• Glad to hear Wilcox is non-profit • Wilcox is NOT for profit • Selling the heart of Kaua‘i • Save the heart of Kaua‘i Glad to hear Wilcox is non-profit I received a very nice call from Paul Douglass,
• Glad to hear Wilcox is non-profit
• Wilcox is NOT for profit
• Selling the heart of Kaua‘i
• Save the heart of Kaua‘i
Glad to hear Wilcox is non-profit
I received a very nice call from Paul Douglass, Chairman of the Board of Wilcox Hospital the morning of June 27. He called in response to my Letter to the Editor published that day to let me know that Wilcox Hospital and its parent company, Hawaii Pacific Health, operate as nonprofit corporations. I was glad to know this because research has shown that patient care is better in nonprofit hospitals.
Wilcox and its parent company need to recognize that the vast majority of its nurses voted to take the drastic step of striking because the issue of patient care is so important. This was the nurses’ decision, the job of their union, Hawaii Nurses Association, is to support them in this effort. Any idea that somehow the union is to blame for a labor problem misses the point. I would hope that patient care would be of such importance to Wilcox and Hawaii Pacific Health that they would commit to meeting with the nurses immediately and as often as it takes.
There is a shortage of nurses in our country and nurses are essential in providing quality heath care in a hospital. No one knows better than the nurses providing bedside care whether patient care could be jeopardized by the way management utilizes them. I encourage Wilcox and its parent company to make negotiating with their nurses their highest priority.
Wilcox is NOT for profit
On Tuesday, June 27 you printed a letter from Cynthia McClung captioned “Profit is priority” in which she stated that “Wilcox Hospital changed from a “not-for-profit” organization to a “for-profit” corporation a few years ago…”
I phoned Ms. McClung to share with her that she was mis-informed, but to clarify with your readers I want to set the record straight. Wilcox Memorial Hospital is and always has been a Hawai‘i nonprofit corporation, and our affiliation with Hawaii Pacific Health, which is also a Hawai‘i non-profit corporation, did not change our status. In fact, none of the affiliates of Hawaii Pacific Health, including Kauai Medical Clinic, Straub Hospital and Clinics and Kapiolani Women’s and Children’s Hospital are “for-profit” organizations
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Wilcox Memorial Hospital
Selling the heart of Kaua‘i
I read with interest the Monday article about the Koke’e cabins in The Garden Island. As a leaseholder for 18 years, I would like to make a couple of clarifications.
Peter Young is quoted as saying: “There has been a consistent process in taking public testimony in the disposition of the leases in Koke‘e.”
What he neglects to point out is that the public has consistently opposed the plan’s proposed disposition of the cabins and BLNR has consistently ignored that input. It was not until Ron Agor became our BLNR member that the plan to turn the Koke’e Cabins into “Interval Ownership Units” (read Timeshares) was removed from the Master Plan. The previous Kaua‘i BLNR member sold the board and DLNR on the idea that they could make a killing by “Selling the Heart of Kauai to the Highest Bidder” in itty-bitty pieces. As an ex-real estate professional I can assure you that selling timeshares instead of selling full-time use of a property earns the seller several times more money.
At the same time the State proposes ‘timeshare cabins’ (heavy use 52 weeks per year), it also says it wants “to preserve the legacy of the recreation residences and ensure the continuity of the cultural values and practices unique to Koke‘e …”
This is inconsistent and unworkable.
DLNR officials also say they “want more people other than the current leaseholders to use the cabins.” They do not explain why they have over 30 vacant cabins and lots un-leased to the public. If they want more people than the current leaseholders to have use of the cabins, why have they refused to lease the ones they have when local people inquire? And, if they’re so concerned about accessibility to the public, why are they reserving nine cabins for themselves, when they already have the Mokihana cabin, the DOFAW research station at Awaawapuhi, and the CCC Camp. The leaseholders have proposed that DLNR auction off the existing vacant cabins and lots to see what the real interest is. They have refused our suggestion.
I also question why DLNR feels that they need to make the cabins accessible to more people. During the 20 years since the last auction, over 80 cabins have changed hands. This was accomplished by people selling their cabins and the lease to the land to parties who wanted them. I know that some lessees have not put their cabins on the market in the past few years because they felt the short term of the remaining lease devalued their cabins. If these folks are successful in bidding for their cabins, there will be cabins available on the open market.
Save the heart of Kaua‘i
Thank you for the article “Hooser seeks delay of cabin auction.” (The Garden Island, June 26)
In response to Peter Young’s statement: “Young said his agency has received requests from Kaua‘i residents who are not current leaseholders and want the auction held.”
People of Kauai:
• Did you know that the DLNR already has possession of over 35 vacant cabins and lots that are being allowed to deteriorate instead of making them available to Hawai‘i residents who are not current leaseholders? This is not counting the cabins appropriated by the state for DLNR “official” use.
• Did you know that leases on Koke‘e cabins have changed hands over 80 times since the 1985 auction? There is almost always a lease and cabin in Koke‘e on the market for sale.
Don’t be fooled, the DLNR has another agenda/plan for Koke‘e and most of us, residents of Kaua‘i, probably can’t afford it.
Write to the governor today and respectfully ask her to direct the DLNR to negotiate directly with the current leaseholders, to auction off to the public the 35 vacant cabins and lots currently in the state’s possession as well as those no longer desired by existing leaseholders, and for those leaseholders not renewing their leases, require incoming leaseholders to pay fair market compensation for their cabins.
Don’t let them sell the heart and soul of Kaua‘i to the highest bidder. Save Koke‘e.
