Officials say they have been urgently trying to reduce the patient population after the killing of a nurse last year drew new attention to problems at the hospital.
Health officials are seeking $14 million in emergency funding to try to improve security and reduce the patient population at the Hawaii State Hospital, but the psychiatric facility may soon have to make room for an influx of even more patients from the privately run Kahi Mohala facility.
The hospital has contracted for years with the nonprofit Kahi Moha to house 40 of its patients there, and most or all of those patients are “forensic” patients. That means they were committed to Hawaii State Hospital by the courts after being arrested.
Sutter Health network is now pursuing a deal to sell Kahi Mohala to The Queen’s Health System, and “Queen’s has indicated that the forensic patients will no longer be serviced at that campus,” said Marian Tsuji, deputy director for behavioral health for the state Department of Health.
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The Hawaii State Hospital is licensed for 297 beds, but as of Wednesday morning had 345 patients. That census may increase even more if other patients who were hospitalized by the courts are returned to the hospital from Kahi Mohala. (Anita Hofschneider/Civil Beat/2021)
Tsuji told lawmakers Wednesday that the department is trying to reduce the number of patients at Kahi Mohala to prepare for the movement of patients from that facility back to Hawaii State Hospital. But the loss of the Kahi Mohala beds seems likely to aggravate already severe crowding at the hospital.
Kahi Mohala referred questions to a public relations firm, which said it didn’t have any information. Queen’s didn’t respond to a request for comment.
‘A Very Challenging Time’
Dr. Kenneth Luke, administrator of Hawaii State Hospital, told members of the House Health and Homelessness Committee on Wednesday the hospital is licensed for 297 beds, but as of Wednesday morning had 345 patients. That does not include the patients now at Kahi Mohala.
Public attention has focused on problems at Hawaii State Hospital since Nov. 13, when a patient stabbed to death 29-year-old nurse Justin Bautista with what hospital staff have described as a pocket knife.
The attack occurred on the hospital grounds in an unsecured cottage used for a state-operated specialized residential program, which functions much like a halfway house. Tommy Kekoa Carvalho has been charged with second-degree murder in the case and is being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
The case was the first killing of a staff member on the hospital campus, but the hospital has long been the subject of complaints about abuse of patients and threats and violence against staff.
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Luke said after the attack on Bautista that the hospital has been urgently trying to reduce the patient count, but the census numbers he announced Wednesday suggest the facility has made little progress on that front in recent months.
“Hawaii State Hospital is going through a very challenging time right now,” Luke told lawmakers.
“The types of patients that we’re getting are much sicker than we got maybe a decade ago. These are patients that have not only a chronic and severe mental illness, but they also have co-occurring conditions, oftentimes a substance abuse disorder, primarily methamphetamine,” Luke said.
“This really complicates their conditions, makes them much more acute, much more difficult to treat,” he said. Luke said 70% of the patients were “houseless” on the street, and are therefore less stable than patients of past years.
He described the hospital staff as “the best staff that any hospital could ask for … but I feel that we owe them what we can to make the place safer.”
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Backlog In Evaluations
One problem has been the long delays in processing people sent by the courts to Hawaii State Hospital for evaluations to determine if they are mentally fit to proceed with their criminal cases, Tsuji said.
Marian Tsuji, deputy director for behavioral health for the state Department of Health, and Hawaii State Hospital Administrator Kenneth Luke brief House lawmakers on the emergency appropriation request. Tsuji said the process of evaluating patients for the court system needs to get quicker.
Those patients sometimes remain at the hospital for many months because of a backlog in the evaluations, which contributes to the high patient counts.
“We need to process people a whole lot quicker than what we’ve been doing,” Tsuji said. “We’re short forensic psychologists, evaluators at the courts as well as at the hospital, and so if we can get those evaluations done quicker, we can process them quicker.”
Crisis Shelters And Metal Detectors
House Health and Homelessness Committee Chairwoman Della Au Belatti questioned Luke and Tsuji about the request for an emergency appropriation to finance improvements to Hawaii State Hospital.
The original funding request in House Bill 1941 was for $5.975 million, but Gov. Josh Green is about to submit a governor’s message that will increase that request to $14.2 million, Luke said.
