HIHS Receives $1.5M Grant for New Animal Hospital

The Hawai‘i Island Humane Society was awarded a $1.5 million grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation to support final renovations of the Anne Barasch Ryan Animal Hospital in Holualoa.

The grant will also name The Bob & Renee Parsons Welcome Center as part of the organization’s extensive Animal Community Center, HIHS stated in a news release Monday, Aug. 1.

The Animal Community Center is a 12-acre campus designed to shelter animals in humane, modern housing and to provide the Hawai‘i Island community with a variety of low-cost pet services. The center encompasses two dog parks for public use and a welcome center.

Recently named The Bob & Renee Parsons Welcome Center, the facility houses a pet support department, retail shop and an administrative building. The center also features Adoption Square, which includes a fenced-in yard for pets to play outdoors, Scruffee’s Cat Barn and three Dog Dorms. The ultimate vision for HIHS’ Animal Community Center is to provide a humane facility for animals while also ensuring pet owners and community members feel welcomed.

“Renee and I believe in providing critical funding at critical times,” said founder and CEO of PXG Bob Parsons. “With the addition of the new Anne Barasch Ryan Animal Hospital, the Hawai‘i Island Humane Society will not only provide critical care to abused and neglected animals, but also expand its services to care for pets community-wide.”

A big part of that care includes veterinary services for both shelter animals and local pet owners. The Anne Barasch Ryan Animal Hospital will allow HIHS to increase its capacity to provide low-cost and free veterinary care services to the community. The 13,000-square-foot facility, slated to be completed by the end of 2022 or early 2023, will feature a veterinary hospital and intake wing. The hospital will include three surgical suites and diagnostic equipment including ultra-sound and X-ray machines, isolation units for pets with infectious diseases, an intensive care unit for pets in recovery and exam rooms. The intake wing will provide temporary housing for adult dogs, puppies, adult cats and kittens that have been surrendered by their owners, found stray or transferred in from other organizations.

“A special mahalo to The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation for this incredible gift to support the completion of the Anne Barasch Ryan Animal Hospital,” said Hawai‘i Island Humane Society CEO Lauren Nickerson. “While this gift is helping to complete a physical structure, as important is the community good that this gift provides. Most importantly, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is helping to provide needed care to improve animals’ lives.”