Seniors could bear brunt of hospital system woes

Among all the sad and worrisome signs of fiscal strain in the state’s public hospital system, none is more distressing than the prospects of closure for one of its long-term care facilities.

Both Leahi Hospital near Diamond Head and Maluhia Hospital in Kapalama are running up serious red ink. Combined, their costs will outpace appropriations by $4.9 million in fiscal 2015. Closure could happen very soon, leaving fragile elders without care. At such public institutions, residents and their families typically can’t afford a private facility.

If state hospitals can’t figure out a way around their sustainability challenge, projections of growth for Hawaii’s elder population suggest the problem will only get worse — much worse.

More accidents as more bicycles hit the road

As Honolulu evolves into a more bicycle-friendly city, adding a dedicated bike lane to busy King Street, a report out of Los Angeles County adds a cautionary note: Hit-and-run collisions between cars and bicyclists there rose 42 percent between 2002 and 2012, injuring at least 5,600 cyclists and killing 36. The increase was alarming given that hit-and-run cases involving pedestrians and other cars dropped by nearly one-third during the same period, the Los Angeles Times reported.