Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hosp

History

Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital SMMH was one of the first hospitals on Kauai Founded in 1917 by the Planters Association it was designed as a memorial to Samuel Mahelona son of Emma Kauikeolani Napoleon Mahelona Wilcox wife of Albert Wilcox Samuel Mahelona died of tuberculosis at a young age The hospital was designed to serve tuberculosis patients on Kauai

Additional buildings were added over the years to accommodate increasing numbers of patients and services SMMH changed in the early 1950s and 1960s when antibiotics established the cure of tuberculosis

The facility began focusing on long term care needs and began admitting patients with acute mental illness A separate psychiatric unit was opened in 1983 The enduring quality of family centered care translated into psychiatric care longterm care and ancillary services

In 1996 the center became part of Kauai Region of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Being part of the system has brought SMMH many benefits including teleradiography telemedicine video teleconferencing and patient management information systems The Kauai Region includes Mahelona Medical Center Kapaa West Kauai Medical Center Waimea and the West Kauai Clinics Kalaheo Eleele and Waimea

In 2004 the eastside Kauai Community Health Clinic a Federally Qualified Health Clinic was rented facilities on the campus to assist in serving primary care medical and dental needs of the uninsured and underinsured of the community

In 2006 Mahelona Medical Center continued to change to meet the needs of the community In December 2005 Mahelona became East Kauais Critical Access Hospital and opened 24 hour Emergency Services and 5 acute care beds In 2008 over 5000 patients were cared for by the Emergency department Patients love the fast friendly family centered service conveniently located at the north end of Kapaa

SMMHs hospital based physician Dr Bridget Collins cares for patients throughout their hospital stay She is board certified in Family Medicine and a graduate of Texas Tech University of Health Sciences School of Medicine and the Methodist Hospitals of Dallas residency program

The vision for the Mahelona campus is to become a Geriatric Center of Excellence a wellness center with particular emphasis on issues of aging Programs and facilities such as exercise spa treatments nutrition massage and other complementary therapies assisted living and more State of the art diagnostic and treatment technologies will continue to expand and be enhanced to provide the best of care to our community family