Dr. Priscilla Chan and her husband, META CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have donated $1.48 million to support new imaging technology at the Wilcox Medical Center in Līhuʻe.
The money will fund a mobile MRI unit and a 3D mammography machine, according to officials at the Kauaʻi hospital.
“Time and time again, Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg step forward to ensure our community has access to the best medical technology,” said Jen Chahanovich, president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center and CEO of Kaua‘i Medical Clinic.
“Priscilla and Mark are incredibly generous, and it is humbling to work on projects that have such a significant impact for everyone on Kaua‘i. We are truly grateful for this donation and how it will serve our community for generations to come.”
The mobile MRI unit will allow the imaging service to continue uninterrupted during an upcoming renovation of the hospital’s MRI suite, a project expected to last at least eight months. The donation also will pay for a 3D mammography machine and the renovations needed to install it.
Wilcox officials explained that the hospital performs more than 4,000 MRI scans annually and has conducted more than 8,500 mammograms last year.
Chan, a pediatrician, and Zuckerberg, who own a home on the Garden Isle, have now contributed more than $4 million to Wilcox for equipment, programs and services through five separate donations, according to the hospital.
Previous donations from the couple have supported telemedicine programs, COVID-19 relief efforts, and renovations to the hospital’s emergency department and trauma center.
Wilcox was the first medical center on Kaua‘i to offer 3D mammograms in 2010.
Hospital officials added that the technology is particularly important in Hawaiʻi, where many women have dense breast tissue that can make cancer detection more difficult.
Wilcox Medical Center is one of the primary healthcare providers serving Kaua‘i residents, for whom access to specialized medical services can be limited due to the island’s geographic isolation.
