After a decade of service, Pohai Malama Care Center, a 12-bed inpatient hospice facility owned and operated by Hawaii Care Choices, will cease operations starting Nov. 18.
“Over 95% of our patients are in their homes or in the places they reside,” said Hawaii Care Choices CEO Brenda Ho. “We just see less and less folks having the desire to go into the facility. People really want to be home, and if they need acute care, they want to go to the hospital and then come back home.”
Over the last year, Ho said the facility has been about 40% occupied and averages roughly five patients.
“We will be taking patients into the program up until November 11,” she said. “And then we’ll work on transitioning them out by the 18th, which will be the final day.”
All of the services provided by PMCC, including hospice, palliative and bereavement care, will continue to be provided throughout East Hawaii including at patients’ residences, long-term facilities and at Hilo Medical Center, among other locations.
“We have a great partnership with the amazing care homes we have here in East Hawaii,” Ho said. “We still have those contracts, so we can deliver the types of care that we were delivering in Pohai and existing facilities. We’re anticipating no stop in services, it’ll just be a different location.”
There are currently 22 employees at Pohai Malama, and Hawaii Care Choices is working on transitioning some of them into other positions while notifying others of the changes.
“We’ll be absorbing some into our other programs, but there’s too many assigned there to absorb them all,” said Ho, who noted an undetermined number of employees will be let go. “When you’re hired to do one thing, and that’s not available, we can’t just assume you’d want to do something else. So, we asked all of them to let us know if they’d be interested. If not, we will help them as far as finding other work.”
Ho also thanked the staff for their work over the last decade.
“We have the most dedicated, amazing staff,” she said. “They give and give, and this is not easy work. They give to support our mission, and I appreciate them every day for what they do.”
Since the facility opened in 2012, Pohai Malama has helped more than 1,500 patients through their difficult journeys.
“With lots of blood sweat and tears, we raised $10 million dollars to meet the needs of and serve our community,” Ho said. “There’s been funerals held there, reconnections of lost family members, weddings, folks that were losing their loved ones, and individuals that were so sick and sent off island who couldn’t get back home. But because of the facility, we were able to get them back home.”
Hawaii Care Choices views the cessation of in-patient services at Pohai Malama as an opportunity to adjust and find new ways to address the health care needs of the community. While no official use for the building has been determined, the group is looking for community input to find the perfect fit.
“Once we pause, then the door opens,” Ho said. “There’s a lot of health care needs in our community, so I see it as an asset. And while it might have been my dream and my leadership that built the facility, a lot of people gave and committed, and it’s part of our community, so we’d like the community’s feedback on what might be the best options for us.”
Those with ideas for the facility or questions regarding the transition are encouraged to reach out to Hawaii Care Choices by calling (808) 969-1733 or by emailing care@hawaiicarechoices.org.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.