Since 1999, a dedicated group of citizens has played an integral role in the community-based planning process of Kaanapali Land Management Corp.’s Kaanapali 2020 project. Pictured: some of the members of the Kaanapali 2020 group. PHOTO BY CASEY NISHIKAWA.

For a dedicated group of Maui residents, last month’s groundbreaking of the West Maui Hospital and Medical Center marked a major turning point – the achievement of one of many milestones in the history of the Kaanapali 2020 project.

Since 1999, land developer Kaanapali Land Management Corp. has worked with a core group of citizens on the community-based planning process for their future Kaanapali 2020 – a 913-acre property that features distinct communities where residents of varying lifestyles and incomes can live, work and play in West Maui. Among the project’s public facilities to benefit the community is the acute care medical facility.

Situated on 14.99 acres below the Kaanapali Coffee Farms community in Lahaina, the new West Maui Hospital and Medical Center campus is designed to be a fully integrated healthcare service provider to meet the basic health and safety needs of the 65,000-plus people who live, work and visit West Maui. The medical campus will encompass a 25-bed Critical-Access Hospital with a 24-hour Emergency Room, three operating rooms, a radiology department, and 24-hour pharmacy and laboratory; a 40-bed Skilled Nursing Facility; a 40-unit Assisted-Living Facility; and two medical office buildings. Long-term plans also call for a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Facility. Construction of the initial hospital building (or whichever building) is slated for completion late 2018.

“This project encapsulates our promise to the community to provide a ‘center of excellence’ in acute health care with a 24-hour emergency room for West Maui,” said Brian Hoyle, president of Newport Hospital Corporation, developer of the hospital project. “For residents and visitors, access to immediate critical care in Lahaina could make the difference between life and death – especially for victims of stroke, heart attack, or trauma.”

Those involved in the Kaanapali 2020 project couldn’t be happier about the positive impact this medical campus will have on the West Maui community.

“West Maui has grown so much over the years and we still have only one main road in and out of the area, which makes it challenging for rapid emergency response,” said Lahaina resident Hans Michel. “With this new medical facility, we will have life-saving protection and peace of mind.”

“We’re excited and proud to have the first major component of a decade-plus worth of real community planning and vision come to reality – and prouder still of the Kaanapali 2020 group who helped lay the foundation for this vital medical facility,” said Jeff Rebugio, Kaanapali Land Management Corp. vice president. “Long term, I see the hospital being a possible anchor in establishing and promoting the medical and health industry. The awareness, support, education and investment towards this industry will offer positive opportunities for future generations.”

“There’s a saying that it takes a village, and the realization of this West Maui medical campus proves that indeed it does,” said Lahaina resident May Fujiwara. “This facility is the result of many hands and hearts helping this project come to fruition. From the landowner and developer to the consultants, construction crews, and, of course, dedicated citizens like our Kaanapali 2020 group, everyone’s persistence paid off. A big mahalo to everyone who got involved.”

For more information on the West Maui Hospital and Medical Center, visit www.WMHandMC.org.