Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital receives $10.6 million for future MRI suite

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded $10.6 million to the Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waimea for the development and enhancement of a new magnetic resonance imaging suite.

The trust is also providing $631,000 to help establish a Simulation Learning Lab at the hospital.

Currently, many Garden Isle residents endure months-long wait times or must pay their own expenses to travel to O‘ahu for essential scans and critical care.

“Your zip code shouldn’t determine your health outcomes,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, during a press conference at the hospital on Tuesday.

He added that residents who live in rural areas “should be able to access the same life-saving, diagnostic technology available to those living in urban centers.” 

This past March, a blessing was held for the newly upgraded imaging suite, which transitioned from a four-slice CT scanner to a top-of-the-line 128-slice CT scanner, at Kaua’i Veterans Memorial Hospital.

The imaging suite includes an advanced 3D 4.0 mammography and ultrasound equipment, supporting earlier cancer detection and improved recovery outcomes.

With the completion of the imaging suite, construction on a building in the courtyard will soon begin in preparation for the arrival of the new Canon MR Vantage Galan 3 Tesla Supreme MRI machine.

“There’s so much safety that will go into this project, including different shielding that we have to use all the way around the MRI,” said Sherry Lauer, regional chief quality and compliance officer administration with Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, which owns the hospital.

Due to the machine’s powerful magnetic screening capabilities, a type of metal detector must be built into the wall frame of the building to create a structure that ensures safety for patients and technicians.

“Our goal is to be up and running by the end of 2026 or early 2027,” Lauer said. “We are also working with Canon to make sure we have all those safety components because this is going to be absolutely state-of-the-art.”

This MRI machine was chosen specifically because of its larger bore diameter compared to the standard model, allowing it to better accommodate all body types.

The new 3T MRI is a highly advanced machine that will produce clear, detailed images of the body’s internal structures using magnetic and radio waves. These scans assist clinicians in diagnosing a variety of diseases and medical conditions, such as aneurysms, strokes, multiple sclerosis, tumors, brain injuries, and eye disorders.

Additionally, the 3T MRI machine will provide higher-resolution and more precise, interactive motion correction data with shorter scan times.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, visiting the island from O’ahu, said the new machine “ensures that no matter where you live, whether it’s urban Honolulu or here in Waimea, critical access to healthcare is important.”

During the conference, Luke shared that her husband faced a health care crisis five years ago. She explained that an MRI machine was crucial in identifying the problem, which allowed the couple to move forward and focus on his recovery.

“The leadership and work provided by the individuals here is priceless,” added Luke. “You can tell that they love their job and what they do, and because of that, anyone who comes to this hospital should know that these individuals are here to care for you and your family.”

Furthermore, the addition of the new $631,000 Simulation Learning Lab will offer hands-on training and educational support to medical staff, nursing, and high school students interested in healthcare careers.

Last year on Kaua’i’s east side, the Wilcox Medical Center also celebrated the expansion of its imaging programs and additional state-of-the-art technology after receiving a $10.6 million grant from the Hemsley Charitable Trust.

That grant also supports the island’s next generation of doctors by funding two sleep rooms at the medical center for family medicine residents.

“We are humbled and honored by this gift,” Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green, a physician, said in a press release. “Access to timely, state-of-the-art diagnostic modalities such as MRI in neighbor island communities is crucial to our rural safety net healthcare system in Hawaiʻi.”

Kaua’i Veterans Memorial Hospital also plans to partner with local high schools so that the hospital “can grow our next radiology techs, MRI techs, and CT scanning techs,” Lauer said.

Since 2008, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, a global philanthropy, has granted more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes, including rural health. The Helmsleys made their fortune in real estate, primarily in New York City, beginning in the 1930s.

For an in-depth look at the MR Vantage Galan 3 Tesla Supreme Edition MRI machine, click here.