Kaua‘i’s main hospital receives $10M grant to expand imaging services and technology

Wilcox Medical Center celebrated the expansion of its imaging programs and additional state-of-the-art technology after receiving a 10.6 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Hawai‘i is now the ninth state where organizations will receive financial support from the trust. This gift to Wilcox is part of its ongoing efforts to improve rural health care.

During a press conference at Wilcox Friday, the hospital leadership and trustees from the trust along with gov. Josh Green and Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami gathered at the facility to announce the trust’s purchase of the following:

• A new MRI machine at the hospital and renovations to the existing MRI treatment space.
• Upgrades to the existing X-ray room to create an interventional radiology suite that will be the first of its kind on Kaua‘i.
• Renovations and equipment replacement for an X-ray/fluoroscopy exam room.
• Creation of two residency sleep rooms to support the Family Medicine Residency Program on Kaua‘i, which begins in 2026.

Walter Panzirer, a Trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grant will help improve access to quality medical treatment for all Kaua‘i residents as well as visitors in Līhuʻe and across the island’s rural communities.

“Wilcox Medical Center recognizes the value in having the most advanced technology to allow its medical teams to continue to provide top-notch health care on the island, close to home,” Panzirer said. “This grant helps ensure that Kaua‘i’s primary hospital has the latest and greatest equipment and training opportunities to serve patients.”

The new MRI machine will enhance care for orthopedics, neurology and cardiology at Wilcox and expand care for oncology, especially in screening for breast cancer in high-risk patients. The new machine will allow MRI-guided breast biopsies and increase the medical center’s ability to perform prostate, breast and cardiac exams.

The new interventional radiology suite will introduce state-of-the-art medical care to Kaua‘i. The suite is one location that will combine sophisticated imaging capabilities with a procedure room. Interventional radiology suites give specialists the ability to look inside a patient’s body, make a diagnosis and then immediately treat the issue.

The new fluoroscopy exam room offers better imaging quality for procedures that help to expand specialty care. A fluoroscopy procedure takes multiple images to create a real-time video of how a patient’s body is functioning. Physicians can also use fluoroscopy imaging as a guide for needles and catheters.

“We are extremely grateful for this grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust. This funding will enhance our medical teams’ ability to diagnose an injury or illness, or to perform a lifesaving procedure, every day on Kaua‘i,” said Jen Chahanovich, president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center and CEO of Kaua‘i Medical Clinic. “Wilcox is committed to staying at the forefront of medicine. This incredible investment for our community enables us to provide cutting-edge care to generations of Kaua‘i families for years to come.”

This grant will also support the next generation of doctors on Kaua‘i by funding two sleep rooms at the medical center for family medicine residents. Wilcox, in partnership with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine, has developed a permanent Family Medicine Residency Program on Kaua‘i and is taking an active role in the state’s efforts to address the physician shortage across the islands.

Through the Kaua‘i Rural Training Program, cohorts of second- through fourth-year family medicine residents will train on Kaua‘i, strengthening their relationships with medical teams on the island and deepening their connections with the community.

In addition, the new imaging purchases and upgrades through the Helmsley Charitable Trust grant are another incentive for new physicians who are willing to build a career for themselves in rural health areas like Kaua‘i.

“This is a truly remarkable gift from the Helmsley Charitable Trust that will support Wilcox Medical Center in continuing to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art medical care for the Kaua‘i community,” said Ray Vara, president & CEO of Hawai‘i Pacific Health. “Our mission at Hawai‘i Pacific Health is to create a healthier Hawai‘i, and this gift also supports our mission by helping to increase access to the latest health care technology and strengthening our health care workforce. We are fortunate to have partners like HCT working together with us to make a positive and lasting impact on the health and well-being of our communities.”

“Building a pipeline of committed physicians and health care professionals to our rural communities is essential to providing access to care for all, not just some,” said Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green, M.D. “Helmsley Charitable Trust’s first generous gift in Hawai‘i will help ensure that people on Kaua‘i receive the quality care we need across our state.”