Inspire 2024 ANNUAL DONOR REPORT

Wilcox: A Gift for the Garden Isle

Noelle Lau, Wilcox Health Foundation development officer; Derek Kawakami, Kauai County mayor; Ray Vara, HPH president & CEO; Jen Chahanovich, Wilcox president & CEO, and CEO of Kauai Medical Clinic; Walter Panzirer, Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee; and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, MD

It was a mysterious August morning at Wilcox Medical Center. Community leaders, Wilcox medical teams and donors mingled with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, MD, and Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami. Everyone chatted over cups of coffee and lilikoi lemonade as they wondered what was in store.

The excitement reached its peak as Walter Panzirer walked up to a podium. The former paramedic, firefighter and police officer is a grandson of the late New York real estate mogul Leona Helmsley. He is also a trustee of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and, along with his wife and children, a resident of Kauai. But it was his words that morning that elicited genuine cheers and applause: The Helmsley Charitable Trust was giving more than $10.6 million to Wilcox to enhance care for the people of Kauai.

“When you’re not feeling well, it’s always better to get care at home. And now Hawaii residents will be able to access another facet of care,” Walter said.

This is the largest gift ever made to Wilcox and the second largest in Hawaii Pacific Health’s history. It will ensure Kauai's largest hospital can bring in the latest technology in an integral tool for early diagnosis and treatment — advanced imaging.

FROM LEFT: Mike Murakoshi, Kauai Medical Clinic Board of Directors; Dr. Geri Young, Wilcox Foundation Health board member; Dr. Eugene Lao, Wilcox family medicine physician; Dr. Robert Wotring, Wilcox chief of staff; and Dr. Spencer Smith, Wilcox emergency medicine physician.

Images of the Future

Imaging has come a long way from the discovery of X-rays in the early 20th century. Today, MRI and CT scans provide detailed, 3D portraits of everything from broken bones to cancerous tumors, spinal cord conditions, aneurysms, internal bleeding and brain injuries. Medical teams can diagnose conditions earlier, making treatment more effective.

Wilcox is Kauai’s primary stroke center and the only Level III Trauma Center on the island. So, when every minute counts, equipment that can provide accurate images quickly makes a significant difference in saving lives.

“We know how devastating a trauma incident can be, especially in our small community,” said Jen Chahanovich, Wilcox president and CEO, and CEO of Kauai Medical Clinic. “This funding will enhance our medical teams’ ability to diagnose an injury or illness, or to perform a lifesaving procedure, every day on Kauai.”

Click to see more photos from the exciting announcement.

With the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s gift, Wilcox will create the first interventional radiology suite of its kind on the Garden Isle. The state-of-the-art space will be highly efficient, allowing Wilcox specialists to make a diagnosis then immediately treat the issue in the same room. It will support minimally invasive techniques such as angioplasties to open blocked blood vessels, and nonsurgical procedures for placing stents and taking tissue biopsies.

Wilcox Medical Center imaging technologists Ashley Schnackenberg (left) and Sandra Akita working in the current X-ray fluoroscopy room which is the future space for the new radiology suite. 

Another key part of Wilcox’s Imaging Department is fluoroscopy, which combines multiple X-ray images to create a real-time “video” of movement, such as blood flowing through blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract or to guide a catheter. The Helmsley Charitable Trust grant will upgrade X-ray and fluoroscopy equipment and renovate the exam room, as well as provide a new MRI machine and renovations in the space for orthopedics, neurology and cardiology. The MRI will enhance biopsies for patients who are at high risk of breast cancer, and strengthen Wilcox’s ability to perform prostate, breast and cardiac exams.

“Most people do not recognize how challenging it is to run hospitals,” Walter said. “The margins are so incredibly thin, they’re razor thin, and it takes partnerships with philanthropy and the community to continue medical advancements in communities and bring the latest and greatest care.”

A Gift for Future Physicians

Future physicians will also benefit. Resident radiologists will not only get to work with the newest, most advanced technology, funds will also go toward building two sleep rooms for Wilcox’s new Family Medicine Residency Program. Starting in 2026, a cohort of family medicine residents from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine will spend the majority of their second and third years at Wilcox. The room will give the new physicians a dedicated quiet place to rest during what can be some of the most intense years of their training. The investment, as well as the relationships they build on Kauai, could greatly impact where they decide to spend the rest of their careers; 80% of residents who train in Hawaii stay in Hawaii.

The $10.6 million grant for Wilcox was the first gift the Helmsley Charitable Trust has ever made in Hawaii. But, it won’t be the last in its efforts to build better futures for people in the islands by increasing access to health care for all.

“We just don’t write checks and leave. It’s a long-term partnership,” Walter said. “We listen to the community. We empower the community. They’re already delivering great care here. They’re delivering great care on all the neighbor islands. They just need a boost.”

“Wilcox is committed to staying at the forefront of medicine,” Chahanovich said. “This incredible investment for our community enables us to provide cutting-edge care to generations of Kauai families for years to come.”

An Inside Look

The first-in-Hawaii gift from the Helmsley Charitable Trust for Wilcox inspired people across Hawaii Pacific Health and the state. Here is what some of the leaders who attended the announcement had to say. 

	"A lot of people now say that your ZIP code is more impactful than your genetic code, meaning where you live makes a big difference if you don't have access to great technology and providers. Having an MRI at Wilcox means we can do the advanced cardiology imaging that has been developed. This will benefit the people of Kauai.” — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, MD
	“My two children took their first breath here. My mom took her last here. Wilcox is woven into our community. ... Rural communities, at times, can feel that we are overlooked, perhaps forgotten. But it is organizations like Hawaii Pacific Health, and people like Walter and the Helmsley Charitable Trust, that remind us that rural communities matter. On behalf of the people of Kauai and Niihau, mahalo.” — Derek Kawakami, Kauai County Mayor
	The work of Walter, your family, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the commitment that you've made — that takes guts, that takes leadership, that takes will. Kauai will be better from this point forward because of that. ... As we look forward and think about making a difference here on this island, in this state, and as a road map for other communities in the U.S. that possibly don't believe they have a path to create health, I think we will be a guiding light in terms of what is possible.” — Ray Vara, president & CEO of Hawaii Pacific Health