{"id":830762,"date":"2026-05-29T20:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T20:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/830762\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T20:05:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T20:05:17","slug":"family-of-maui-patient-evacuated-to-oahu-after-storm-scrambles-to-relocate-him-again-maui-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/830762\/","title":{"rendered":"Family of Maui patient evacuated to O\u2018ahu after storm scrambles to relocate him again : Maui Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\"\"Kula Hospital is seen closed on March 28, 2026, after sustaining damage in the Kona low storms earlier in the month. \/ COLLEEN UECHI photo<\/p>\n

Clayton Kim got the bad news on Wednesday. The O\u2018ahu hospital where his 57-year-old son Brent Kim has been receiving care since being evacuated from Maui in March can no longer care for him.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s scrambling to find another place that can take his son, who was one of 112 patients displaced from Kula Hospital<\/a> after 4 feet of rain damaged the aging building and nearby Hale Makamae, an intermediate care facility for residents with developmental disabilities. It had been Brent Kim\u2019s home for 51 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brent Kim can\u2019t speak, walk or eat on his own. He suffers regularly from seizures. Clayton Kim said the staff at L\u0113\u2018ahi Hospital<\/a> took good care of him, but in the end the Kaimuk\u012b facility said it lacked the staffing and services that he needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWherever he goes, hopefully it\u2019s as good or better as what was being done for him at L\u0113\u2018ahi,\u201d he told the Hawai\u2018i Journalism Initiative. \u201cStill, my long-term goal is to get him back to Maui under the care of the people who know how to care for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since eight of the nine Hale Makamae residents were evacuated from Maui to O\u2018ahu two months ago, they\u2019ve struggled to adjust to unfamiliar settings and new staff. Families have had to make frequent interisland trips and keep in touch via video calls.\u00a0One patient went two weeks without a critical device that serves as his only form of communication with the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

Clayton Kim, who is 83, lives on O\u2018ahu, but the comfort of being closer to his son is offset by the stress of seeing him separated from the staff and fellow residents of Hale Makamae<\/a>, which is the only facility of its kind in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe important thing is not me,\u201d he said. \u201cThe important thing is him. Where is the best place for him? Is it on O\u2018ahu with his father nearby that could see him more frequently? Or is it back at his home, at a place that has been his home for over 50 years, with a staff that can care for him much better than his father could?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Brent Kim (front, center) visits with relatives, including father Clayton Kim (second from left), stepmom Marilyn Kim (third from right) and sister Holly (second from right) and her family at Hale Makamae in August 2024. Photo courtesy: Clayton Kim<\/p>\n

Clayton brought his son to Hale Makamae when Brent was 6 years old. At the time, he was going through a divorce, and Brent\u2019s mom was moving back to Korea. He felt he couldn\u2019t care for his son by himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He started looking at group homes on O\u2018ahu and California, but he didn\u2019t like what he saw. On a flight back home to Hawai\u2018i, he happened to sit next to doctor from Maui who told him about a newly founded center in Kula.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I saw the place and what they were doing and how they were caring for people similar to my son, it was a no-brainer,\u201d Clayton said.<\/p>\n

There was an extra bed open, and he \u201cjumped at the chance.\u201d The transition was hard. For the first couple of years, he flew to Maui and brought Brent back home every other weekend. But he eventually grew to trust the Hale Makamae staff. Not only could they handle Brent\u2019s high-level disabilities, but they treated him like family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son doesn\u2019t recognize me,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cHe can\u2019t speak. He can\u2019t say, \u2018hello, dad,\u2019 or anything like that, so he doesn\u2019t miss me. And that kind of helps a lot, too (with the separation).\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 21, a Saturday night, Clayton found out that Hale Makamae residents were going to be evacuated due to the storm damage. Maui Health told him that Brent was heading to a hospital in Pearl City on O\u2018ahu. He begged them to wait, to give him time to check out the place. After doing a quick search, he decided on L\u0113\u2018ahi, which offers nursing home and adult day health services. He approved the transfer \u201cunder duress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ever since, he has been stressing about whether Brent will be able to stay. The staff said they didn\u2019t have the kind of programs that he would\u2019ve gotten at Hale Makamae, like how to use a spoon or move a toy from one place to another. And while those services are important, Clayton pointed out that \u201cover decades, he hasn\u2019t made progress that one would hope for even at a place like Hale Makamae.\u201d He was more worried about his son having a place to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Brent Kim had lived at Hale Makamae for 51 years before he was evacuated due to storm damage in March. Photo courtesy: Clayton Kim<\/p>\n

L\u0113\u2018ahi also doesn\u2019t have the staffing to constantly watch Brent, who once had free reign at Hale Makamae to roam the hallways in his wheelchair. At night, he sometimes crawls off his low-lying mattress onto the floor, which Clayton said has to be reported as a fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, L\u0113\u2018ahi told him Brent would have to transfer elsewhere. Clayton said he is looking at other places on O\u2018ahu with openings.\u00a0The Hawai\u2018i Department of Health ombudsman who has been handling Brent\u2019s case told him that if the hospital wanted to move Brent out this weekend, they could.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy plan is to try and find something as soon as possible,\u201d Clayton said. <\/p>\n

He said he doesn\u2019t understand why Maui Health could find places on Maui to keep most of the other patients but sent the Hale Makamae residents away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maui Health\u2019s then-CEO Lynn Fulton<\/a> said in March that there was no other place for them to go on Maui, and that the hospital operator \u201cdidn\u2019t have a choice\u201d but to transport them off-island. Clayton says he doesn\u2019t buy that, \u201cespecially when the staff is available to take care of them\u201d on Maui.<\/p>\n

