Helmsley Trust grants nearly $360,000 for LUCAS CPR at Kauai's Wilcox

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust provided a grant of nearly $360,000 enabling Hawai‘i Pacific Health to acquire Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System, or LUCAS, mechanical chest-compression devices for use at Kapiolani Medical Center, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Benioff Medical Center and Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai, HPH announced on March 7, 2026. The HPH news release says the grant received by Straub Benioff Medical Center will allow HPH to acquire cardiopulmonary resuscitation machines to deploy across the system.

HPH describes LUCAS as providing consistent and uninterrupted chest compressions even during transport or when CPR must be extended, and says emergency departments and intensive care units will benefit most. Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, emphasized the clinical priority: "During a cardiac arrest, every second counts," he said. "A LUCAS device allows hospital teams to focus on other critical interventions while chest compressions are continuously administered. We’re excited to help expand access to this state-of-the-art technology on Hawaii."

The Helmsley grant arrives as part of broader donor activity in Hawaii. HPH materials note Helmsley’s inaugural gift of $10.6 million to advance imaging services at Wilcox and develop the physician workforce on Kauai, a $5 million contribution last year to Kapiolani for a new cancer and infusion center for women and children, and that Helmsley has contributed more than $44 million to Hawaii to date. The Helmsley Trust website also records a 2025 award of $10 million to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital to expand an MRI suite and $631,000 to expand simulation training.

Nationally, the Helmsley Trust previously distributed $4,711,481 to pay for 367 LUCAS devices across five upper-Midwestern states during the COVID-19 response. The trust noted research showing cardiac damage in as many as 1 in 5 COVID-19 patients, and Panzirer added in that release: "These devices are vital because we don’t want frontline healthcare workers to choose between trying to save a patient or risking exposure to themselves and others to the Coronavirus."

Local hospitals and emergency services have pointed to operational benefits. St. Peter’s Health, which received Helmsley-funded LUCAS devices in an earlier program, reported placing devices in the emergency department, intensive care unit, patient tower and ambulances. Haschle of St. Peter’s said, "The LUCAS devices enable our medical personnel to perform consistent, un-interrupted, hands-free manual CPR without ever getting tired. This gives us a huge advantage."

HPH’s announcement does not specify how many LUCAS units the nearly $360,000 will purchase, nor does it provide a site-by-site allocation, delivery timeline, model version or training schedule for staff. Straub Benioff Medical Center is identified as the formal recipient of the grant enabling systemwide acquisition, and the devices are intended for ED and ICU deployment at the four named HPH facilities. The donation extends Helmsley’s recent investments in Kauai health infrastructure and sets the stage for expanded mechanical-CPR capacity at Wilcox Medical Center once procurement and deployment details are finalized.