HILO — Mayor Harry Kim has been medevaced to Oahu after driving himself to the hospital early Thursday morning, Hawaii County officials confirmed Thursday morning.
Hawai’i County Mayor Harry Kim is in stable condition at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu as he weighs options regarding a procedure after being medevaced after experiencing chest pains early Thursday.
As of late afternoon on Thursday, there was no diagnosis, said Wil Okabe, the county’s managing director, who is serving as acting mayor while Kim is on sick leave.
“Harry’s in stable condition and they’re looking at a procedure,” Okabe said. “They’ll give him some options later on today or tomorrow.”
The mayor has been undergoing tests, and was not accepting visits for the time being.
“We want to respect his privacy and let him rest as we wait for the doctor’s determination on what the next steps are,” Okabe said.
The 78-year-old mayor drove himself to Hilo Medical Center around 4:30 a.m. and proceeded to call Okabe and other staff to notify them of the situation. He was medevaced to Oahu around 6:45 a.m.
Kim has had three previous heart attacks, and underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2008.
“We’ve had an outpouring of people calling, emailing and on social media telling us how much Harry means to them,” Okabe said. “Harry is very grateful for all of the good wishes and prayers, and so are we.”
