KAPA‘A — The staff and employees at Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital celebrated the announcement that the hospital had earned recognition as one of the 2023 Top 20 Critical Access Hospital Best Practice in Quality recipients in the United States by the National Rural Health Association.
Critical access hospitals are rural hospitals with 25 or fewer acute care beds that receive financial assistance through the Medicare program.
Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital is a facility of the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation Kaua‘i Region.
“We are proud of our providers and staff who have contributed to our SMMH hospital achieving this distinction,” said Lance Segawa, the regional CEO of the HHSC Kaua‘i Region.
“We have worked hard to become a premier health care organization that our community can count on to deliver excellent care.”
Segawa and the HHSC Kaua‘i Region Leadership team and board of directors provided a light snack of celebratory cake, manapua and drinks on Tuesday with the governor’s liaison Dana Hazelton delivering Gov. Josh Green’s congratulations.
“Thank you for doing what you do,” Segawa said.
“There will be more accolades, as Senate President Ron Kouchi has sent his regrets for not being here, Rep. Nadine Nakamura is in Florida, but wants to present a legislative congratulations, and even the Kaua‘i County Council wants an opportunity to present a certificate.”
Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital earned the designation by implementing quality improvement initiatives focused on customer service training for managers and staff, training on high-performance principles, facility renovations and creating positive patient and long-term care resident experiences.
SMMH scored top among critical access hospitals nationwide based on a composite rating of inpatient and outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient satisfaction, cost, charge and finances.
Founded in 1917, SMMH is the first hospital on Kaua‘i, and continues to provide essential quality health care services to the island community.
SMMH has approximately 200 employees, 66 long-term care beds, nine behavioral health beds, and five acute care medical beds.
SMMH provides 24-hour emergency services staffed with board-certified emergency physicians, adult inpatient behavioral health, medical and skilled nursing care, long-term care, imaging, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and social services.
HHSC is a public entity established in 1996 by the state to provide quality, hometown health care.
The HHSC Kaua‘i Region operates SMMH, Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital and several clinics.
The HHSC Kaua‘i Region manages 125 licensed health care beds and employees more than 500 people.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
