Waimea, Kaua’i, September 16, 2025 – The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted more than $10.6 million to help Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital (KVMH), a Hawaii Health Systems Corporation facility, expand and develop its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite.
MRI scans can detect a wide range of diseases and conditions, yet Kaua‘i residents often have to endure wait times of up to three months or spend their own time and money flying to Oahu for the procedure.
KVMH’s new state-of-the-art MRI machine and treatment space will lessen the need for off-island transport, reduce backlogs, and improve patient comfort, said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust.
“Your ZIP code shouldn’t determine your health outcomes, and Kaua‘i residents should be able to access the same life-saving diagnostic technology available to those living in urban centers,” Panzirer said. “The Helmsley Charitable Trust is excited to help Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital provide this crucial care to residents closer to their homes.”
“Access to timely, state-of-the-art diagnostic modalities such as MRI in neighbor island communities, is crucial to our rural safety net healthcare system in Hawaiʻi,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “The generosity of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust enhances Kauaʻi Veterans Memorial Hospital’s ability to deliver premier care to the people of Kauaʻi County. We are humbled and honored by this gift.”
MRI machines produce detailed images of the internal structures of the human body using magnetic and radio waves, and the scans can help clinicians detect aneurysms, stroke, multiple sclerosis, tumors, brain injuries, conditions of the eyes, and more.
KVMH’s new MRI suite will introduce advanced breast imaging services to Kaua‘i, improving early cancer detection for its residents. The machine’s wide-bore design will also improve the comfort for bariatric, claustrophobic, and pediatric patients who may need accommodations not currently available on the island.
”Thanks to the generous support of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, access to MRI services will be expanded for Kauai, bringing care closer to home for our residents. This investment helps reduce the need for patients to travel to Oahu for imaging, easing both the financial and emotional burden that such trips often place on individuals and families. It’s a meaningful step toward strengthening local healthcare and ensuring our community receives timely, compassionate care it deserves.” Lance K. Segawa, FACHE, MPH, NHA.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust is granting an additional $631,000 to KVMH to help the hospital expand simulation healthcare training.
The Simulation Learning Lab will serve as a dedicated space offering accessible educational resources for medical providers, clinical and non-clinical hospital staff, nursing students, and high school students aspiring to enter the healthcare field.
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About The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has granted more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $850 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.
About Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital
Learn more at Kauai.hhsc.org
