Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is temporarily halting some nonessential services at facilities on Maui and at Moanalua Medical Center on Oahu as the state battles rising COVID-19 cases. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is postponing and rescheduling all elective procedures and surgeries as well as some specialty and primary care appointments at facilities on Maui as COVID-19 cases surge across the state.
The operational changes went into effect Monday on Maui and at Kaiser’s Moanalua Medical Center on Oahu, where Maui patients may be flown to in order to receive further care. At Moanalua, Kaiser is taking a phased approach to postponing nonurgent surgeries and procedures, which will affect a “small number” of operations, though more patients could be affected in the coming weeks.
The Kaiser Permanente Wailuku Clinic will be the most affected on Maui, as that is where Kaiser delivers specialty services, said spokeswoman Laura Lott on Monday afternoon.
Types of procedures delayed include routine skin checks not already scheduled, cataracts and other nonessential surgeries/procedures, infertility and routine adult physicals, Lott added.
The changes are expected to remain in place for the next several weeks, and those affected will be notified by Kaiser Permanente, so patients do not need to call their health provider, the news release said. Staff freed of those duties will be deployed to other areas to assist in other matters including testing, same-day and urgent care and vaccinations.
“We’re at a critical stage,” said Dr. Zamir Moen, chief of medical staff at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center. “We need to stop COVID-19 transmission in the community to prevent our entire health care system from becoming overwhelmed. Please get vaccinated, wear your mask and avoid large gatherings.”
Two other major health care providers on the Valley Isle — Maui Health, which operates Maui Memorial Medical Center, and Maui Medical Group, which has five locations on the island — are not halting any procedures yet.
“We are monitoring our outpatient elective procedure/surgery schedule daily to ensure we have adequate resources to maintain the schedule,” said Maui Health spokeswoman Tracy Dallarda on Monday. “We are not canceling procedures now, but if necessary, we will.”
Maui Health also operates an outpatient clinic in Wailuku as well as Lanai Community Hospital and Kula Hospital.
Even though Maui Health is a Kaiser affiliate, the operational changes are just for Kaiser Permanente and not the hospital or other Maui Health operations.
On Monday, Maui Memorial Medical Center had 23 COVID-19-positive patients. Five were in the intensive care unit and two of those were on ventilators, according to Maui Health’s website. Of the total COVID-positive patients, 20 are unvaccinated.
Maui Medical Group is also continuing on with its elective surgery cases for its patients.
“We found out last year when elective and screening cases were stopped, when things started up again, we found several cases that could have been less severe if these patients were treated sooner,” said Cliff Alakai, Maui Medical Group’s administrator. “Safety concerns for our physicians and patients have been reduced with vaccinations and preoperative screening. We are able to safely treat patients.”
Alakai added that supplies of personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns and masks have improved since last year so surgeries can be safely conducted.
But he added that staffing can be a “challenge.”
“When children are placed on quarantine from their schools, some of our staff have to stay home with their children,” Alakai said. “We also have staff under quarantine from possible community exposure.”
Like many other clinics, Maui Medical Group has also seen a jump in COVID-19 testing.
In June, Maui Medical averaged 15 to 20 PCR tests per day and is now up to 80 to 120 a day, Alakai said.
Maui Medical switched from walk-up testing to appointments, which are done at its Wailuku clinic, so staff can better manage the flow of patients wanting to be tested, he added.
Testing is open to the public and the clinic sees all patients except those who are under Kaiser, Alakai said.
Hours are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The testing center is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.
“Our testing center is nonstop busy,” Alakai said, though he added that requests for a COVID-19 vaccine are not as busy. Maui Medical offers Moderna shots at its Wailuku and Lahaina locations.
The health care provider prefers Maui Medical Group patients as their medical records are already on file, but it will administer the shots to most patients that request one, Alakai said.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is temporarily halting some nonessential services at facilities on Maui and at Moanalua Medical Center on Oahu as the state battles rising COVID-19 cases. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photoToday's breaking news and more in your inbox
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