Keaʻau Benioff Outpatient Center Could Open by 2028; Estimated Cost $90M

Hilo Benioff Medical Center is advancing plans for a single-story, 36,000-square-foot Keaʻau Benioff Health Center that officials say could be completed in 2028, but cost estimates have expanded from an earlier $60 million projection to a range that could reach $90 million. HBMC spokeswoman Elena Cabatu said, "This cost estimate is a range, and $90 million is the high end of that estimate."

Project funding as reported includes at least $59 million HBMC-allocated toward the original $60 million estimate, a state Legislature approval of $25 million last session plus $9 million previously set aside, and a reported $25 million commitment from Marc and Lynne Benioff. Star-Advertiser reporting also notes Gov. Josh Green has pledged to work to secure a matching $25 million; HBMC officials are "exploring" options to complete funding and have not settled on a final configuration, Cabatu said.

The draft environmental assessment prepared by Land Planning Hawaii outlines clinical programming and operations for the Keaʻau site: primary care, specialty clinics, laboratory services, behavioral health and counseling, imaging including X-ray, CT and ultrasound, plus urgent care hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. The EA projects the center will service about 100 patients per day and grow to a staff of 95 with 25 providers by year five. The EA also specifies clinic hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and that the facility will be outpatient-only, not an emergency room, will not receive ambulances and will not provide drug rehabilitation services.

Site descriptions in reporting vary and remain to be reconciled. Some accounts identify the property as a 9-acre parcel at 16-790 Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road, west of Highway 130 and near Keaʻau High School. Other reports say the clinic would be built on 13 acres of a 20-acre parcel with another 4.4 acres set aside for driveway access. Cabatu acknowledged "the move to the larger Shipman site" and noted that shift "does require additional site infrastructure such as water, road and electrical services," adding that some of those costs will be shared.

Parking and site work are detailed in the draft EA and county filings: plans call for 204 paved perpendicular parking stalls with 22 ADA-compliant spaces, selected clearing and grubbing to maintain a landscape buffer, and driveway acreage tied to the larger parcel description. The Hawaii County Planning Department reviewed the 506-page draft EA and reported an anticipated Finding of No Significant Impact, a step HBMC and county officials say is required before final approvals and construction permits.

Local leaders framed the project as a response to rapid population growth in Puna and service shortages in East Hawaiʻi. State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura said, "For the past two decades, Puna has been leading the population growth in East Hawaiʻi. The Keaʻau Benioff Health Center is a recognition of that growth. We also look forward to the behavioral health services that will be offered at this clinic, which are in short supply throughout East Hawaiʻi." Jennifer Zelko-Schlueter, chair of the East Hawaii Regional Board, added, "Our people in the Puna and Ka‘u districts have some of the state’s greatest health care needs. We are honored to put our full support toward the building of the Kea‘au Benioff Health Center."

If funding options and county approvals align, HBMC officials say construction could wrap up in 2028. Remaining questions for project managers include final site acreage clarification, a detailed cost breakdown of the $90 million high-end estimate, and confirmation of funding commitments beyond the HBMC allocation, the Benioff pledge and the legislative appropriations.