Public optimistic but express concerns regarding funding and location of proposed new Kona hospital

Charlene and Dan Mersburgh spent about 15 years traveling back and forth from Kona to O‘ahu seeking medical care for their daughter who was diagnosed with cancer at 4 years old.

In December 2023, Ruth died after her long battle with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that develops in immature nerve cells.

“She had the bones of a 70-year-old woman, she was on oxygen, she had a damaged heart, and she was only 20,” Dan Mersburgh said.

On Monday, the Mersburghs were among about 70 people who attended a public informational meeting in the Hawai‘i County Council Chambers at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, held by Kona Community Hospital leadership to discuss a recent report that assessed the current and future healthcare needs of West Hawai‘i. The report also included recommendations for potentially building a new Kona hospital in a more central location.

Click here to read the full report.

Charlene Mersburgh was encouraged by the number of people who showed up to hear hospital officials’ updates and a plan to expand services. During the public comment period, she said she appreciated the number of kūpuna who turned out, however, she was there to be a voice for those in need of pediatric care for their keiki. She wanted to ensure those parents had input on what a potential hospital and its services would look like in the future.

“I’m a little teary-eyed because it was too late for Ruth, but I’m happy to share her story to pave the way for future children,” Charlene Mersburgh said.

While KCH officials went through the various points in the report – conducted by ECG Management Consultants – people focused on the two identified sites in Kailua-Kona where the 50-year-old hospital, currently located in Kealakekua, could move.

The report identifies the old Kmart site, located off Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway and up from Makala Boulevard, or the Queen’s site in the West Hawai‘i business park next to Costco as options for a new hospital location. Both properties are owned privately.

Clayton McGhan, CEO of Kona Community Hospital, went through the pros and cons of each site. The Kmart location is a good spot as the land is already developed with water rights, sewage and parking. However, a huge con is the current land owner, Lili‘uokalani Trust, is less willing to sell the land but rather enter into a long-term leasehold.

The parcel of land near Costco, owned by Queen’s Health Systems, is yet to be developed. Deal terms are unknown and would need to be vetted out.

The cost of the project is estimated at $653 million and that doesn’t include the cost of the land KCH would potentially have to buy.

One elderly man at the meeting questioned why the hospital didn’t consult the community for input on the locations. “Why did you look at private landowners when there are loads of state lands?”

McGhan said when they looked at potential sites they had to look at access to utilities, particularly water since the hospital uses several thousand gallons of it per day.

Another community member questioned: “Has anyone thought about climate change or tsunamis? I think you need to look at something further away from the ocean.”

There were also concerns raised about the lack of service providers and attracting the doctors needed to the Big Island to provide care.

With the report showing a deficit of at least 25 providers in West Hawai‘i, Dr. Jeff Palmgren, urologist at Kona Community Hospital, spoke at the meeting saying Hawai‘i just got ranked the worst place to work in health care.

“It’s a 65-day wait to see a cardiologist on this island,” Palmgren said adding the Big Island also has higher cancer death rates in the state.

Along with building a new facility, Palmgren said the goal would be to grow doctors locally.

If funding is secured at state, federal and philanthropic levels, McGhan said they could start the architecture and planning phase as early as this year, which would last till 2026. The new hospital would be operational by 2035.

McGhan said they are working on drafting measures to address the goal of design and plan for the next legislative session.

McGhan iterated throughout the meeting that the report is an assessment providing recommendations. No decisions have been made and they plan to hold several community input meetings throughout the entire process.

Renee Robinson, 70, of Kailua-Kona, came to the meeting because she wanted to see what the report outlined.

“I’ve had a lot of negative experiences with the hospital, but listening tonight my attitude is optimistic,” Robinson said.

Out of the two sites, she prefers the Old Kmart because there is already a parking lot and there is road access from Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway.

Greg Bell, 80, Kailua-Kona, said the report is a good start but he didn’t think it covered enough.

“There was no consideration for Native Hawaiians,” Bell said, adding that Hawaiian organizations were not included in the strategic analysis. “We’re building this for everybody.”

Bell did like that they recognized the doctor shortage and the importance of getting more service providers on the island.

Dan Mersburgh said there’s been talk about a new hospital for decades, but after the experience with his daughter, he added it’d be nice to see more aftercare on island.

As of now, Dan Mersburgh said he’s not overly concerned with anything presented in the report. He is worried that bureaucracy and funding can stymie things.

Charlene Mersburgh also felt the report was well done.