Inspire 2024 ANNUAL DONOR REPORT

Pali Momi: Straight From the Heart

Jason Pauls (back row, second from left), Pali Momi cardiac catheterization laboratory manager; Dr. John Kao (back row, second from right), Pali Momi chief of cardiology; and the cardiac catheterization team at the blessing for the upgraded lab.

When every minute counts, 100 minutes can feel like a lifetime. When it’s a heart emergency, receiving care 100 minutes closer to home can save a life.

Pali Momi Medical Center’s cardiac catheterization laboratory has been a true lifeline since it opened in 2008. In its first year, 150 cardiac procedures were completed in the cath lab. In the last year, Pali Momi’s experienced cardiac team performed more than 1,500 procedures in two labs — which offer the only interventional heart care in Central and West Oahu.

“We treat some of the sickest patients, including former plantation workers in their 80s, which is when coronary disease tends to be more complex,” said Dr. John Kao, Pali Momi chief of cardiology. “If we weren’t able to quickly perform the advanced care here, if patients had to go to downtown Honolulu, fewer would survive. Also, being able to offer these services close to patients’ families, close to home, helps them psychologically and emotionally.”

The need is clearly growing. And in 2024, generous donors funded an upgrade to bring the latest imaging equipment to the lifesaving lab.

The new state-of-the-art equipment provides more-detailed images everything from high-risk stent placements to coronary interventions. It will also support new initiatives like the Pulmonary Embolism Thrombectomy Program. Multidisciplinary teams use catheters to directly extract or break up life-threatening blood clots. Historically, patients would spend days or weeks in a hospital on blood-thinning medication, with no guarantee it would work.

Jasmine Cabrera, Par Hawai‘i sales manager, blesses Pali Momi’s upgraded lab with a pinch of local salt.

The upgrades would not have been possible without support from the community, including Bank of Hawaii Foundation, First Hawaiian Bank Foundation and Par Hawaii, which recently opened its headquarters in West Oahu.

“We are fortunate to live in a very special place,” said Jasmine Cabrera, sales manager for Par Hawaii. “Ensuring people in our neighborhood have top-tier facilities in their backyards, it's a good way to give back.”

“Without the generosity of our community and local businesses, this upgrade would not have been possible,” said Jason Pauls, manager of the Pali Momi cardiac catheterization labs. “We thank them very much.”