Native well being organizations are partnering with the nationwide chief in kidney care to construct a much-needed dialysis clinic in Honolulu

HONOLULU – (BUSINESS WIRE) – The Queen’s Health Systems (Queen’s), Kuakini Support Services, Inc. (Kuakini), Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) and Satellite Healthcare, Inc. have started construction of a new outpatient clinic that will provide access to innovative, urgent needs dialysis services needed for the people of Hawaii.

Yesterday the 10,000 square meter clinic, which will be located on the ground floor of the Hale Pulama Mau building on the Kuakini Health System campus, was blessed. The center, the first of its kind in Hawaii, will serve both inpatient and home dialysis patients and includes 23 dialysis stations, two private isolation rooms, and two rooms used for home dialysis training.

Kidney disease is an epidemic in Hawaii that affects almost one in five Hawaiian residents. The new clinic will improve access to essential health services at a reasonable cost. Together with the three local non-profit organizations, the center is being developed as a joint venture with Satellite Healthcare, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of home dialysis services.

“This new center will make patients and their families more comfortable,” said Jason Chang, chief operating officer at The Queen’s Health Systems. “Queen’s is constantly looking for ways to provide high quality care in comfortable, accessible environments. Our goal is to give dialysis patients better access to the services they need so that they can receive their treatments on an outpatient basis and we can improve their quality of life. ”

“This new, state-of-the-art center will allow more dialysis patients to receive the care they need, but will also allow them to continue home dialysis education, a proven alternative that leads to better outcomes and enables patients to have a higher quality of life in the open air of the hospital at home “Said Rudy R. Marilla, vice president of provider partnerships at HMSA and president of Integrated Services Inc. (ISI), a subsidiary of HMSA. “HMSA and ISI are proud to join our local health system partners and an industry leader in dialysis on this project.”

“Kuakini is excited to partner with Queen’s, HMSA and Satellite Healthcare, Inc. to develop a new outpatient dialysis center for the community,” said Gary Kajiwara, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kuakini Medical Center. “This project is a Kuakini story that comes to an end when we opened the second outpatient dialysis center on Oahu, the Kuakini Kidney Disease Center, in the mid-1970s. The center’s owners were transferred in 1983 and left our campus in 1996. The board of directors and health team at Kuakini look forward to the launch of the new dialysis center and its home dialysis program. ”

“We are proud to be part of this effort that brings together several like-minded organizations to provide the people of Hawaii with an alternative to care from a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of people with kidney disease,” said Jeff Goffman. Chief Executive Officer at Satellite Healthcare.

Final construction is expected by February 2022, with the first patient to be seen later in the year.

Queen’s Health Systems (QHS) is a not-for-profit company founded in 1985 to provide expanded health care opportunities to the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Basin. It is Hawaii’s leading family of healthcare companies, with more than 8,000 employees and more than 1,500 affiliated doctors and providers across its nationwide network. QHS consists of The Queen’s Medical Center (Hawaii’s oldest hospital, founded in 1859), The Queen’s Medical Center – West O’ahu, Molokai General Hospital, Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital, The Queen’s Health Care Centers, Queen’s Island Urgent Care, Queen Emma Land Company, Queen’s Development Corporation, Queen’s Insurance Exchange, Queen’s Clinically Integrated Physician Network, and Queen’s’ Akoakoa, and has interests in CareResource Hawaii, Hamamatsu / Queen’s PET Imaging Center, Diagnostic Laboratory Services, and EmPower Health.

Integrated Services Inc. (ISI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HMSA that serves as the holding company for various subsidiaries and joint ventures that support their members, companies, vendors and community partners, but are not part of HMSA’s core business functions. Examples to date include Hawaii Family Medical Centers, which have operated multiple primary care clinics to facilitate access for HMSA members in rural areas, EmPower Health, an advanced primary care clinic opened in partnership with The Queen’s Health Systems, and Maui Lani Physicians & Surgeons, a medical team focused on delivering comprehensive health services for women to the Maui community. ISI acts as a vehicle for innovation and collaboration as HMSA evolves from a health plan to a health organization and continues to work to improve access to quality care for the people of Hawaii.

Kuakini Health System (KHS) is a not for profit company organized for charitable, research and educational purposes to support and promote social, health and medical services. KHS is the parent company of four non-profit subsidiaries – Kuakini Medical Center (founded in 1900); Kuakini Geriatric Care, Inc .; Kuakini Foundation; and Kuakini Support Services, Inc. KHS is committed to improving the health of the community through comprehensive medical, surgical, and emergency services; Long-term care, nursing home and geriatric care programs for the elderly; Primary care; Educational and training programs for medical and health care; and biomedical research.

Satellite Healthcare, Inc. is a leading national, not-for-profit kidney care company that has been committed to improving the lives of patients with kidney disease since 1974. Satellite Healthcare and its units provide in-center and home dialysis services, as well as innovative research and clinical trials, and the management of early and end-stage kidney disease. Our focus is on improving the quality and access to dialysis care, reducing costs and implementing integrated value-based care models. Satellite Healthcare has more than 80 dialysis centers in five states and relationships with some of the most renowned nephrologists and institutions in the United States. In addition, Satellite Healthcare has a recognized, ongoing commitment to philanthropy and community service, from funding multi-million dollar research grants to promoting kidney programs nationwide. Please visit satellitehealthcare.com for more information.