Proposed health center in Keaʻau moving forward with $25 million commitment from billionaire

A proposed $60 million health center in the heart of Keaʻau is moving forward with the recent publishing of its draft Environmental Assessment and a $25 million commitment from Marc and Lynne Benioff.

The 36,000-square-foot Keaʻau Benioff Health Center, named after the couple, would provide out-patient primary, specialty and behavioral health care for people living in Puna, Kaʻu and across East Hawaiʻi. The anticipated completion date is 2028.

Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green has pledged to work with the State Legislature to secure a match of $25 million toward the construction of the public-private project, according to a news release from the East Hawaiʻi Region of Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation.

The Benioffs previously donated $50 million to help fund expansion and improvements at Hilo Medical Center, which is part of the corporation and the largest hospital on the Big Island. It has since been renamed the Hilo Benioff Medical Center.

Marc Benioff is the 221st richest person in the world with a net worth as of Thursday of $10.9 billion, according to Forbes. He also is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of the software company Salesforce and the owner of Time magazine since 2018.

The planned new health center with clinical and behavioral health wings would be built on a 9-acre property located west of Highway 130 and near Keaʻau High School at 16-790 Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road.

The proposed facilities would provide primary care services, specialty clinic services, laboratory services, behavioral health, counseling services and imaging services, such as X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Urgent care services would be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week, including holidays.

The facility would be for outpatient care only and would not be an emergency room, would not receive ambulances and would not provide drug rehabilitation services. 

Keaʻau Benioff Medical Center expects to service 100 patients per day. By the fifth year of operation, officials estimate the center will have a staff of 95 people, with 25 providers, according to the Environmental Assessment.

Plans were advanced this month after the Hawaiʻi County Planning Department reviewed the projectʻs draft environmental assessment and reported an anticipated Finding of No Significant Impact.

“For the past two decades, Puna has been leading the population growth in East Hawaiʻi,” state Sen. Joy San Buenaventura said a statement. “The Keaʻau Benioff Health Center is a recognition of that growth. We also look forward to the behavioral health services that will be offered at this clinic, which are in short supply throughout East Hawaiʻi.”

Puna is the fastest growing region in the state, and according to census data, the population has increased from 31,000 people in 2000 to nearly 52,000 people in 2020. It is expected to top 75,000 within the next six years. 

Growth to the area has created increased demand for primary and specialty health care from Puna residents at Hilo Benioff Medical Center, said Elena Cabatu, director of marketing, legislative and public affairs.

Punaʻs insufficient access to healthcare facilities ultimately results in longer wait times, overcrowding and, at times, compromised quality of care at the hospital in Hilo. Similar speciality services offered at the Hilo Benioff Medical Center will be offered in Keaʻau, including cardiology, orthopedics and radiology.

“We can see where someone is coming from to visit our providers, so we foresee our physicians working a couple days in Hilo and a couple days in Keaʻau depending on where their patients are located,” Cabatu said.

According to the Environmental Assessment, Puna’s high percentage of low-income residents tend to discourage private health care providers from locating in Puna due to issues with insurance, which greatly has increased the need for social services. 

The rudimentary public transportation systems are not helpful to all patients coming from Puna, especially since they are a dispersed, rural population that spans about 20 subdivisions in an area that is slightly smaller than Kauaʻi. 

Dan Brinkman, East Hawaii Regional CEO of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and Hilo Benioff Medical Center, said the new health center has been in the works for several years as a “fundamental extension” to Hilo Benioff Medical Center and will continue the momentum to improve healthcare.

“There are numerous benefits that come with a project of this scope and size that will improve access to healthcare for many generations to come and provide opportunities for meaningful careers in healthcare,” he said in the news release.

The site of the new health center now is zoned agricultural, with the property originally part of a 26.76-acre parcel that was subdivided in February. There are no sensitive biological, hydrological, archaeological, cultural or other resources present on the previously cleared site, according to the Environmental Assessment that was published on Nov. 8.

On-site supporting infrastructure is expected to include driveways, electricity, water, storm water management and wastewater disposal facilities. Wastewater would be processed through an on-site facility that provides secondary treatment, as required by the state Department of Health.

“We are nearing a major transformation for healthcare in Puna,” state Rep. Chris Todd said in the news release. “The needs of that community have gone unmet for a very long time and this is a critical step toward healthier families and better outcomes for our keiki.”