HONOLULU — Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne, on Tuesday donated $150 million to Hilo Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health and UCSF Health, which is located in San Francisco, Calif. The donation is considered one of the largest private philanthropic gifts in Hawaii’s history and was developed over more than a year of collaboration between the three entities, according to a news release.
The couple, longtime philanthropists, said in the release their philosophy has been to always give locally “through experts who deeply understand local needs. We feel fortunate to have been part of the Hawaii community for many decades and to be able to support our ohana in this way. Nothing is more important than the health of our community and access to care for all who need it.”
The donation provides $50 million for Hilo Medical Center to build a state-of-the-art birthing center, intensive care unit, and neurosurgical and behavioral health programs. It will also help expand its physician recruitment program. The Benioff’s donation is part of a public-private partnership that matches an earlier, separate $50 million appropriation from the state.
“Hilo Medical Center’s mission is to provide the best possible healthcare for our family, friends and neighbors,” said Dan Brinkman, CEO of Hilo Medical Center, in the release. “These new resources present an opportunity to make healthcare better on Hawaii Island for everyone.”
Hawaii Pacific Health will receive $100 million to create a “healthcare campus of the future,” tripling the size of Straub Medical Center while supporting the state’s only burn unit, lifesaving services, community outreach and education.
“We are truly grateful for this extremely generous and transformational gift,” said Ray Vara, president and CEO of Hawaii Pacific Health. “The Benioffs share our vision and commitment to ensuring access to high-quality care for our community, and we are excited to work with them and our healthcare partners to expand our efforts.”
Straub Burn Unit Medical Director and plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Schultz said, “We’re building a new hospital where we will have more burn beds that are ICU capable, and this gift just enables all of that. We couldn’t be more thankful for that.”
Recognizing the Benioff’s partnership and significant contributions to Hawaii health care, the Hilo Medical Center will be renamed the Hilo Benioff Medical Center, and Straub Medical Center will become the Straub Benioff Medical Center.
The donation will also bring together Hilo Medical Center, Straub Medical Center and UCSF Health in a collaboration that provides Hawaii residents statewide with clinical expertise and specialized care in areas such as oncology and neurology.
“We have seen first-hand how Lynne and Marc Benioff's generosity has transformed healthcare in San Francisco and our surrounding communities,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS. “UCSF Health is excited to be part of this new opportunity to create a world-class continuum of care in Hawaii and improve access to specialty care for Hawaii residents, close to home.”
The gift builds on previous philanthropic actions by the Benioffs and brings their total donations in Hawaii to over $250 million.
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.