Makua.
"It continues to be a thread in the community that basically responds when there's a need," said Anthony Krieg, who served as Hale Makua's chief executive officer for 30 years.
Hale Makua is celebrating its 80th anniversary this week as it plans to expand its role as a community health care organization.
The nonprofit operates 344 licensed skilled-nursing beds at its Wailuku and Kahului locations. It also operates rehabilitation and adult day health centers, a home health care agency and an adult residential care home.
Hale Makua residents, families and supporters gathered Tuesday at the Wailuku and Kahului facilities for an anniversary celebration. A Disney-themed parade through the residential neighborhoods is planned Thursday, followed by hula entertainment Friday.
"We're doing this to celebrate the residents and the family and also our employees," Hale Makua Chief Executive Officer Wes Lo said.
Hale Makua Chief Executive Officer Wes Lo and staff members celebrate the organization's 80th anniversary in commemorative T-shirts. Photo courtesy Hale Makua
The nonprofit is one of Maui's largest nongovernment employers, with more than 450 employees serving more than 1,700 people annually.
Melinda Gohn praised Hale Makua employees for the care they provided to her friend Frank Rich, a Navy veteran and former military medic who later became a peace activist. Rich died in August at age 91.
"We're so grateful to Hale Makua caregivers for the compassion and care they gave to our dear friend Frank Rich, a Navy veteran who served as a military medic. He eventually became a peace activist in his later life," Gohn said.
Gohn and Rich were among the founders of the Maui-based International Peace Poem Project and the statewide Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poetry Contest, now in its 27th year.
Lo, who served as chief executive officer of Maui Memorial Medical Center for more than 13 years, said Hale Makua provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation intended to help patients recover and return home whenever possible.
The organization also provides long-term nursing care for people who can no longer live independently. Its adult residential care home serves people who do not require nursing-home care but need a supportive residential setting.
Home health care and other community-based services are intended to help people remain safely in their homes.
"The goal is to get them home if we can," Lo said.
Lo said successful transitions sometimes require assistance beyond direct health care.
"Sometimes, people need things other than direct healthcare. They need access to social services and transportation," he said. "We're trying to work with insurance companies to figure out ways that we can pay for this because that's cheaper than staying in a nursing home."
Hale Makua is developing plans for a health care complex tentatively called the CarePlex. Plans call for a 56-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility, an ambulatory surgery center and clinic space intended to expand access to specialty physicians on Maui.
Lo said the rehabilitation facility could care for some patients outside a hospital setting, reduce hospital stays and limit the need for patients to travel off-island.
Some patients, including those recovering from strokes, no longer need hospital treatment but still require extended care and rehabilitation, he said.
"So it's almost like a lower-level hospital but not in a hospital environment," Lo said.
Hale Makua also is advancing plans for workforce housing intended for entry-level healthcare and education workers and residents displaced by the Maui wildfires. The organization is working with Alaka'i Development on a proposed 288-unit project.
Krieg, whose tenure as CEO ended in 2016, said he is grateful to have helped create an environment in which employees care for residents with dignity.
He said he receives the most gratification from seeing photographs of residents enjoying activities organized by Hale Makua employees. Krieg recalled one event in which residents threw whipped-cream pies at administrators, including him.
"We're here with you to laugh and be part of your life, and you're part of ours," he said.
Retired Hale Makua Chief Executive Officer Anthony Krieg says he is grateful to have been part of an organization that treats residents with dignity. Krieg, who served as CEO for 30 years, received the Ho'okele Award in 2011 for successfully guiding the organization through challenging times. He is pictured with Hale Makua board member Roy Sakamoto. Photo courtesy Hale Makua
Krieg said Hale Makua's record of service helped it secure support for an expansion during Linda Lingle's tenure as Maui County mayor. Lingle supported the use of county parkland to expand the Kahului facility.
Krieg also credited then-state Sen. Roz Baker, state House Speaker Joe Souki and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation with helping secure funding.
The Weinberg Care Center opened in 1996, adding more than 100 beds to Hale Makua's capacity.