Promised for early 2014, Kaiser Pemanente Hawaii will open a new state-of-the-art clinic in North Kona, officials announced Thursday.
Promised for early 2014, Kaiser Pemanente Hawaii will open a new state-of-the-art clinic in North Kona, officials announced Thursday.
The state’s largest multispecialty physician group practice purchased in 2009 a 9.9-acre parcel in the West Hawaii Business Park on the mauka side of Queen Kaahumanu Highway across from Honokohau Harbor.
Kaiser officials say the company is expanding its facilities to better serve its current members and accommodate future population growth.
“We believe our community deserves access to the best health care resources possible, and we’re excited that our new facility will help us to deliver that. Patients will be able to take care of the majority of their health care needs at one time, under one roof, efficiently and conveniently,” said Dr. Daryl Kurozawa. “Our new clinic signals that we’re investing in the people and community of West Hawaii. We’re excited to be a part of the growth, development and future of West Hawaii.”
The proposed 40,000-square-foot medical office building is expected to have 20 provider offices and 30 examination rooms to serve Kaiser’s more than 22,000 Big Island members. The two-level clinic will provide a more welcoming, open and convenient setting, as well as improved access for members and others seeking “top quality health care,” Thomas Risse, vice president and chief financial officer, said.
Plans call for an external pharmacy, optical sales, general radiology, mammography, clinical lab blood draw stations, procedure rooms, physical therapy space and behavioral health services.
“Our staff is excited about the enhancements in the new clinic that will help us to deliver care much more efficiently, and in an atmosphere that exudes quality and safety,” Kurozawa said. “The new layout will also allow our physicians and other providers to interact and work with each other much more closely to serve our patients.”
As the population grows, physicians and services will also increase, Risse said. Membership has grown over the years and Kaiser is continuing to attract people wanting to take advantage of Kaiser’s fully integrated approach to health care, he added.
Kaiser currently has 22,248 Big Island members, which is 3,200 more members than in 2007, said spokeswoman Laura Lott.
The project is expected to break late this year. Construction will be done by the Maryl Group, a Honolulu-based development, architecture, construction and real estate firm. Soil sampling is happening this week, she said.
The new Honokohau clinic will replace the existing clinic in an office complex along Hualalai Road in Kailua-Kona. The project’s total estimated cost, including the land and building, is less than $50 million, Risse said.
Kaiser has long outgrown its current 13,000-square-foot space, which is undersized, and has limited parking and no opportunities for expansion, he said.
Kaiser squeezes 45,000 patient encounters a year into the office complex it has leased for the last 24 years. Its lease will expire in June 2014. The existing clinic’s nearly 17 physicians and 45 staff members will work at the new clinic. The total of physicians includes those that are not full-time and are specialists from Oahu who visit Big Island patients a few days a month, Lott said.
Kaiser also has clinics in Waimea, Hilo and South Kona. The health maintenance organization has operated in Hawaii for more than 50 years. For more information, visit kp.org.