Posted on: Friday, September 3, 2004

Work to begin on Hilo veterans center

Associated Press

HILO, Hawai'i — Hawai'i's first military veterans home will be a $28 million facility on the site of the old Hilo Hospital, built in 1951 to care for tuberculosis patients.

The old hospital will be razed to make way for a 95-bed care home, which is slated to open in late 2006 or early 2007.

At a ceremony Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, who arranged for the U.S. Veterans Administration to kick in 65 percent of the construction costs, said the project shows veterans that their service still is valued.

"With our actions today, we say to them duty, honor and country are not a one-way proposition," he said before joining Big Island Mayor Harry Kim and U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i, in knocking a rock from the entry way to get the demolition started. "We will remember your sacrifice and we will remember your service."

Inouye also noted the dedication of such community organizations as the Hilo Medical Center Foundation, which helped raise money, and the more than 1,000 residents who signed a petition backing the care center.

Although originally envisioned as a 300-bed home, the project was scaled back because of the state's budget constraints.

The state has contributed $10 million, but plans call for expansion in the future.

Kim said the care center is not just for veterans who live in the Hilo area, but for all the veterans of Hawai'i. He pledged the center will not feel like an institution to its patients, as they should feel they are coming home.

Hawai'i is one of three states that does not have a long-term care facility for veterans.

This project is a step in the right direction, said Dale Wilson of Mountain View, a Vietnam veteran and member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Wilson said with veterans making up as much as 10 percent of Hawai'i's population, the demand for services will only grow.

Delbert Nishimoto, Big Island vice-chairman of the Veterans Advisory State Board, said veterans across the state appreciate the efforts of the community and county, state and federal officials.

"At this place," Nishimoto said, "we vets feel very comfortable."