LanaVOLUME 7, ISSUE 6 - NEWS FOR ANDi ABOUT THEToday RESIDENTS OF LANAI - MAY 2015 Maui County hospitals up for private nonprofit partnership Annual Charity Walk lthough Lanai High and Elementary aui County’s hospitals: Maui ambulance School’s sports activities over the May Memorial Medical Center, to their 2nd weekend kept many youth partici- Kula Hospital and Lanai preferred M pantsA from entering the Maui Hotel and Lodging Community Hospital, may now enter hospital Association’s Lanai Charity Walk, the 230 plus into negotiations to form a private-public (if a bed is walker who showed up all had a good time sup- partnership after State legislators passed available), porting their favorite nonprofit organizations! the Hospital Privatization Bill, HB 1075 or routed From babes in arms and strollers to senior kupuna, on Friday, May 1. Before the bill went for to another the walkers enjoyed their stroll from the Lodge a final vote, Governor David Ige asked hospital. at Koele to Dole Park on what must surely be the legislators to send it to a conference com- However, most scenic Charity Walk route in Hawaii! Making mittee to address his concerns on it. Under if someone the walk in the arms of his sister, Leinani, Lord the revised bill, Governor Ige will have is having Zablan was all smiles for everybody who came by an active role in negotiating an acceptable a stroke or to say hello to them. In Lanai Today’s June issue, agreement to benefit all the communities, heart attack, Lanai’s very first hospital facility. Photograph courtesy of Hawaiian we’ll share the results of the walk which benefits state employees, and patients impacted by paramedics Pineapple Company, Lanai Cultural and Heritage Center Archives. all of the island’s nonprofit organizations who were the change. bypass participating. Mahalo to all of the Charity Walk’s Maui Senator Roz Baker and Wesley Lanai Community Hospital and the person shared my concerns on maintain- sponsors and contributors. Lo, the Hawaii Heath Systems Corpora- is transported directly to Maui Memorial’s ing an adequate level of health tion’s (HHSC) Maui Region Chief Exec- cardiac care unit by air helicopter. care service, protecting employee utive Officer, had been working towards During the plantation days, the hospital rights and benefits, and better this goal for more than three years to was owned by Dole Pineapple Company. communicating with the Lanai create a sustainable health system operat- The late Goro Hokama, in addition to be- community on future directions ed by a private, nonprofit entity, for Maui ing Lanai’s councilmember, served as the for hospital care. I support Rep- County’s residents. hospital’s administrator for many years. resentative DeCoite’s position No major changes are expected to The original hospital was replaced by the to move this matter forward and happen to Lanai Community Hospi- present building in 1968. It was funded by hope that the Lanai community tal. In recent years, the State has made the Lanai’s residents and later became a will be better informed on the major improvements to it, most notably part of HHSC. implementation of this proposal.” to the emergency room which is staffed Lanai councilmember Riki Hokama sent Hopefully, Governor Ige will 24/7. The hospital has 10-long term care the following statement to Lanai Today: “I insist on public meetings in each beds and four acute care beds, a clinical really appreciate that State Representative community so we can all under- laboratory and an x-ray room. Residents Lynn DeCoite came to Lanai to hear from stand how a private nonprofit with medical emergencies which cannot residents and get a better understanding partnership may benefit all of us. be treated on island are transferred by air of our unique issues on hospital care. I Leinani Zablan and her baby brother Lord This Month Island Air announces major changes in operations on June 1 Page 6 n April, Island Air Chief Executive with an ETA of 6:48 p.m. On the Officer Dave Pflieger announced return portion, flights from Oahu TriLanai Awards Imajor changes which will affect its to Lanai depart at 10:09 a.m., services to Lanai and its operations state- ETA 11:45 a.m., and at 3:15 p.m. wide. In an email to the Island Air team with a 4:52 p.m. ETA. A direct and customers, he said their new course flight between Lanai and Oahu of action will consolidate its operations presently takes 30 minutes, so the to a smaller number of markets so they new schedule adds approximately can fix their costs and