Gregg Maedo + Associates was tasked to convert an existing acute care campus into a long term care community for the St. Francis Healthcare System, located in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Healthcare is What We Do
The Sisters of St. Francis has had a long (130+) year legacy in Hawaii since the arrival of Mother Marianne in 1883. It is a legacy of compassion that continues today through the St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii. This Catholic non-profit organization continues to explore new programs and services to help care for Hawaii’s Kapuna (elders).
In order to expand their infrastructure to accommodate for both their existing acute care campus and a new long term care community, St. Francis Healthcare System (SFHS) had decided to repurpose its hospital campus, located in the middle of Honolulu, into a facility to serve the elderly population in the area. They needed an Architect experienced in long term care, and Gregg Maedo + Associates were selected to be a part of their team to rehabilitate the St. Francis Healthcare Campus.
As with many smaller states, the population does not support specialization of long term care for Architects looking to practice in those states. Instead, they become jacks-of-all-trades, learning many building types but not specializing in any. At GM+A, our main body of work is in healthcare, and except for our work with Disney, which we use to bring new creativity to the enhancement of our healthcare projects, healthcare is what we do.
Creating a Community
GM+A worked collaboratively with SFHS’ executive team to develop their strategic master plan for the Liliha Campus. We visited many facilities on the islands—SNFs, ALFs, ILs, Adult Dare Cares, and Senior Centers—all contributing to inspiration for components that would form this new St. Francis Campus. As a participating member of the “St. Francis Visionary Team” working committee, GM+A was on the ground floor of development.
We were directly involved in the planning process, including creating the vision, vetting the business lines, and visualizing the campus. We provided conceptual designs for the campus, from the overall site planning to the practicalities of re-using the existing buildings.
Ultimately, our work combined with St. Francis Healthcare’s mission and legacy, the existing resources, and their then current infrastructure of the campus to create a continuum of care. Their Liliha Campus and Kapuna Village are a true “aging in place” community. We are honored to have been a part of their legacy.
