Queen Kapiolani established the Kapiolani Maternity Home in 1890 to ensure the women and children of Hawaii had access to proper quality health care. Though the queen had no children of her own, she cherished the Hawaiian concept of ohana and the role the mother played in nourishing, rearing and caring for the family unit. Therefore, she made it her life’s mission to better the health of her people by starting at the source – improving childbirth for mothers and babies. In 2020, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children honors our founder’s legacy by taking pause to reflect on our history of being Hawaii’s maternity leader for 130 years. Join us in celebrating Kapiolani Medical Center's 130th Maternity Anniversary as we continue to create a healthier Hawaii for future generations of mothers, children and families.
For more than 100 years, Kapiolani has been dedicated to providing exceptional care to Hawaii’s women and children. Our mission is to create a healthier Hawaii. We believe that working together, we can make the greatest impact on individuals, families and our communities.
In 1890, in response to an unusually high infant mortality rate in Hawaii, Queen Kapiolani founded the Kapiolani Maternity Home to care for Hawaii’s mothers and babies. The hospital later merged with Kauikeolani Children’s Hospital in 1978 to become Kapiolani. The legacy of care that began more than a century ago continues today, as Kapiolani remains dedicated to providing Hawaii’s families with the very best medical care available.
Kapiolani is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit hospital and is widely known as Hawaii’s leader in the care of women, infants and children. With more than 1,500 employees and 630 physicians, Kapiolani is fully accredited by The Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit organization that certifies health care organizations and programs in the United States.
Specialty services provided for patients throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Region include:
- Intensive care for infants and children
- 24-hour emergency pediatric care
- Air transport
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- High-risk perinatal care
- Women’s health services, including the Kapiolani Women’s Center and Kapiolani Women’s Cancer Center
As a teaching hospital, Kapiolani is at the forefront of vital medical education and community health outreach programs. The hospital also participates in critical research and the development of new treatments in prenatal, neonatal, children’s and women’s medicine. It is a major teaching hospital for the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, and has assisted in training many of Hawaii’s pediatric, obstetric and gynecologic doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
View our At a Glance fact sheet for additional information about Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
Building the Future of Kapiolani
When Kapiolani was built more than 30 years ago, the facility was considered state-of-the-art. Rapidly emerging technologies and new research have dramatically changed the way medical care is delivered, and a vital rebuild and expansion of Kapiolani is underway to accommodate new family-focused care models and to provide the level of comfort and support that Hawaii’s families deserve.
The Diamond Head Tower at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children is a 200,000-square-foot building consisting of five floors and a lower level for support services. The new tower houses an expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The NICU feature 70 private rooms and the PICU includes 14 pediatric intensive private rooms.
In addition, the new building also provides new space for the Rehabilitation Services Department and teaching space to train Hawaii’s future health care professionals in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatric and other specialty areas of care.
Learn more about the Diamond Head Tower>
Hawaiian Language Display
Hawaii Pacific Health and its member hospitals honor the Hawaiian language and its use of diacritical marks, the glottal stop and the macron (okina and kahako). While we use these marks in our communication materials, we have omitted them in our online platforms as they are often limited in their ability to display these marks.
To determine when diacritical marks should be used, refer to Hawaiian Dictionary and Place Names of Hawaii, published by UH Press.