West Oahu once had its own hospital and ER, but it’s been two and a half years since it closed. That changes May 20 when the same facility re-opens as The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu after more than $70 million spent on acquisition and improvements <\/p>\n
Sound the trumpets. Roll out the red carpet. Royalty is in the house at West Oahu. <\/p>\n
Here comes Queen’s.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
The keys to a medical fiefdom have been passed, and within weeks Queen’s Health System begins a regional reign full of hope and expectations.<\/p>\n
It’s been an anxious time since the closing in 2012 of St. Francis’ Hawaii Medical Center West on Fort Weaver Road in Ewa. On May 20, the doors to The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu will open officially to serve the communities of Ewa, Kapolei, Waianae, Waipahu and Kunia.<\/p>\n
A loud sigh of relief can be heard throughout the medical community, as strained emergency rooms and other services have had to accommodate displaced West Oahu patients.<\/p>\n
Now those patients will be able to come “home.”<\/p>\n
But this homecoming hasn’t been without a lot of contemplation, examination, anticipation and even anxiety of interested parties.<\/p>\n
Let us recap a bit of this Westside story.<\/p>\n
What Happened?<\/B><\/p>\n
In December 2012, Queen’s Health System, corporate parent of The Queen’s Medical Center, acquired the former HMC West campus from St. Francis Healthcare System.<\/p>\n
The West Oahu campus consists of more than 17 acres, a medical office building and a five-story, 100,000-square-foot hospital.<\/p>\n
“When Hawaii Medical Center West closed in December 2011, more than 2,000 inpatient admissions and 30,000 emergency room visitors had to be moved to other area hospitals,” recollects Queen’s president and CEO Art Ushijima.<\/p>\n
“With the opening of The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu, residents will be served with a brand-new hospital, expanded emergency room, more operating rooms, new imaging facilities and equipment, and a renovated and modernized campus,” he heralds.<\/p>\n
The acquisition of land and facilities, along with improvements, exceeds $70 million.<\/p>\n
The shining light of Queen’s and its 155-year legacy as a health care provider has ignited joy in Oahu’s second city.<\/p>\n
Ruler of the Realm<\/B><\/p>\n
Leading the charge of Queen’s expansion is Susan Murray, senior vice president of The Queen’s Health Systems’ West Oahu Region and chief operating officer of The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu.<\/p>\n
Murray previously was an officer and regional administrator for Kaiser Permanente Foundation Health Plan and Hospital, a position she held for 11 years before joining Queen’s.<\/p>\n
The Punahou and University of Hawaii graduate has an MBA in health services management from the University of Dallas.<\/p>\n
Upon Murray’s appointment a year ago, Ushijima cited her “more than 20 years of experience in a broad array of senior health-care executive management and leadership roles on the Mainland and in Hawaii. She has specialty, tertiary care, nonprofit, for-profit and fully integrated health systems management experiences, which is extremely beneficial as we develop our own clinically integrated delivery system.”<\/p>\n
The poised administrator already has delivered on the promise of her hiring. She has orchestrated the modernizing of what is essentially a new hospital and prepared a 500-employee force – more than half of whom live in the area – to welcome patients when the clock strikes 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 20.<\/p>\n
The one-time flight attendant for Hawaiian Air, who transitioned into health care as patient coordinator at Straub and also worked at Kapiolani Medical Center, says, “Health care is a calling. It gives purpose and meaning to those who choose it as a mission.”<\/p>\n
Royal Decree<\/B><\/p>\n
Murray echoes the premise on which The Queen’s Health System was founded by Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV in 1859.<\/p>\n
“The Hawaiian race was being decimated by foreign disease, and the two campaigned tirelessly for a hospital,” she relates. “They personally went door-to-door soliciting necessary funding.”<\/p>\n
The result was the establishment of Queen’s Hospital on Punchbowl Street, the first hospital in the United States founded by royalty. Today it is the largest private hospital in Hawaii and the Pacific.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is a leader in cardiology, oncology, neuroscience, orthopedics, critical care, genetics, obstetrics, imaging and research.<\/p>\n
“Queen’s-West Oahu is an extension of that core competence,” Murray says. “The same quality and seamless service will be available for patients on the West side, without the stress and strain of a highway commute.”<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_1_placeholder\n
