Even before the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires destroyed thousands of homes on Maui, the County was dealing with high-housing costs that were exacerbating hospital staff shortages.
Maui Health Foundation, a nonprofit, is working to combat this problem by building homes for health providers impacted by the wildfires and to recruit healthcare professionals to Maui, according to a news release. The Foundation includes Maui Memorial Medical Center in Kahului, which is the only acute care hospital on Maui, an outpatient clinic in Wailuku, a hospital and clinic in Kula, and the Lanai Community Hospital in Lanai City.
On Feb. 12, the nonprofit broke ground on 16 permanent homes being built as part of its “Housing for Healthcare” project, which is a unique-to-Hawaii collaboration to create affordable housing for healthcare providers.
The County donated land to the Foundation in order to build the homes. In return, the Foundation will own the County in perpetuity.
The site of the new homes is in the Maui Lani Fairways, which is about 2 miles away from the Maui Memorial Medical Center. Crews expect to complete construction on the new homes within 14 months. The homes will provide transitional rentals while healthcare providers search for or rebuild homes.
“This project is a $10 million investment in the health of our community, and thanks to the incredible support of community members, we have raised nearly half of the funds needed for the construction of these homes,” said Maui Health Foundation Board President Tamar Goodfellow in a statement. "These homes will allow us to meet the needs of our Maui Health professionals who are rebuilding their lives after losing their homes in the 2023 wildfires, recruit essential healthcare providers, and partner with the University of Hawaii Medical School to 'grow our own.’”
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.