St. Francis Kupuna Village:
Designed to Meet the Needs of Seniors and Caregivers
Nearly 1,000 people came to celebrate the grand opening of Phase I of the St. Francis Kupuna Village in Liliha during the day and evening festivities on Friday, April 24. The St. Francis Kupuna Village is St. Francis Healthcare System’s one-stop health and wellness center to meet the needs of Hawaii’s growing senior population and their caregivers. Guests included healthcare providers, government officials, donors and many others.
The St. Francis Kupuna Village has more than 40 physicians in different specialties as well as our other healthcare providers such as Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii, Gamma Knife Center of the Pacific, Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Hawaii Endoscopy Center, Liberty Dialysis – Hawaii, Pharmacare International, Inc., and The Cancer Center of Hawaii.
Dreaming Big Dreams
“About three years ago, when we learned it may be a possibility that our hospital buildings would return to our ownership, we began to re-envision how the campus could best serve Hawaii’s people, especially seniors and their caregivers. We listened to the community, and tried to determine how we could best meet their needs,” said Jerry Correa, President and CEO of St. Francis Healthcare System.
“The Sisters of St. Francis encouraged us to dream big. Partnerships have been key. What we see today is the result of everyone in the community coming together to support a shared vision. Today is a celebration about the power of partnerships and collaboration,” he added. “We’re grateful for all of our partners and look forward to working with more partners as we move forward.”
New Services
The VIP evening event featured speeches by Sister Davilyn Ah Chick, OSF, Chair of the St. Francis Healthcare System Board of Directors; Jerry Correa, President and CEO of St. Francis Healthcare System; and Raymond Tam, Vice Chairman and Secretary of The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation, which pledged $4 million to support the Clarence T. C. Ching Villas, a 119-bed skilled nursing facility.
Bishop Clarence Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu conducted a blessing and dedication of the new facilities. After the maile untying, guests were invited to take tours of the new lobby as well as the Clarence T. C. Ching Villas on the top three floors of the Sullivan Building, the former hospital building. The tours included Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience and Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services, both of which are located on the first floor.
Renovated Lobby
The tours started in the renovated lobby that included a wall dedicated to honoring major donors, a display of past St. Francis Healthcare System CEOs, a display of artifacts from the original hospital, and a mural by Maui artist Phil Sabado.
Around the corner from the lobby, guests had the opportunity to see the renovated Saint Marianne Chapel, new gift shop and spa that will serve residents of the skilled nursing facility and other guests that may visit the campus.
Breaking Ground
St. Francis Healthcare System celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony to commence the construction of a new courtyard and a multi-purpose senior center at the St. Francis Kūpuna Village on July 10. It marked the beginning of the next phase in the transformation of the campus into Hawaii’s first one-stop health and wellness center.
The St. Francis Kūpuna Village will also feature an adult day care program on the Liliha campus — St. Francis Healthcare System’s third adult day care program to complement the programs we currently offer in Mānoa and Ewa Beach. All of these services are scheduled to be open and fully operational next year.
Pictured at the groundbreaking (above from right): George Ehara, Vice President & Division Manager at Swinerton Builders; Cathy Ching, Board Member of St. Francis Healthcare System and The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation; Michael Erne, St. Francis Healthcare System Board Member; Dr. Virginia Pressler, Director of the Hawaii Department of Health; Sister Davilyn Ah Chick, Chair of the St. Francis Healthcare System Board of Directors; Ivan Lui-Kwan, Board Member of St. Francis Residential Care Community and St. Francis Development Corporation; Councilmember Carol Fukunaga; Representative Takashi Ohno; Senator Karl Rhoads; and Jerry Correa, St. Francis Healthcare System President and CEO. The blessing ceremony was co-led by Kahu Sherman Thompson of Kamehameha Schools and Father Victor Lanuevo of St. Francis Healthcare System’s spiritual care team.
Future Plans
Plans for future phases of the St. Francis Kupuna Village include: a senior community center, adult day care, adult day health, an assisted living facility, care coordination services, care homes, outpatient rehabilitation, and private duty nursing.
Background
St. Francis Healthcare System sold its two hospitals in early 2007 to Hawaii Medical Center. After Hawaii Medical Center filed for bankruptcy, the hospitals returned to the ownership of St. Francis. St. Francis sold its hospital in West Oahu to The Queen’s Medical Center in December 2012, and the Liliha campus was re-envisioned to be a one-stop health and wellness center to serve Hawaii’s growing senior population and their caregivers.