Castle plans $15 million renovation
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAILUA — Castle Medical Center is planning a $15 million building and renovation project that will add 16,000 square feet to the hospital and convert older rooms to single-patient accommodations.
Courtesy of Castle Medical Center
A new wing will be built in the back of the building above the delivery entrance, said David Earles, Castle's marketing director. The structure will have three floors containing single-occupancy patient-care rooms.
An artist's rendering of the proposed new wing at Castle Medical Center, which will have three floors containing single-occupancy rooms with updated equipment.
But the capacity of the hospital will not increase, Earles said, adding that double rooms will be converted, making 78 percent of the hospital's rooms for one patient only. The hospital is licensed for 157 patients.
"We're expanding each patient's room and increasing services," he said, noting that rooms will receive such upgrades as updated equipment and nurse-call systems. "It will modernize our facility."
Some of the rooms built 40 years ago have no toilet or shower. After renovation, rooms will have a shower, toilet and extra sink, Earles said.
Castle Memorial Hospital opened in 1963 with 72 beds and became a full-service medical center in 1983.
The new project is still in the design stage and construction could get under way by the end of the year.
In 1996 the hospital built a new emergency room. Last year the hospital opened a new three-story building, the new Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Medical Plaza and Wellness Center, which contains a wellness center on the ground floor and office space for doctors on the other two floors.
The hospital came under fire when it proposed the medical plaza because some people questioned its need and size. A committee of community members and hospital officials was formed to resolve issues.
Earles presented the latest plan to the Kailua Neighborhood Board last week and promised to return in April or May when the final plan should be completed, said Kathy Bryant-Hunter, board chairwoman.
Bryant-Hunter said she thought people were receptive to the plan primarily because it would improve the quality of care for patients without increasing the number of patients served.
"There was a recommendation to include a community or neighborhood board person in their process as they move forward (for this new project)," she said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
