Three foundations. One goal. Countless connections. - Kapi'olani ...

As I walk through our hallways, I see our community’s
donations hard at work.
On a recent visit to Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, I saw a
10-year-old girl, recently diagnosed with cancer. She’d lost her hair and was
on an I.V. But there she was in the Play Room, singing her heart out to Rock
Band, the Wii video game. It brought a smile to my face.
I walked by a room in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where a butterfly sign
hung on the door. This signified, in our Butterfly Program, that behind the door
a father and mother were spending their final moments with their dying infant.
It brought tears to my eyes.
At Kapi‘olani Medical Center at Pali Momi, I saw a man who recently had eye
surgery. That day, he looked at his family clearly for the first time in years. It
brought joy to my heart.
As I walk through our hallways, I see something else, just as moving and
heartwarming. I see our community’s donations hard at work.
We are non-profit hospitals. We provide care to all people, regardless of their
ability to pay. Philanthropic support from the community is vital. It enables
us to ensure that everyone who needs care can receive care – exceptional
care. Donors help us bring state-of-the art technologies, available at the finest
medical institutions in the country, home to Hawaii – because our families
deserve them.
Your gifts also allow us to provide special things that aren’t covered by health
insurance, such as Tucker the therapy dog and Wii’s Rock Band at Kapi‘olani,
or flowers at the Women’s Center at Pali Momi. Those intangibles make our
hospitals special.
These are exciting times for everyone involved with the Kapi‘olani Health
Foundation. Next year, Pali Momi will celebrate 20 years of serving the
Leeward community. What began as an effort by Leeward community
members to build a hospital in their own neighborhood is now a nationally
recognized, outstanding acute-care hospital. As the community grows, Pali
Momi plans to grow and continue to provide outstanding service.
In 2009, Kapi‘olani Medical Center will celebrate its centennial of providing
pediatric care in Hawaii. While we honor this incredible 100-year legacy of
care, we’re also busy planning for the next 100 years. We are focused on
becoming a national leader in family-centered pediatric care. To become this
center of excellence, we must expand and renovate our hospital. Our aging
facilities have not kept up with the superb quality of care we provide.
These are ambitious goals for the future. We’re very excited to share more with
you about our plans, the unprecedented capital investment we will soon take
on, and the vital role that philanthropy will play in it.
On behalf of everyone in Hawaii, including my family, who relies on Kapiolani
Medical Center and Pali Momi, I thank you for your continued support.
Michael O’Malley
Chairman
Kapi‘olani Health Foundation
Three foundations. One goal. Countless connections.
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