By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

When you were little, Grampa could lift you high over his head and zoom you around to play "airplane." Now Grampa, so small in his frayed cotton hospital gown, has a hard time just lifting a paper cup to his lips.

Grampa wanted to be close to home so Gramma could drive to see him every day. That's why he chose this hospital.

While you're visiting with him, you notice he's slow in responding to you and his face has a funny color. You start to worry. His eyes are half closed. You press the call button for the nurse. Nothing happens. You stick your head out in the hallway and there's no one at the nurse's station. They're all attending to other patients who are in crisis. You're panicking now. Something is wrong with your grampa and he needs attention now. Sorry. There's just not enough resources to go around.

The Hawai'i Health Systems Corporation, the umbrella organization for the 12 community hospitals in the state, submitted a budget request to the state for $31.2 million dollars. The state House cut that amount by $11,220,000. The bill is now before the Senate.

Doctors, nurses, patients and 'ohana from around the state are up in arms.

"This session, the Legislature will fund programs that will not come close to approaching the immediate life and death importance of the services HHSC provides every day," Dr. Wayne Fukino of Kaua'i said in testimony to the House committee on finance. "Programs will be funded that make everyone feel good but have no measurable benefit, and impact far fewer people."

When you walk around any of the state's 12 hospitals (Hilo Medical Center, Maui Memorial Medical Center, Maluhia, Leahi Hospital, Hale Ho'ola Hamakua, Kohala Hospital, Kona Community Hospital, Kaua'i Veterans Memorial Hospital, Ka'u Hospital, Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital) you realize just how close to the bone these places operate. There's no grand landscaping, no line of Lexuses parked in the doctors' stalls.

And who's in the hospital beds? Not the bored and wealthy and self-centered liposuction types. Regular people. Poor people. Your little Grampa.

Meanwhile, the rich get richer.

The Legislature happily hands out tax credits to folks who have enough cash to invest in "high tech" ventures. So far, Act 221 has allowed investors to claim $161 million dollars in tax credits. Somewhere in that figure is the $11 million dollars that should be going to community hospitals instead of right back in the hands of the rich.

But regular folks, folks who don't have the means to invest in high tech, or to pay all their medical bills, or to give big donations to political campaigns, they don't seem to rate much legislative favor.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com