Concerned that Oahu residents are still without an Ewa emergency room or a hospital since the closure of Hawaii Medical Center-West (HMC-West) in 2011, two City Councilmembers hosted a briefing with hospital officials and emergency responders, who reported the availability of emergency rooms in the Ewa region.
“While we welcome the news that Queens Medical Center will reopen the closed Hawaii Medical Center-West in 2014, it will be more than two years that my community has been without a hospital or an emergency room. Many of my Ewa Beach and Kapolei residents continue to worry about their emergency health needs and the availability of these essential emergency services. We need to make sure everything is being done to ensure that lives are being saved now,” said Councilmember Pine.
Prior to the December 2011 closing, the HMC-West Emergency Room was the second busiest emergency room on the island.
HMC-West’s closure has left a devastating and lasting impact on the lives of many Leeward and Central Oahu residents, and has had the disproportionate impact of straining services in other nearby communities. In addition, many residents are still reeling from the loss of their jobs, their homes, their savings and their self-esteem.
Following HMC-West’s closure in late 2011, Councilmember Pine hosted an emergency Town Hall on February 9, 2012 to discuss the impact of the hospital closure with State and City officials, Oahu’s emergency service providers, and the public.
