Editorial: Hope for Wahiawa General Hospital

It was a one-two dose of news this week regarding Wahiawa General Hospital. First came word that the struggling, longtime hospital would be shutting its surgical unit by month’s end. Things seemed dire, given that the hospital has been atrophying in recent years, losing services such as OB-GYN and physical therapy.

The next day, though, brought hopeful news for the 70-year facility: A new contract with the state Health Department to use up to 30 beds for mental health and substance abuse patients. The beds for “mental health stabilization” would bridge the gap between the most severe psychiatric treatment and long-term residential care, said Eddie Mersereau, of the DOH Behavioral Health Administration.

Health and homelessness experts say these psychiatric beds for short-term stays of up to two weeks, in tandem with treatment, are needed to help up to 500 patients yearly, and would save “millions of dollars” from fewer repeat emergency room visits.

Wahiawa General, started in 1944 as a clinic for plantation workers, has struggled to survive amid a much-changed health industry and the district’s shifting demographics. Now, it seems to be working to rehab its own health and business offerings to meet the area’s evolving demands: The state needs interim bed space for mentally ill homeless patients, while the hospital has the beds to fill. It’s a potential opportunity at renewed life, for all involved.