A consultant’s report last month recommended changes in hospital operations, and the money would be used to finance a reorganization, according to hospital staff. It would also pay for an expansion of the hospital’s existing network of community-based treatment facilities, Tsuji said.
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Those facilities are used to transition patients back into the community after they have completed treatment at the hospital. But some patients cannot be placed in group homes because they are full, which contributes to overcrowding as patients remain at the hospital until a community slot opens, Tsuji said.
She said the governor’s message will ask lawmakers to fund two licensed crisis shelters for patients, and two additional houses with 24-hour supervision. The state plans to award contracts to operate those facilities, Tsuji said.
Additional money is also being requested to increase the rates the state pays for existing group homes because in some cases those payments have not been increased in a decade, she said. Tsuji said she expects those rates will go up by 20% to 25%.
The hospital reorganization would involve creating a new “safety and security team” at the facility, and improving information technology, according to Naomi Yanagishita, associate administrator for administrative and support services at the hospital.
Another $650,000 would be committed to upgrading communications and information technology within the hospital, including fixing video cameras that no longer function, Yanagishita said.
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Tsuji said some of the new funding would also be used to buy wand-type metal detectors to screen patients such as Carvalho who are allowed to come and go from the hospital campus. The hospital is also requesting money for drug testing, Tsuji said.
Tsuiji said the governor’s message will request $700,000 in construction funding to relocate the hospital’s guard shack to better control access to the facility.
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With approximately six years until Social Security benefits must be cut, one group of Hawaii legislators has come up with a simple plan to prevent a shortfall.
It’s no secret that Social Security, as we know it, is in a pinch. According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), the Social Security and Medicare trust funds are six years away from insolvency.
The combination of more retirees, fewer people in the workforce, and the impact of President Trump’s big, beautiful bill (OBBBA) leads the CRFB to estimate a 24% Social Security cut in late 2032 if nothing is done. In addition, retirees could face an 11% cut in Medicare Hospital Insurance payments.
This isn’t the first time the trust funds have been in trouble. In 1982, the fund that helped cover the cost of monthly Social Security benefits faced a significant shortfall and was forced to borrow from other funds to pay benefits on time. Congress was able to work together long enough to raise taxes on some, adjust benefits, and prevent insolvency.
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With a similar problem facing the trusts 44 years later, Hawaii’s Senator Brian Schatz and Representative Mazie Hirono (along with Rep. Jill Tokuda) believe they have a simple solution. Here’s what their proposal, called the SAFE Social Security Act, would do.
Image source: Getty Images.
Lift the payroll tax
To ensure payroll taxes apply fairly across the board and that the rich pay their share, the proposal includes a plan to phase out the payroll tax cap so that no one can stop paying into Social Security once their income hits $184,500.
Adjust benefit calculations
The trio suggests adjusting the way current benefits are calculated, a move that would increase the average monthly benefit by more than $150.
Update how cost-of-living adjustments are determined
As of today, cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the previous year to the third quarter of the current year. In theory, using inflation tied to CPI-W is supposed to help retirees keep pace with the rising cost of living.
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For years, however, senior citizen advocacy groups have insisted that the wrong index is being used because working adults and retired adults spend money differently. For example, an older retiree is likely to spend more on medical care than a younger person still in the workforce.
The Hawaii legislator’s plan would address the issue by basing the COLA on an index that tracks inflation related to seniors’ spending. Specifically, they’re talking about the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E).
Sen. Schatz believes that the SAFE Social Security Act will expand Social Security and put more money in the hands of those who rely on it. It will also strengthen the program for the next generation of retirees, ensuring today’s workforce has something to look forward to.
Watch as Hawaii’s Kīlauea puts on spectacular lava display
Hawaii’s Kīlauea has erupted again, spewing massive fountains of lava that reached over 800 feet high, according to USGS.
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano had its latest eruption on Jan. 12, flowing lava for nearly 10 hours and attracting heavy traffic to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The volcano began erupting at 8:22 a.m. with lava fountains reaching nearly 800 feet high into the sky, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. By 6:04 p.m., the eruption ended with lava flow covering approximately two-thirds of the Halema’uma’u crater floor.
