HONOLULU – The Queen’s Health Systems (Queen’s), Kuakini Support Services, Inc. (Kuakini), Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA), and Satellite Healthcare, Inc. have kicked off construction of a new outpatient clinic that will increase access to innovative, much-needed dialysis services for the people of Hawaiʻi.
A pre-construction blessing was held yesterday for the 10,000-square-foot clinic, which will be located on the ground floor of the Hale Pulama Mau building on the Kuakini Health System campus. The center, the first-of-its-kind in Hawaiʻi, will serve both in-center and home dialysis patients and will include 23 dialysis stations, two private isolation rooms, and two rooms that will be used to conduct home dialysis training.
Kidney disease is an epidemic in Hawaiʻi, affecting nearly one in every five Hawaiʻi residents. The new clinic will increase access to necessary health care services at a reasonable cost. Along with the three local, non-profit organizations, the center is being developed as a joint venture with Satellite Healthcare, Inc., the nation’s leader in home dialysis services.
“This new center will provide more convenience for patients and their families,” said Jason Chang, chief operating officer at The Queen’s Health Systems. “Queen’s is continuously looking for ways to deliver high-quality care in comfortable, accessible settings. Our goal is to provide dialysis patients with greater access to the services they need, so they can receive their treatments on an outpatient basis and we can improve their quality of life.”
“This new, state-of-the-art center will allow more dialysis patients to get the care they need, but also continue home dialysis education, a proven alternative that results in better outcomes and allows patients to maintain a higher quality of life outside of the hospital, in their homes,” said Rudy R. Marilla, vice president of provider partnerships at HMSA and president of Integrated Services Inc. (ISI), a subsidiary of HMSA. “HMSA and ISI are proud to join our local health system partners and an industry leader in dialysis in this venture.”
“Kuakini is pleased to partner with Queen’s, HMSA, and Satellite Healthcare, Inc. in the development of a new outpatient dialysis center to serve the community,” said Gary Kajiwara, president and chief executive officer at Kuakini Medical Center. “This project is a Kuakini story coming full circle, as we started the second outpatient dialysis center on Oʻahu in the mid-1970s, the Kuakini Kidney Disease Center. The Center’s ownership was transferred in 1983 and departed from our campus in 1996. Kuakini’s Board and Health Care Team are looking forward to the start of the new dialysis center and its home dialysis program.”
“We are proud to be a part of this effort, which unites several like-minded organizations and provides the people of Hawaiʻi with an alternative to care from a non-profit company dedicated to making life better for those living with kidney disease,” said Jeff Goffman, chief executive officer at Satellite Healthcare.
Final construction is expected by February 2022, with the first patient being seen later in the year.
