GOVERNOR LINGLE RELEASES $159,800 TO UPGRADE CARDIAC CLINIC EQUIPMENT AT HILO MEDICAL CENTER

For Immediate Release:  February 26, 2008

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has released $159,800 for the purchase of diagnostic equipment to upgrade imaging lab systems at Hilo Medical Center (HMC), one of five public health facilities on the Big Island overseen by the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation.

Currently, hospitals on the Big Island are only able to offer basic cardiovascular services and diagnostic tests. If any advanced cardiac care is required, such as catheterization, Big Island patients must travel to O‘ahu. The new equipment covered by these funds will provide the Hilo Medical Center with additional diagnostic and treatment capabilities, including the ability to provide some cardiac catheterization services. The equipment purchase is scheduled for this month.

“Ensuring access to quality healthcare is a top priority for my Administration, especially on the neighbor islands, where medical resources and staffing are traditionally more limited,” said Governor Lingle. “This equipment will significantly improve cardiovascular services at Hilo Medical Center, provide physicians and staff with more training opportunities, and ensure better care for cardiac patients island-wide.”

In December 2007, Governor Lingle released $490,200 in design funds for a related project that will physically expand the Hilo Medical Center cardiac clinic to accommodate a more complete cardiovascular program, including preventive care and patient and family education. This will help the center provide the citizens of Hilo and other surrounding communities with the same level of services offered in similar sized towns on O‘ahu and the mainland.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that it had secured up to $120 million in new federal funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. DHS will distribute this money to 16 private hospitals and 12 public hospitals statewide, including Hilo Medical Center, over an eight-year period beginning in July 2008.

With this new allocation, DHS has obtained about $175 million in federal support for hospitals since 2005. Prior to that time, Hawai‘i hospitals had not received federal funding for charity healthcare since 1994.

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For more information, contact:

Tom Driskill
President, HHSC
Phone: (808) 733-4151

Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043