Interim CEO Wade Ebersole<\/a> said in a statement to the Hawai\u2018i Journalism Initiative on Thursday that off-island transfers \u201cwere not ideal\u201d and that decisions on where to place people were based on each individual\u2019s \u201cclinical needs, level of care required and the availability of appropriate placement options at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ebersole added that there were \u201cno new updates to share at this time regarding timelines or future operational decisions for Kula Hospital or Hale Makamae.\u201d Comprehensive assessments are still ongoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how important Kula Hospital is to the Upcountry community and to the families of our residents, and we understand that this uncertainty is difficult,\u201d Ebersole said. \u201cWhile no decisions have been made, we remain fully committed to serving the Upcountry community and are actively exploring several options to restore services at Kula Hospital and support our long-term care residents. We will share updates as soon as new information becomes available.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Hale Makamae, pictured closed on March 28, 2026, is attached to Kula Hospital and served as a home for nine residents with developmental disabilities. HJI \/ COLLEEN UECHI photo<\/p>\n

Sean Hanada, CEO of the O\u2018ahu region of the Hawai\u2018i Health Systems Corporation<\/a> that oversees L\u0113\u2018ahi, said he couldn\u2019t speak directly about individual patients because of health privacy laws. However, he said because of the emergency on Maui, L\u0113\u2018ahi \u201cknew that immediate care was needed\u201d and agreed to take patients without the typical full assessment it usually does beforehand to make sure the facility is the right fit. The arrangement was expected to be temporary.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe viewed ourselves as just a life raft, right?\u201d Hanada said. \u201cA life raft doesn\u2019t stay at sea. So once the situation is more stabilized, then our anticipation was that an appropriate placement would become the next step. And so that\u2019s where it is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanada added that the hospital still has a \u201clegal obligation\u201d to make sure anyone discharged from the facility has a safe, appropriate place to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked why there aren\u2019t more places like Hale Makamae across the state, Hanada explained that the level of staffing and one-on-one care needed for people with high-level disabilities are financial barriers. Behavioral health tends to fall under the \u201cbroad umbrella\u201d of intermediate and unskilled nursing facilities instead of getting the specialized type of care that a place like Hale Makamae provided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Natalie Kaho\u2018ohanohano remembers how much effort it was to get Hale Makamae going in 1974. She and her late husband David Kaho\u2018ohanohano were major advocates for people with disabilities on Maui, and they were among the concerned parents who lobbied state lawmakers to secure the funding to build Hale Makamae\u2019s facility in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kelly Kaho\u2018ohanohano (front, center) is pictured with state lawmakers, local health officials and family members, including his sister Moana, dad David and mom Natalie, in this undated photo. The Kaho\u2018ohanohano family was instrumental in getting Hale Makamae started. Photo courtesy: Kaho\u2018ohanohano family<\/p>\n

In 1992, their son Kelly Kaho\u2018ohanohano moved in. Kelly is spastic and has cerebral palsy, \u201cso his whole body is getting worse, but his brain is good,\u201d Natalie said. An English teacher who volunteered for the Kula Hospital Auxiliary taught Kelly how to read and write and use a computer to communicate his thoughts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHis first sentence was, \u2018Kelly is a boy,\u2019\u201d Natalie recalled. \u201cAnd then he said, \u2018I love my mom.\u2019 Oh, that was wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors thought Kelly wouldn\u2019t live more than 12 years. He\u2019s now 64.<\/p>\n

Since the storm and evacuation, Kelly has been at Kulana Malama<\/a>, a pediatric medical facility in Ewa Beach on O\u2018ahu. Natalie said it\u2019s a \u201cwonderful\u201d place, but it\u2019s hard to be separated from her son. She used to visit Kelly weekly at Hale Makamae, but now she has to make monthly interisland trips or visit him virtually on Microsoft Teams. She said he\u2019s \u201cdoing OK\u201d but has sores that have been getting worse and is preparing for surgery on them in June.\u00a0He\u2019s had to go to Queen\u2019s Hospital twice for additional treatment.<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (from left) visits with Kawika, Kelly, Moana and Natalie Kaho\u2018ohanohano at Hale Makamae in March. Photo courtesy: Kaho\u2018ohanohano family <\/p>\n

The night of the evacuation was especially traumatic for Kelly. He wrote on his computer, asking what was happening, and cried as he was taken away on a gurney. His computer couldn\u2019t fit on the medical transport flight, and his family couldn\u2019t bring it on an interisland flight because of the size of the equipment. So, for two weeks, he was without the crucial device until Maui Health found a way to ship it over.<\/p>\n

The family taught the staff on O\u2018ahu how to communicate with him using a spelling board, but that took longer and limited what Kelly could share, and he grew \u201cso frustrated because he cannot say anything,\u201d Natalie said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said she hasn\u2019t gotten any updates from Maui Health and has no idea when or if the facilities will reopen. She hopes her son and other displaced Hale Makamae residents, whom she said have been sent to an acute care facility in Pearl City, can come home by Christmas. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really fighting to get Hale Makamae fixed and bringing them back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Clayton and his wife Marilyn Kim, Brent\u2019s stepmom and legal guardian, also worry about the future of Hale Makamae.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy fear, if this reopening gets prolonged, is that they\u2019re going to lose that group of people,\u201d Clayton said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kula Hospital is seen closed on March 28, 2026, after sustaining damage in the Kona low storms earlier…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":830763,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[35],"tags":[14869,3534,3537,289577,210,1141,1142,340883,171943,174361,36821,89001,174363,289580,125439,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-830762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-developmental-disabilities","tag-emergency","tag-evacuation","tag-hale-makamae","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-kona-low-storms","tag-kula","tag-kula-hospital","tag-maui","tag-maui-county","tag-maui-health","tag-maui-memorial-medical-center","tag-npcrosspost","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116659666310676626","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=830762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/830763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=830762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=830762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=830762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}