KAHUKU, HAWAI‘I, March 10, 2026 — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted $6 million to Kahuku Medical Center (KMC) to expand the hospital’s emergency department and upgrade its electronic health record system.
Kahuku Medical Center is the primary point of access for urgent and life-saving care for residents of the North Shore and Koʻolauloa regions of Oʻahu. The upgrades will improve patient flow, reduce wait times, and allow clinicians to better stabilize patients in trauma.
“This expansion will help Kahuku Medical Center provide its timely, high-quality emergency care in an upgraded environment on par with any urban setting,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “Helmsley is proud to help KMC expand its services to better serve residents of Oʻahu’s northern shores.”
Kahuku Medical Center’s current 1,600-square-foot emergency department houses six treatment bays and one trauma bay. The project will expand the department to 4,000 square feet, offering eight to 10 treatment bays and a Level-5 trauma bay, which allows clinicians to evaluate and stabilize patients for transfer to a higher-level facility. The grant will also fund the purchase of monitors, carts, furniture, and ultrasound and X-ray machines.
Steve Nawahine, CEO of KMC, said the renovations will expand capacity, modernize the environment, and ensure that every patient who comes through KMC’s doors receives dignified, compassionate care.
“We offer our deepest mahalo to The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for its confidence in our mission and its commitment to advancing the health of the North Shore and Koʻolauloa regions,” Nawahine said. “Its support represents a truly transformative investment in our hospital and the community we serve. This partnership enhances our ability to deliver highquality emergency care close to home—care that is essential for rural families who rely on us in life’s most critical moments.”
Upgrades to the electronic health record will support clinical decision-making, streamline workflows, and improve patient outcomes while advancing team members’ ability to coordinate care tools, collaborate on daily operations, and use analytic data.
About The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has granted more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $850 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.
About Kahuku Medical Center
Kahuku Medical Center (KMC) is a Critical Access Hospital serving the geographically isolated North Shore and Koʻolauloa regions of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. As the sole hospital within a 30-mile radius in each direction, KMC provides essential emergency, inpatient, and outpatient services to a diverse population—including residents, family, visitors, and medically underserved communities. KMC provides quality healthcare and promotes wellness in our community in a professional, caring, culturally sensitive, and financially responsible manner. KMC specializes in family and internal medicine, pediatrics, dental health, physical and occupational rehabilitation, mental health, preventive care, and more. For more information, visit www.kmc-hi.org.
