COMMENTARY
Legacy of Queen Emma alive, well at hospital
By Gary Okamoto
On Friday, we celebrated the 168th birthday of Queen Emma, a remarkable woman. In her early 20s, the queen inspired King Kamehameha IV, her husband, to help fulfill her inner vision. She wanted to establish a hospital to restore the health of their people. It became a reality in 1859 when the Queen's Hospital was founded.
One hundred forty-five years later, the doors to this hospital remain open to patients. On her birthday, we reflect upon the legacies left behind by this extraordinary ali'i.
At an early age, Emma Naea learned about healthcare from her hanai father, Dr. Thomas C.B. Rooke, an English physician. Emma assisted her father in treating patients in his dispensary and accompanied him during his house calls to patients' homes.
During her life, Emma witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by newly imported diseases as thousands of Native Hawaiians, many of them children, died in epidemics. It was probably these experiences that ignited her desire to create a hospital.
Along with King Kamehameha IV, Queen Emma demonstrated a steadfast commitment to seeing her vision of a hospital materialize. When the Legislature failed to provide money, the royal couple broke social protocol and took to the streets of Honolulu.
Together, they raised money with a clear purpose in mind. The queen organized fairs and performed in special concerts for the "Hawaiian Hospital Fund." The king sought donations from a wide circle of businessmen, government officials and professionals. Through their tireless and focused efforts, more than $13,000 was raised, enough to construct a new hospital.
Queen Emma was keenly aware of the importance of education to a person's well-being. While visiting the Anglican Church in England, she got the idea of a school for primarily Native Hawaiian girls. On her return to Hawai'i, Queen Emma proceeded to champion her cause, founding St. Andrew's Priory School for Girls in 1867. She promoted nursing as a major career goal for the school's promising students.
Beyond the institutions that she founded, the legacy of Queen Emma is often related to her lands. These were left to the hospital and held legally by this corporation upon her death in 1885. Today, the lands are managed by the Queen Emma Foundation and revenues generated by these lands continue to support the hospital in providing healthcare to Hawai'i's people.
State-of-the-art medical equipment, intensive training for doctors and nurses, a behavioral health clinic, and care for indigent patients at the Queen Emma Clinics have all received support from the foundation. Recently, money also was awarded to the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i. It seeks to carry out a high quality research and education program aimed at the improvement of Native Hawaiian health.
Perhaps the true legacy of Queen Emma lives on in the hearts of the hospital's doctors, nurses, employees and volunteers.
Through their efforts, thousands of patients and their caregivers have been helped, bridging many generations across Hawai'i. In this spirit, every Jan. 2 we celebrate the life of a remarkable ali'i, Queen Emma Kaleleonalani.
Gary Okamoto is president and chief executive officer of Queen's Health Systems.
