Hawaii
The Packed Hawaii State Hospital May Soon See A Surge In Patients From A Private Facility
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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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Hawaii
Kanakaʻole, Zane ʻohana transform Hawaiian cultural practices into captivating visual arts | Maui Now
This powerful new exhibition will feature the work of Nālani Kanakaʻole, Sig Zane, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane—a Hilo-based family of artists whose creative practices are deeply rooted in hula ʻaihaʻa.
Hula ʻaihaʻa is the low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula that Kanakaʻole was known for as kumu hula of Hālau o Kekuhi. The hula springs from the eruptive volcano personas of Pele and her sister Hiʻiaka, characteristic of Hawaiʻi Island’s creative forces.
The Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, on Oʻahu is presenting “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” in the J. M. Long Gallery beginning on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The exhibition title references “Kūhaʻimoana,” a chant describing the migration of shark gods from Kahiki (ancestral homeland) to Hawaiʻi. “Ea Mai ʻEiwa” reflects the strength, resilience, and environmental knowledge embodied in these ancestral stories.
Bringing together new and existing works alongside botanical specimens and cultural treasures from Bishop Museum’s collections, the exhibition weaves themes of migration, community resilience, and environmental stewardship—offering insight and inspiration for today.
“This exhibition demonstrates that the gap between historic collections and contemporary art is actually a lot smaller than people think,” said Sarah Kuaiwa, Ph.D., Bishop Museum curator for Hawaiʻi and Pacific Cultural Resources. “Audiences will see how the artists use the same materials as pieces in Bishop Museum collections but in different forms. The resonance between the artist’s work with mea kupuna (ancestors) is what makes ‘Ea Mai ʻEiwa’ a uniquely Bishop Museum exhibition.”
Kuaiwa curated the group exhibitions along with co-curator, kumu hula Kauʻi Kanakaʻole, and Bishop Museum exhibit designer, DeAnne Kennedy.
The artists’ work across visual and performing arts is continually charged and sustained by hula. From Nālani Kanakaʻole’s art direction and choreography to Sig Zane’s photography and textile design, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane’s graphic design and immersive installations, each artist channels ʻike (knowledge, wisdom) carried through generations.
“Through repetition, deep study, and consistent practice, mastery is achieved. As practitioners of hula, the artists have continued to deepen their understanding of the natural and spiritual world, which has in turn inspired their art practices,” Kuaiwa said. “They aim to produce art in various visual media not only to educate, but to also be aesthetically celebrated and enjoyed.”
“Patterns of Practice” was suggested by Sig Zane as a way of representing how the artists hone their skills.
“‘Kūhaʻimoana,’ for me, has many layers to it,” Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane said. “On a first take, it’s a migratory chant that compares migrations to waves of ocean-navigating sharks. That metaphor sets out the tone of connectivity between our natural environment and the beings that inhabit it.”
“‘Kūhaʻimoana’ is an example illustrating metaphorical depth within Hawaiian poetry,” said Sig Zane. “The importance of navigation surfaces in day-to-day cultural practices. This archaic chant reveals nuanced content, giving us a peek into hierarchy, dualities, and familial belief systems.”
Kanakaʻole passed away in January this year, so Kauʻi Kanakaʻole hopes that “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” reflects Kanakaʻole’s philosophy of practice and piques curiosity within people about others’ stories, history, and culture.
“She intentionally taught hula with depth of language, craft, and art form to encompass a full-on lifestyle commitment,” Kanakaʻole said. “This was her everyday; the way she learned, grew, and inspired.” “I would love for guests to leave (the exhibition) with a mixture of awe, appreciation, and curiosity.”
Highlights of the “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” exhibition include:
- Nālani Kanakaʻole’s kite installation, “Kūhaʻimoana,” her last large-scale installation before her passing
- Botanical specimens from various locations across Hawaiʻi Island, chosen to represent their hula ʻahu (altar) and sources of inspiration the artists frequently draw from
- Uniquely colored kūpeʻe (sea snails) shells made into adornments, as well as adornments made to look like kūpeʻe shells
- Kapa (barkcloth) made from the 19th century with dynamic designs
- ʻAwa (kava, Piper methysticum) cups and kānoa (kava bowl) associated with the aliʻi
- New and archival sketches and rubylith artworks by Sig Zane from 1990 to present
- A collection of family photos from the Kanakaʻole ʻOhana
- Memorabilia and ephemera from the theatrical performance, “Holo Mai Pele” (1995-2000)
“Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” will be presented in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English, and will be on view until Sept. 20, 2026.
For more information, visit bishopmuseum.org.
The demolition of Aloha Stadium on Oahu took a big step forward Thursday with the first section of seating pulled down from the steel structure.
Half of the elevated deck-level seating on the stadium’s makai side was severed and toppled backward as part of demolition work that began in February.
The other half of the upper makai-side seating is slated to come down Tuesday, followed by similar sections on the mauka side and both end zones, though the concrete foundations for lower-level end-zone seating are being preserved for a new, smaller stadium to rise on the same site.
A private partnership, Aloha Halawa District Partners, led by local developer Stanford Carr, is replacing the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, which opened in 1975 and was shuttered in 2020, with a new stadium featuring up to 31,000 seats.
AHDP is using $350 million of state funding toward the cost of the new stadium, which could be $475 million or more, and will operate and maintain the facility on state land for 30 years with a land lease.
The development team also is to redevelop much of the 98-acre stadium property dominated by parking lots with a new mixed-use community that includes at least 4,100 residences, two hotels, an office tower, retail, entertainment attractions and open spaces expected to be delivered in phases over 25 years and costing close to or more than $5 billion or $6 billion.
Earlier parts of stadium demolition work led by Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. included removing four covered multistory spiral walkways leading to the upper level from the ground, and concourse bridges.
Demolishing the stadium is projected to be done by August, according to Carr.
Building the new facility is expected to be finished in 2029.
Hawaii
This Airbnb Tiny Home Sits on a Lava Field in Hawaii With Unbeatable Night Sky Views—and It’s a Guest Favorite
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