Blessing marks start of Hilo Benioff Medical Center expansion project

Apr. 11—The Hilo Benioff Medical Center this morning held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on its hospital expansion project.

The $80 million expansion project will add a new wing to the center, including a 19-bed intensive care unit, and 36 additional hospital beds. The long-awaited expansion is expected to help alleviate the state's hospital bed shortage on the island of Hawaii with a combination of public and private funding.

The Hawaii State Legislature in 2023 awarded $50 million to the expansion project, followed by a $50 million donation toward the project from philanthropists Marc and Lynne Benioff.

"Today marks a great day for health care in our state as we break ground on this historic project to increase hospital bed capacity on Hawaii island," said Gov. Josh Green in a news release. "The island's largest hospital desperately needed these beds to care for the growing community and today, we are delivering on our commitment to improve healthcare in the state. We are honored to partner with the Benioff ohana to double the state's commitment to support Hilo Benioff Medical Center."

The project's anticipated completion of the two additional floors is spring 2026. It is the first major expansion for the hospital since it was originally built in 1985.

The Benioffs last month donated $150 million — considered one of the largest private donations in Hawaii's history — to connect Hawaii Pacific Health with Hilo Medical Center and UCSF Health.

A total of $100 million went to Hawaii Pacific Health to support its ongoing redevelopment of Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, and $50 million to Hilo Medical Center for the expansion project and a modern, 12-bed family birth center, along with other programs.

The Hilo Medical Center has been renamed the Hilo Benioff Medical Center, and Straub Medical Center in Honolulu will become the Straub Benioff Medical Center in recognition of the couple's long-standing partnership and significant contributions.

"We feel honored and blessed to have been part of the Hawaii community for so many years and to be able to support our Ohana in this way," said Marc Benioff, chair, CEO and co- founder of Salesforce in the release. "Together, we're not just adding a building, we're bringing a world-class continuum of care to our community, partnering with Hawaii Pacific Health in Oahu and extending it to the mainland with UCSF Health in San Francisco, one of the world's great medical research institutions. Our hope is that everyone on our island can get the expertise and care they need, when they need it."