Donor Recognition

By the 1800s, introduced diseases such as typhoid, tuberculosis, bubonic plague, and small pox – as well as war and famine, had reduced Hawai‘i’s population by more than 75 percent. Many earlier epidemics had taken more lives, but the smallpox epidemic of 1853 came at a time when the population was already decimated. It was the defining trial that brought King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, to establish The Queen’s Hospital in 1859.

One hundred and sixty-seven years later, Hawai‘i and the world faced the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. In 1859, the community came together to help fund The Queen’s Hospital. In 2020, the community once again united to fund The Queen’s Medical Center’s Respiratory and Infectious Disease Unit. This wall is dedicated to the over 40 organizations and individuals who gave generously at a time when businesses were forced to shutter or work through almost insurmountable barriers, and when many individuals were faced with job insecurity. Their remarkable philanthropy enabled the development of this unit in an integral step towards establishing an environment capable of combating global health crises. Me ka mahalo piha a me ho‘omaikai‘i. With much thanks and appreciation.