$3.7 Million Released for Hilo Medical Center Improvements

Gov. Neil Abercrombie today released more than $3.7 million for capital improvement projects at Hilo Medical Center.

The state Legislature appropriated the funds for the hospital, which is the largest facility in the state’s public hospital system and one of the largest employers in Hilo.

The projects include:

• $1,052,000 for construction, and works of art mandated by state law, to renovate the hospital’s acute-care area, including renovations to bathrooms with leaky fixtures and cracked shower tiles, replacement of inoperable and corroded facility doors, sound-masking to reduce noise, and other repairs as necessary
• $728,000 for design and construction for the replacement of the medical center’s atrium walls and roof, which need to be repaired to address water leakage causing damage to the hospital interior
• $650,000 for planning, design and construction to repair leaking roofs of the West Wing, Hospital Cottage and acute hospital
• $350,000 for design and construction to replace 25-year-old chiller pipes to prevent loss of air conditioning
• $235,000 for parking lot improvements including re-designation of parking to accommodate patient and visitors’ needs as well as signage, fencing and lighting
• $233,000 for demolition of an old two-story building on the campus that has partially collapsed, resulting in a potential fire hazard and an obstacle to the adjacent helipad
• $200,000 for construction to bring existing storage tanks into compliance with new EPA regulatory standards; the project includes construction of a concrete footing, metal roof overhang, and installation of new chain link fences and gates
• $160,000 for equipment to replace an existing washer that is more than 25 years old and no longer operable
• $134,000 for design and construction to replace an existing chain link fence with a higher masonry fence that will increase security for the behavioral health unit and provide additional privacy for patients

“These CIPs funds represent an investment in Hilo Medical Center as an essential part of our public hospital system,” Abercrombie said. “As elements of the Affordable Care Act come online, we must continue to invest in our healthcare infrastructure to ensure that facilities are ready to provide access to quality healthcare for all the people of Hawaii.”

A spokeswoman for the Abercrombie administration said the latest release has raised the amount of CIP funding since the start of 2012 to more than $889.5 million. She said the funding is part of an economic strategy to address priority work while stimulating the economy and generating jobs.