Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital was built in 1917 to isolate and treat people diagnosed with tuberculosis. Once admitted, patients were not permitted to leave.
After a cure for tuberculosis became widely available in the 1950s, the hospital was rebuilt and repurposed as a long-term care and mental health facility.
Now Kauai’s oldest operating hospital is on the verge of its third reinvention, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. By spring, hospital officials aim to finalize a far-reaching plan to close some of the many gaps in the island’s health care system, especially for kupuna and people with mental illness.
The projected $400 million project on the 34-acre property would upgrade the medical facility while creating a civic hub around schools, public safety and affordable housing.
Far more than a run-of-the-mill hospital upgrade, a long-term conceptual plan still under development calls for new additions to the 34-acre hospital campus, including housing rentals, a police substation, a public library, a preschool, commercial ventures, scenic open space and walking trails. Taking into account the needs of four adjacent state properties, including Kapaa high and elementary schools, the project would cluster jobs, housing, health care, schools, cultural activities and amenities around bus stops, bike lanes and pedestrian routes. Read more.
