Kaiser, Maui Health, announce site for new Lahaina Clinic

Kaiser Permanente and Maui Health on Tuesday announced plans to build a permanent, new clinic in Lahaina, nearly three years after wildfires destroyed the existing one.

The new clinic will be on a 3.5-acre site at 910 Honoapiilani Highway, near the Pioneer Mill Smokestack. The partners said planning and design will be informed by community needs, but did not provide a construction timeline or estimated completion date.

Health care workers are currently seeing patients at a temporary, 5,200-square-foot modular clinic at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort in Kaanapali, which opened in March 2024.

Kaiser’s original Lahaina Clinic was destroyed in the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires. In the aftermath of the fires, Kaiser deployed two mobile vehicles to the Royal Lahaina Resort to provide essential health care services for West Maui residents, then opened the temporary clinic.

Ed Chan, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan & Hospitals in Hawaii, said the Lahaina clinic was Kaiser’s first neighbor isle location, and that it “holds an especially meaningful place in our history,”

“We are deeply grateful to Mayor Bissen, the county of Maui, our local community partners, and everyone who helped make this milestone possible,” said Chan in a news release. “This investment reflects our long-term commitment to establishing a permanent home in West Maui. Our care teams have stood alongside the West Maui community on the road to healing and recovery and securing a permanent site for our Lahaina clinic marks another important step forward.”

Kaiser purchased the 6.28-acre Maui News campus last year to expand its health services near Maui Memorial Medical Center and the Wailuku Medical Office.

Kaiser Permanente currently serves more than 68,000 members across five clinics on Maui. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals also operates Maui Health on behalf of the state, which includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital, and Lanai Community Hospital.

The Maui wildfires claimed 102 lives, and destroyed thousands of homes, schools and businesses, including the original Lahaina Clinic.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen considered the announcement a meaningful step forward to recovery.

“This investment reflects a deep and lasting commitment to the people of Maui,” said Bissen in a statement. “As we continue to rebuild Lahaina, access to health care is essential for the strength and resilience of our community. We appreciate Kaiser Permanente’s partnership and dedication to serving West Maui for generations to come.”