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Puna medical center proponents ask Legislature to fund planning and design to reduce emergency travel times to Hilo
Summary
Steve Sparks, president of the Puna Community Medical Center Foundation, asked the House Finance Committee to support completion of design and planning for a Puna medical campus, which backers say would reduce long emergency drives for residents in southern Puna and create jobs.
Steve Sparks, president of the Puna Community Medical Center Foundation, told the House Committee on Finance that eastern Hawaii island residents face dangerous emergency travel times and asked for support to finish design and planning for a hospital and emergency room in Puna.
Sparks described the Puna District as roughly the size of Oahu with limited highway access. “For residents in Southern Puna, that means it's an hour and 45 minute drive to Hilo Medical Center,” he said, explaining why local emergency care is pressing. The foundation has secured a leased site and is “almost finished with design and planning,” Sparks told the committee, and requested support through the GIA application process to complete the design phase.
Speakers and proponents said the proposed medical campus would improve health outcomes by shortening emergency travel times, create more than 200 high‑paying jobs and bring “tens of millions of dollars” into the Puna economy. Sparks said proponents are seeking funding specifically to complete design and planning and to move toward construction.
What the committee heard
- Access and distance: Testimony focused on the geography and limited road access that extend travel times in medical emergencies. - Local economic impact: Advocates emphasized job creation and broader economic benefits from building a local medical campus. - Project status: The applicant said site leasing is complete and design/planning is nearly finished; they requested funds to finish that phase and advance the project to construction readiness.
What happens next
The committee will include the request in the GIA record for budget consideration. No appropriation decisions were made at the public‑testimony hearing.
Ending
Supporters say completing design and planning is a necessary step to make an emergency department and broader medical campus feasible for Puna; the committee’s funding decisions during the budget process will determine whether the project moves forward.
