Shriners Expanding Charitable Reach

A $73 million upgrade will help bring in kids from other regions
By Craig Gima cgima@starbulletin.com

Once a $73 million upgrade of the Shriners Hospital for Children is completed in two years, more children, like Sithan Leam, from developing countries will be coming to Honolulu for free treatment, said Stan Berry, hospital administrator.

The new facility will have the latest medical technology and be about 40 percent larger, including a second floor. Outpatient clinic space will be expanded, and there will be 10 apartments where families of patients can stay during treatment.

Even though the number of hospital beds will go down to 25 from 40, they will be able to serve more patients, Berry said. Modern treatment requires shorter hospital stays and more outpatient visits, he said.

Since the Shriners Hospital for Children opened in Honolulu in 1923 -- the second of 22 hospitals in the system -- 25,517 children from more than 30 countries have been treated here.

About 80 percent of the children are from Hawaii. But Berry said greater access to prenatal care means the number of children here with birth defects or who are in need of the hospital's services is declining.

The hospital offers regular clinics and outreach in Guam, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and American Samoa.

Berry believes that a natural outgrowth would be to expand its search for kids who need help to developing countries like the Philippines and even Cambodia, where modern medical care is not readily available.

Because of Hawaii's multiethnic population, "we can bring more kids here, and they'll fit culturally," Berry said.

Shriners is putting up $59 million for the hospital expansion, and the hospital is about two-thirds of the way toward its current fundraising goal for an additional $14 million.

The hospital and its $16 million annual budget is supported by the Shriners foundation endowment, and children are treated at no charge to the patient.

"There's a whole care system that supports these kids," Berry said, noting that in addition to doctors, nurses and physical therapists, the hospital also has teachers, counselors who also make sure the children are being taken care of both inside and outside the facility, and even staffers who organize entertainment and excursions for the children.

Shriners Hospital
Since Shriners Hospital for Children in Honolulu was founded in 1923, it has treated about 25,000 children, with 80 percent from Hawaii and the rest from the mainland and more than 30 countries. Here is a breakdown of where many of the children have come from:

Hawaii 20,644
Guam 1,256
Micronesia 708
American Samoa 608
Samoa 417
Fiji 440
Saipan 428
Marshall Islands 283
Korea 166
Palau 130
Japan/Okinawa 90
Tonga 78
Rota 57
Philippines 42
Tinian 41
Vietnam 39
Taiwan 18
U.S. mainland 18
Tahiti 9
Kiribati 6
Afghanistan 5
China 4
Pakistan 4
Cambodia 3
Australia 3
Indonesia 3
Bangladesh 3