Kona Community Hospital Set to Open Expanded Cancer Center Doubling Size

Kona Community Hospital will open an expanded on-site cancer center expected to begin seeing patients in mid-March, doubling the size of its previous oncology facility and adding six infusion chairs and several exam rooms. The move aims to keep more cancer care close to home for West Hawai‘i residents and to provide continuity of care through a permanent, full-time oncology team.

Hospital leaders say there will be no interruption in care during the transition; patients are being treated in the current oncology space until the new wing opens. The expanded center will support three full-time, on-site oncology providers: a hematologist-oncologist, a board-certified radiation oncologist and an oncology nurse practitioner. With those hires in place, Kona Community Hospital will have what hospital officials describe as the only full team of permanent oncology providers on the neighbor islands.

Dr. Carl R. Jenson joins the center as the permanent, full-time radiation oncologist after serving temporarily while relocating to Hawai‘i Island earlier this year. Kona Community Hospital lists Dr. Jenson with 41 years of clinical and research experience. His recent roles include medical director at Bay Area Hospital Radiation Therapy Center in Coos Bay, Oregon, and radiation oncologist and clinical liaison at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Dr. Jenson said, “I’m very happy to be part of the cancer center at this wonderful hospital. The staff here is fantastic, and I am delighted to become a permanent part of the team.”

Amy Feeley-Austin, chief operating officer for Kona Hospital and Kohala Hospital, framed the expansion as a response to rising local demand and the need for sustained patient-provider relationships during long courses of treatment. “We know it's important for patients to have a permanent provider, somebody that they can rely on will be here for the entirety of their treatment,” Feeley-Austin said. She added, “We want people to know that we have a much more robust contingent of providers now and beautiful spaces for them to come to. So if they are able to and wish to, they certainly can come to Kona hospital for their care.”

Patient volume at Kona Community Hospital has climbed 43 percent over the past four years, hospital officials report, and some residents continue to travel to Hilo or fly to Honolulu for cancer services. Feeley-Austin said the hospital hopes the expanded center and permanent staffing will persuade more West Hawai‘i patients to receive treatment locally. She called having three permanent oncology providers “a true blessing from a rural neighbor island standpoint” and emphasized that permanency “ensures continuity of care.”

The expansion occurs amid broader regional planning to strengthen health services on Hawai‘i Island, a collaboration leaders say includes rotating Queen surgeons at Kona and state investments for planning and site work for new outpatient and hospital facilities. Clayton McGhan described the partnership this way: “For a long time, our region has struggled with many different challenges, like physician shortages and limited access to care. By teaming up, we finally have a coordinated, sustainable way to tackle these issues together — and the good news is it’s already working. Patients are feeling the impact right now. Queen surgeons have started rotating at Kona Community Hospital, giving people access to services they used to travel across the island for or even off‑island. This is exactly the kind of care our community deserves close to home. The new outpatient medical center is another major piece of our long-term plan.” Queen’s leadership says the partnership will help “establish a sustainable regional health system for Hawaii Island.”

Reed Mahuna was selected as the permanent chief on Jan. 30, 2026.

Kealakekua’s Kona Community Hospital, part of the HHSC West Hawai‘i Region, expects the larger cancer center to reduce travel burdens, expand infusion capacity with six new chairs, and give patients ongoing access to a permanent oncology team. Residents should look for the hospital to announce a firm mid‑March opening date and further details on services and hours as the move into the new space nears.