"It's all been planned but the importance in the expansion of beds for the hospital is the efficiency in putting these beds back into service quickly," Maui Memorial Chief Executive Officer Wes Lo said to The Maui News.

"What a lovely place to work," registered nurse Rosanna Eason said as she prepared to welcome patients into Moloka'i East. "The view is incredible and I feel like we are in a hotel room."

The unit was closed in October after the hospital opened its new north wing, which expanded the ambulatory surgery center, opened a new 16-bed intensive care/cardiac care unit and provided additional space for support services. At the same time, the old ICU/CCU was closed for renovations and is scheduled to reopen soon with 12 to 14 more beds for critically ill patients.

Moloka'i East is designed for patients recovering from surgical procedures and for handling patients suffering from severe infections and related medical conditions requiring specialized care in the hospital. The east wing in which the unit is located was originally constructed in 1981.

The rooms in the renovated unit are modeled after the 24 new medical/surgical beds located in the new north wing. Each room has new bathroom decor and toilets, new countertops and cabinets, a patient sink operated by motion detector, furniture and matching drapes.

With Moloka'i East reopened, Maui Memorial now has an inventory of 209 beds.

When the overall $46 million upgrade — which includes construction of the north wing in 2002 — is completed, Maui Memorial expects to have 231 beds for patient care in the various sections.

The additional beds will relieve the capacity problems that the hospital regularly faces during the winter, when the patient census spikes with the peak of tourist arrivals.

"This, along with the reopening of the ICU/CCU in the new few months, is certainly going to expand our capacity greatly on the acute-care side," Lo said.

Construction also is continuing on renovations and expansion of the Maui Memorial emergency room. Completion is expected in March