Maui Health Foundation Raises Over $770,000 for an American Heart Association Certified Chest Pain Center on Maui
The distinguished accreditation status will be the first of its kind in Hawaii
Maui Health Foundation’s annual fundraiser “An Evening at Spago” on January 31 raised more than $770,000 to assist in funding Hawaii’s very first American Heart Association (AHA) Certified Chest Pain Center at Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC).
“We see about 14 to 18 patients with chest or heart pain per day in Maui Memorial’s Emergency Department,” said Dr. Lee Weiss, Medical Director and Chairman of MMMC’s Emergency Department. “A center like this is critical for saving lives.”
The purpose of a Chest Pain Center is to significantly reduce the time it takes for a patient experiencing symptoms of a possible heart attack to see a physician, who could then more quickly provide necessary treatment during the critical early stages when treatments are most effective. It also provides a specialized observation setting that helps ensure patients are not sent home too early, or needlessly admitted to the hospital.
A Chest Pain Center accreditation by the AHA is an elite mark of excellence for the care of acute coronary syndrome patients. A hospital with an accredited Chest Pain Center meets or exceeds quality-of-care measures for treating acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients across the continuum of care – from the onset of the patient’s symptoms through discharge from the hospital. Accredited Chest Pain Centers undergo a rigorous evaluation process by the AHA based on their ability to asses, diagnose, and treat patients quickly and effectively.
“With our surgeons, cardiologists, and interventional cardiologists like Dr. Colin Lee and his team, we are truly standing on the shoulders of greatness,” said Weiss, who has experience in opening and running several AHA Certified Chest Pain Centers in California. “We will be leveraging the extraordinary talents of our physicians and staff to provide extraordinary care to our community.”
The Chest Pain Center is estimated to cost approximately $1.5 million and will take about 18-24 months to open.
“We’re so grateful for our Foundation members, community partners, and team for their dedication to advancing healthcare on Maui,” said Tamar Goodfellow, Maui Health Foundation Board President. “
The highly successful annual fundraiser event, generously underwritten for the 9th year in a row by Wolfgang Puck and Spago Maui, featured a four-course dinner, live auction, and fund-a–need paddle raise.
For more information about Maui Health Foundation or to make a donation, contact Maui Health Foundation Development Manager Cassie Chavez at [email protected] or 242
For more information about Maui’s Chest Pain Center, contact Maui Health Director of Strategic Communications Lisa Paulson at Lisa.H.Paulson@kp.
About Maui Health Foundation
Maui Health Foundation is dedicated to the philanthropic support of the Maui Health hospitals. Our Foundation works hand in hand with Maui Health to be a lifeline for our patients by supporting patient care, advancing programs and technology, and creating healing environments for all who walk through our doors. Your donations support the health of our islands’ communities as well as Maui Health employees and can include gifts of cash, property or securities, corporate grants, bequests, and employer matching contributions. For more information visit mauihealth.org/
About Maui Memorial Medical Center
Maui Memorial Medical Center is a Maui Health community hospital licensed for 214 acute care beds. It is Maui’s only full-service, acute medical care facility and provides comprehensive healthcare for Maui County, including Lanai and Molokai. It is also the only hospital outside of Oahu that provides a full range of cardiac services, including open-heart surgery and angioplasty. Maui Memorial Medical Center is Joint Commission Accredited, a Hawaii State Designated Level III Trauma Center and certified Primary Stroke Center, and rated 4-stars by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Centers Hospital Compare. It is located in Wailuku and has over 1300 employees.
About Maui Health
Maui Health, aka Maui Health System, community hospitals and associated clinics affiliated with Kaiser Permanente, includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital, and Lanai Community Hospital, and associated clinics, and serves the people of Maui and Lanai. The facilities under Maui Health employ more than 1500 Maui County residents, partner with over 460 hospital-based physicians, clinicians, and community-based primary and specialty physicians, and are open to all patients regardless of health insurance coverage. Maui Health is committed to delivering high quality, affordable, patient-centered health care and improving the health of the community. Maui Health is supported by Kaiser Permanente’s industry-leading technology systems, evidence-based medicine, and nationally recognized care quality. For more information, visit mauihealth.org.
