Since 2016, the nonprofit West Maui Hospital Foundation (WMHF) has had a fully entitled and ready to build West Maui Hospital site on Kakaalaneo Drive just off the Honoapiilani Highway in Kaanapali — just five miles north of the center of Lahaina Town. Most of the basic groundwork has already been completed with more than $20,000,000 provided to date by Newport Hospital Corporation toward the site acquisition, entitlements and infrastructure needed for the West Maui Hospital. We were moving forward and encouraged with community and county support just prior to the unfolding tragedy which destroyed our beloved Lahaina Town.

It is a continuing tragedy if our West Maui Hospital — which will include 24-hour ER care, pharmacy, medical services as well other critical healthcare supplies and services — remains out of reach for those in need. With the destruction of Kaiser and Maui Medical Group facilities, the care people are receiving is limited and restricted to mobile units, private urgent care facilities and the Health Center at Lahaina Civic Center. For after-hours needs and serious conditions, ambulance transport to Maui Memorial is still our only option. As a result, our West Maui Hospital is more urgently needed than ever before.

Despite having received a $20,000,000 State Special Purpose Revenue Bond, there is really no way to access those funds rapidly. Also, the County of Maui was poised to pass legislation as a guarantor of the bond, and that is on hold due to the crisis we are facing. With our application for a $20,000,000 USDA loan pending a lengthy approval process, we are at a standstill. It is unlikely that we will be able to get funding from governmental sources anytime soon, and time is something we do not have.

As the former County Councilmember for West Maui, I keep asking myself: “How could I have let this happen?” I am deeply saddened that I failed my community by not working harder to get the hospital built. I will have to live with those regrets, but I know that my two husbands who are buried here on Maui always told me to NEVER GIVE UP. I cannot give up, and I am making a heartfelt plea to anyone who can help our cause and our community to contribute to the completion of our West Maui Hospital.

If we use our original plans for a 25-bed critical access hospital, the cost would be at least $40 million; however, with inflation, it could be $60 million or more. While this seems a huge amount, my question will always be: “What is a life worth?” My dream is that a philanthropic Angel will swoop in and rescue us from this waking nightmare. Perhaps my dreams will come true, but much like waiting to win the lottery, I have to deal with reality.

Therefore, in the meantime, we have offered other health providers the opportunity to place their facilities on our medical campus site adjacent to the hospital site, provided they can fund their own construction. These discussions are ongoing, and we are hopeful that these plans can supplement the needs of the community. It is far better than what we have now.

Please know that we will survive this horrific disaster, but life as we know it will never be the same in West Maui. Many of my friends who have lost everything told me they are more dedicated than ever to helping me with the efforts to get the West Maui Hospital built. Please help us to help others.

God Bless our Beloved Lahaina, and may those who perished know that they will live on in our hearts and prayers as we move forward in service to our community. As my husband Rabbi Larry Winer said at every celebration of life, “May their memory be for a Blessing.” I hope to inscribe those words at the entrance to our hospital, which will serve as a memorial to all those who have perished. I pray that something positive will spring from this tragedy, and I pledge to our community to “Never Give Up” on our West Maui Hospital.

Donations can be sent to West Maui Hospital Foundation c/o JoAnne Winer, 50 Puu Anoano Street, Apt. 508, Lahaina, HI 96761 (e-mail: mynaboyd@me.com).

(JO ANNE JOHNSON WINER, the West Maui Hospital Foundation vice president, is a former West Maui County Councilmember and retired Maui County Director of Transportation.)