“Time is critical in responding to emergencies and treating patients with chronic conditions,” she says. “Access to care is the basic tenet.”<\/p>\n
No doubt Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV would look favorably on the outreach to West Oahu, where a high percentage of Native Hawaiians reside.<\/p>\n
Demographic Distinctions<\/B><\/p>\n
Getting to know the community and its health care needs has been a major focus of Murray’s first year as COO. The Ko Olina resident spent many hours meeting with groups such as Rotary Club, FilCom Center, neighborhood boards and business organizations.<\/p>\n
She also met with physicians on the Leeward side to gain more insight.<\/p>\n
Were there any surprises? It was enlightening to say the least, according to the San Diego native, who moved to Hawaii at a young age and is married to a retired cardiothoracic surgeon.<\/p>\n
“The population diversity, prevailing health concerns of segments such as native Hawaiians and Filipinos, and cultural considerations could not be ignored,” Murray says.<\/p>\n
“We are responding to immediate needs, such as high incidence of diabetes among Native Hawaiians and inadequate health screenings among Filipinos, but will evolve as more community needs become evident.<\/p>\n
“Part of the equation is attracting more physicians to live and work in this community,” she adds. “It is changing, but there clearly is a need for more primary care physicians as well as specialists in obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics.<\/p>\n
“As more schools and executive homes are built in West Oahu, we are likely to see professional relocations here,” she predicts.<\/p>\n
West Oahu Economic Development Association forecasts population growth to more than 218,500 by 2016, with the number of working-age individuals at nearly 135,000.<\/p>\n
“The newer physicians know that this is where the patients are,” Murray says.<\/p>\n
New-Age Medicine<\/B><\/p>\n
Thanks to new facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, including the latest in imaging and surgical tools, there will be a pent-up demand for use by physicians, surgeons and medical technicians.<\/p>\n
Queen’s-West will open with 70 beds on the third and fourth floors. Licensed capacity is 135 beds.<\/p>\n
Surgical suites on the second floor include four operating rooms for general and outpatient procedures. An endoscopy suite has two rooms for gastrointestinal (colonoscopy) procedures.<\/p>\n
The emergency department on the first floor is three times as large as the previous one, with 23 spacious new bays. To test systems and procedures, employees have been put to rigorous “day in the life” trials.<\/p>\n
“We’re going to probably be over prepared because we do not want to disappoint the community,” Murray has told the media.<\/p>\n
Visitors will be drawn to the bright, spacious dining room on the fifth floor, open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The “penthouse” has a panoramic view of Pearl Harbor and West Oahu. Caf\u00e9 Aloha coffee and snack shop on the first floor will be open 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Throughout the new medical center is an inviting, comfortable and soothing d\u00e9cor that defies the outmoded notion of hospitals as sterile, intimidating environments.<\/p>\n
“A lot of our focus is on how to reduce the anxiety of patients,” Murray points out.<\/p>\n
It’s an important point, considering the transformation the entire health care industry is experiencing.<\/p>\n
Hospitals make a substantial imprint on local economies. In many communities, including Hawaii, hospitals represent one of the largest employers and economic drivers.<\/p>\n
Despite a history of strength and stature, the hospital institution is said to be in the midst of massive and disruptive change. One national expert predicts that by 2020 one in three hospitals will close or reorganize into an entirely different type of health care service provider.<\/p>\n
Several forces, including rising costs and health care reform, are driving the shift.<\/p>\n
The courage of Queen’s Health System to invest millions and establish a satellite operation in this climate is noteworthy. It could only come from an unabashed devotion to the vision and mission of Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV, who were concerned about the well-being of their subjects.<\/p>\n
A century-and-a-half later, in the principality of West Oahu on the May 20 birthday of their son, Prince Albert, triumph will reign at 91-2141 Fort Weaver Road. And cheers will be heard throughout the kingdom. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
West Oahu once had its own hospital and ER, but it’s been two and a half years since it closed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":37553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5907,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-app","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"\n