revenue structure one hour plus of travel time for and become strong enough to grow in a Lanai residents. The one way fare sustainable manner, specifically: was listed on May 3 at $49 per “We are not going to take delivery of person on its reservation website. any new aircraft in the short term, includ- Pflileger ended his email by Island Air Chief Executive Officer Dave Pflieger is ing the Bombardier Q400 aircraft; saying: “I know this is disap- pictured with Four Seasons Resorts General Man- Page 7 We are closing our operations in Lihue, pointing news. Downsizing our ager Tom Roelens and Kathy Carroll, Lanai Animal adding flights to Maui, and reducing our airline is not what any of us Rescue Center’s co-founder, at a Lanai Chamber of Special Olympics overall flight schedule to two lines of wanted, but regrettably we have Commerce event in December 2014. In his email of flying; and as a result, with deep regret, no other choice as we continue to April 29, he thanked all of the airline’s staff for the we will also be reducing the number of work to fix our airline, so that we amazing job they did in improving customer service Island Air employees across the company can one day grow it, achieve and operational performances. He’s going to be as we shrink our airline and work to fix sustainable profitability and doing everything he can to get Island Air back on and improve it.” remain Hawaii’s needed second track to improve year-over-year reliability and on- The changes will take effect on June carrier.” time performance (and hopefully, to restore direct 1, 2015 and will result in a 20 percent re- flights between Oahu and Lanai). duction in Island Air’s workforce. Pflieger notes the airline’s management team is also going to be reduced by 20 percent Special Trail Clean-up at Kanepuu and it’s “clearing the decks” in finance Page 20 to obtain first-ever accurate revenue and On Saturday, May 13, 2015 at 1 p.m. the cost information that will result in real family of the late Solomon Kaopuiki, who 2015 Class Parent budgets and forecast. Island Air has publi- passed away on February 13, will hold Appreciation Dinner cally stated it has sustained losses of more a memorial service followed by a trail than $21 million since last year. clean-up at Kanepuu Dryland Forest. Beginning on June 1, Lanai flights Uncle Sol loved Kanepuu, and everybody are going to be routed thorough Kahului is welcome to come and participate in Airport, so a Lanai passenger traveling this special occasion. Pictured with him to Oahu will have a choice of two flights, is Sam Shin, one of Lanai’s cherished one departing at 12:11 p.m. with a sched- kupuna from Lanai’s pre-plantation days. uled ETA of 1:42 p.m. at Honolulu Inter- Photograph courtesy of Kepa Maly, Lanai national Airport, or a flight at 5:17 p.m. Cultural and Heritage Center. Permit No. 72 No. Permit Lana’i, HI 96763 HI Lana’i, Lana’i HI 96763 HI Lana’i Lana’i City, HI 96763 HI City, Lana’i Boxholder P. O. Box 630601 Box O. P. U.S.POSTAGE PAID U.S.POSTAGE T L Current Resident or or Resident Current ODAY ANAI STANDARD MAIL STANDARD PAGE 2 • LANAI TODAY • MAY 15, 2015 Advertiser’s Index IN MEMORIAM Business Name Pg. Phone Solomon Timothy Kaopuiki Aguila Express 10 559-6251 March 6, 1919 - February 13, 2015 Alberta’s Farm 13 649-0808 Born in Keomoku, Lanai, Solomon spent much of Anuenue Juice Bar & Cafe 7 250-0633 his life dedicated to protecting Lanai’s cultural land- scape and preserving native Hawaiian endangered Blue Ginger Cafe 12 565-6363 plants found around the island, largely within the Café 565 8 565-6622 dryland of Kanepu’u. To honor his work and passion Chris Andrus 13 649-9656 for Lanai, please join us for a Memorial Service to be held at Kanepu’u Dryland Forest Reserve on Coffee Works 6 565-6962 Saturday May 23, 2015 at 1:00 pm. A trail clean-up Custom Container Shipping 17 314-623-6645 and light refreshments will follow. Donations can be made in his honor to: Da Hula Hut 17 565-6255 De Jetley Property Mgmt. Services 14 563-0647 Ka Lanakila O Ka Mālamalama O Hawai’i Ho’omana O Ioredāne Hou ’Ike ‘Āina (Kānepu’u Restoration Group) - Lana’i Culture & Heritage Center - For more information call (808) 264-3632. Don Jackson 11 649-0448 EcoPool - Luis Molina 11 649-0337 Expeditions 10 800-695-2624 Four Seasons Resorts 3 565-4580 Memorial Day Service in Dole Park Friends of Bill W. 4 760-419-0785 Everyone is invited to attend a Greg Cohen 18 565-7073 Memorial Day Service in Dole Park Hale Kupuna 10 565-6615 on Monday, May 25 at 11 a.m.