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In a Facebook post announcing the latest eruption, the National Park Service warned visitors to “expect the park to be busy with heavy traffic.” Typically, thousands more visitors than usual flock to the park during eruptions, congesting roads and parking lots for the overlooks.
Considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea has been erupting episodically since Dec. 23, 2024. Most eruptions end within 12 hours with pauses in between that can be as long as several days to two weeks. As of Jan. 13, the volcano remains under an orange “watch” alert, with USGS saying the next lava fountaining episode is “likely about two weeks away.”
Such volcanic eruptions are considered sacred in Hawaiian culture and are tied to Pele, the goddess of creation and destruction who is believed to live in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Here’s what travelers should know.
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Is it safe to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
Yes, it’s safe for travelers to visit the park and view the lava as the eruption took place within a closed off area of the park and does not pose a risk to the community, according to the USGS.
However, it’s important that travelers are mindful of their safety by only parking in designated parking lots and staying away from closed-off areas. Last June, a 30-year-old man from Boston plummeted 30 feet off a cliff when he strayed off a trail in an attempt to get a closer look at the lava during nighttime. A tree broke his fall and the visitor was rescued by park rangers, only suffering minor injuries.
Tips for viewing the Kilauea volcano
Here are a few tips to for visitors eager to witness the Kilauea lava flow, according to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park:
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Go early or at night to avoid crowds, with peak hours at the park being between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. (And if you do visit in the evening, pack warm clothes as it’s chillier than you may think.)
Prime viewing overlooks include the Welcome Center, Uekahuna, along Crater Rim Trail and old Crater Rim Drive.
Check the air quality before you go by visiting the NPS website. Volcanic gas and other particles from the eruption can be hazardous, especially to travelers with pre-existing respiratory conditions or children.
The 2026 season kicks off this week at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu with the Sony Open in Hawaii. Nick Taylor is the event’s defending champion, taking down Nico Echavarria in a playoff last year to win.
There’s a pretty stacked field being the first event of the year, with plenty of notables heading to the middle of the Pacific for one week before the West Coast Swing begins.
Here’s a look at the purse and total prize money for the first PGA Tour event of 2026, the Sony Open in Hawaii.
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What’s the total purse for the 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii?
The total purse for the 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii is $9.1 million. That’s up from $8.7 million a year ago.
How much money does the winner make at the 2026 Sony Open?
The winner of the Sony receives $1.638 million, or 18 percent of the total purse. Taylor earned $1.566 million for his win in 2025.
The field size is 120 this time around, as compared to 144 last year.
Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 prize money payouts
Position
Prize money
1
$1,638,000
2
$991,900
3
$627,900
4
$445,900
5
$373,100
6
$329,875
7
$307,125
8
$284,375
9
$266,175
10
$247,975
11
$229,775
12
$211,575
13
$193,375
14
$175,175
15
$166,075
16
$156,975
17
$147,875
18
$138,775
19
$129,675
20
$120,575
21
$111,475
22
$102,375
23
$95,095
24
$87,815
25
$80,535
26
$73,255
27
$70,525
28
$67,795
29
$65,065
30
$62,335
31
$59,605
32
$56,875
33
$54,145
34
$51,870
35
$49,595
36
$47,320
37
$45,045
38
$43,225
39
$41,405
40
$39,585
41
$37,765
42
$35,945
43
$34,125
44
$32,305
45
$30,485
46
$28,665
47
$26,845
48
$25,389
49
$24,115
50
$23,387
51
$22,841
52
$22,295
53
$21,931
54
$21,567
55
$21,385
56
$21,203
57
$21,021
58
$20,839
59
$20,657
60
$20,475
61
$20,293
62
$20,111
63
$19,929
64
$19,747
65
$19,565
65
$19,565
Where is the Sony Open in Hawaii played?
Waialae Country Club originally was designed by famed golden-era architect Seth Raynor and opened in 1927 alongside Kahala Beach. The layout, which first hosted the PGA Tour in 1965, will play to 7,044 yards with a par of 70. Of note: The standard routing is altered for the Sony Open, with the nines reversed to better take advantage of the scenic sunsets.
