The Case for a Hospital

A Matter of Life for Residents and Visitors

Picture yourself in this situation:

• Your heart starts racing, something your Pacemaker is there to control but it isn't operating for you this time.You know you need to get to a hospital quickly.

• Your child has a medical condition like asthma, diabetes or allergies. Most days everything is fine but one day she needs expert care right away. You have to get her that care fast.

• You look forward to vacationing on Maui but you recently had a mild stroke. Your doctor tells you quick treatment within the Golden Hour is vital should another stroke occur.

• One of your family has a medical emergency and is admitted to the one hospital on Maui for a few days. You want to be with them everyday, which takes all your time traveling to and from the hospital. You can't even run home and return with something they may need.

Whether you live in West Maui full-time or visit regularly, you or one of your loved ones could be faced with a life threatening emergency or illness like these at any time. It could be you waiting for the ambulance or stalled in traffic trying to reach the island's single hospital. Medical research now confirms that the best recovery results occur from a medical condition or trauma when treatment begins within the first 60 minutes of a critical event.

This period is called The Golden Hour. It's Golden because oftentimes crippling after-affects can be prevented or greatly minimized from heart attack, stroke, or accident with immediate treatment. Time can make the difference in quality of life and in life or death itself. Yet for the people in the West Maui area including Lahaina, Ka'anapali, Kahana, Napili, and Kapulua acute emergency care is far away. That's why we have launched The Golden Hour Fund Raising Campaign to build The West Maui Acute Emergency Care Hospital.

Maui's Only Hospital is 66 Minutes Away from the West Side As we all know, Maui is an island with some unusual geographical wonders and challenges. Years ago when the state located the island's only hospital, our tourist population was very small and most of our full-time residents lived on what we affectionately call today "the other side" - in Wailuku and Kahalui.

Currently on any give day, well over half (58%) of the island's population is located in West Maui, - a 66-minute drive in normal traffic from the island's only hospital. Given the importance of the Golden Hour to our very lives, the size of our population on West Maui and the traffic congestion that often occurs on our roadways, it is clear the time has come for a hospital in West Maui. It is a life-saving essential.

A West Side Hospital is Now Needed Like Never Before The Hospital we're planning will deal predominantly with what is called acute emergency care. This means that people with serious life threatening health conditions no longer will be forced to be taken by ambulance to the other side of the island or air lifted to Oahu. These critical patients can be treated and stabilized within the "Golden Hour" right here in West Maui; thereby dramatically improving their survival

We will have a minimum of 35 beds in our new Hospital with room to grow and a staff of critical care physicians and support personnel available 24 hours a day who can provide complete treatment including sophisticated testing, surgeries, and rehabilitative care. After input from community forums, financial analysis and consultation with health care professionals; these are the services we have planned: cardiology, nuclear medicine, dialysis, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation, outpatient services and wellness services.

14.5 Acre Site Makes Perfect Location

Our Hospital will be located on a 14.5-acre site adjacent to the Lahaina Civic Center and Fire Station. This is about half way between Launiupoko and Kapalua, accessible by a four-lane highway. The Maui County Council is supporting the rezoning of this parcel for Hospital use led by West Maui Councilperson Joanne Johnson. The site is especially desirable because all infrastructure hookups are currently in place.

Obtaining this land is a major milestone and a significant vote of confidence from the business community. Our Maui County Council members and our businesses know as we do that the aloha spirit needs to extend to the health and well being of each and every person in our West Maui community each day. Facts and figures clearly support the need, but the real evidence comes from the stories of people whose very lives have been directly impacted for want of an acute emergency care hospital in West Maui. Lives at Stake:

Next: Personal Stories

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