Maui: considered by many as one of the best places on Earth to live. While the exquisite views afforded by a luxury home in Kapalua or condo at the Coconut Grove certainly add to Maui’s paradisiacal mystique, there is definitely much more to our fantastic Hawaiian home which contributes to it’s fabulous reputation. Chief among these qualities is, without a doubt, the many wonderful people who call Maui home. Filled with kindness in their hearts and a smile on their face, or what is commonly known as the “Aloha Spirit,” our friends and neighbors throughout the community are always there to lend a helping hand to those in need. It is this fantastic attitude which truly sets our community apart from so many others.
While there are many friends whom do great work for the community, there are a handful of organizations which we feel deserve particular recognition for their contributions to our island home: among them the wonderful staff and directors of Hale Makua Health Services of Maui. For those unfamiliar with Hale Makua, this fantastic nonprofit organization has provided Maui residents with a massive number of adult care and rehabilitation services for over six decades. Though their tireless commitment to the community, Hale Makua has expanded from a single care home to a full adult care services provider with multiple locations able to accommodate nearly 400 adults in need at any time. This in itself is a fantastic feat and something our community will benefit from for generations to come. However, while Hale Makua Health Services has grown by leaps and bounds throughout the years, this growth has not been without its challenges . . .
For nearly two years, Hale Makua has had 60 empty beds in its Central Maui nursing home facilities. At the same time, Maui Memorial Hospital has on average 35-40 patients daily whom have been downgraded from needing acute care, but are not yet healthy enough to return home. While these patients do not need acute care, due to a shortage of beds at Maui Memorial they are placed in beds which, under better circumstances, would go to those on the ever present waiting list for acute care beds.
The obvious solution here would be to transfer these non acute patients form Maui Memorial to Hale Makua, a solution which Hale Makua Heath Services has been lobbying for for quite some time. Due to a number of hurdles, such patient transfers (which would result in improved care for non acute patients,) have yet to happen. However, thanks to an agreement which would see Hale Makua become a fully independent subsidiary of Hawaii Health Systems Corp. (the body which oversees Maui Memorial Hospital) currently being discussed by boards from both Hale Makua and Maui Memorial, and backed by legislative representatives from both Maui and Oahu, this unfortunate situation may finally find a resolution which would see the Maui community benefit greatly from a renewed partnership between these two pillars of our health care community.
Click here more information on Hale Makua and their amazing service provided to our wonderful Maui home.
