A major donation by longstanding philanthropists in Hawaii will significantly increase health care access, addressing critical infrastructure gaps and helping ensure excellent and continuous care for communities in Hawaii.
The $150 million gift by Marc and Lynne Benioff is one of the largest single private donations in Hawaii’s history. Developed through more than a year of collaboration across three different hospitals, it provides $50 million for Hilo Medical Center, on the island of Hawaii, to build out critical areas of care, including a state-of-the-art family birthing center, intensive care unit, and neurosurgical program as well as behavioral health services. It provides $100 million for Hawaii Pacific Health, one of the state’s largest nonprofit health care organizations, to help create a “health care campus of the future” at Honolulu-based Straub Medical Center. And it deepens connections between both Hawaii hospitals and UCSF Health in San Francisco to provide more specialized care to patients who need it.
The gift brings the Benioffs’ total philanthropy in Hawaii to more than $250 million, including recent gifts of 282 acres for affordable housing on the Island of Hawaii and another 158 acres owned by a separate nonprofit entity for charitable use. The gift builds on previous philanthropic efforts by the Benioffs to expand health care and emergency services in Hawaii, including funding for state-of-the-art medical helicopters and fire trucks; support for Hawaii Island Community Health Center, Kona Hospital Foundation; previous contributions for Hilo Medical Center; providing housing for medical staff and other support at Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea; and a recent $5 million gift to support Hawaii Gov. Josh Green’s HELP program aimed at recruiting and retaining health care professionals. In all, the Benioffs’ personal philanthropic giving totals more than $1 billion, including $600 million in health care donations in Hawaii, San Francisco and across the country.
“Our philosophy has always been to give locally and to give through experts who deeply understand local needs, and we are so pleased to have found that with the wonderful, lifesaving teams at Hilo Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health and UCSF Health,” said Marc and Lynne Benioff. They added: “We feel fortunate to have been part of the Hawaii community for many decades and to be able to support our ohana in this way. Nothing is more important than the health of our community, and access to care for all who need it.”
“Before becoming governor I worked as an ER doctor in these hospitals, so I know what it means to have a true benefactor step up and rescue services,” said Hawaii Gov. Green. “This huge donation will support the care for thousands of critically ill people in Hawaii. This generosity is a game-changer for our state.”
The expansion of Hilo Medical Center is a unique public-private partnership, with the $50 million from the Benioffs matching a previous, separate $50 million appropriation from the State of Hawaii. In addition to building out critical areas of care, the donation will support an expansion of Hilo Medical Center’s physician recruitment program. The Benioffs’ $100 million gift to Hawaii Pacific Health will support a visionary renovation project that will triple the size of Straub Medical Center, which includes the state’s only Burn Unit, lifesaving services, community outreach and education that furthers local clinical research.
“Hilo Medical Center’s mission is to provide the best possible health care for our family, friends and neighbors,” says Dan Brinkman, CEO of Hilo Medical Center. “These new resources present an opportunity to make health care better on Hawaii Island for everyone.”
“We are truly grateful for this extremely generous and transformational gift,” said Ray Vara, president and CEO of Hawaii Pacific Health. “The Benioffs share our vision and commitment to ensuring access to high-quality care for our community, and we are excited to work with them and our health care partners to expand our efforts.”
In recognition of Lynne and Marc Benioff’s longstanding partnership and significant contributions to Hawaii health care, the Hilo Medical Center will be renamed the Hilo Benioff Medical Center and the Honolulu-based Straub Medical Center will become the Straub Benioff Medical Center.
As part of the vision, San Francisco-based UCSF Health will expand its efforts to support Hawaii patients in need of specialist care. Hilo Medical Center, Straub Medical Center and UCSF Health have committed to working together, leveraging the Benioffs’ latest donation to extend the reach of UCSF clinical expertise and bring specialized care in areas such as oncology and neurology to more residents across the state. The Benioffs have been major contributors to UCSF Health over two decades, including UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, which are among the leading children’s hospitals in the nation.
“We have seen first-hand how Lynne and Marc Benioff's generosity has transformed health care in San Francisco and our surrounding communities,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS. “UCSF Health is excited to be part of this new opportunity to create a world-class continuum of care in Hawaii and improve access to specialty care for Hawaii residents, close to home.”
About Marc and Lynne Benioff
Marc Benioff is Chair, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Salesforce and a pioneer of cloud computing. Under Benioff's leadership, Salesforce has become the third-largest enterprise software company and the largest enterprise applications company in the world. He also co-founded the Pledge 1% movement, committing 1% of Salesforce’s equity, product and employee time to the community since the company’s founding 25 years ago. Today, more than 20,000 companies have adopted the 1-1-1 model. He is the owner and co-chair of TIME. Lynne Benioff serves on the board of The Rise Fund, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, the Presidio Trust board and the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. She is Distinguished Director of the Board of Overseers of the UCSF Foundation, co-chair of TIME and the former chair of the Presidio Trust board. In 2014, Ms. Benioff was honored by Mayor Ed Lee as one of San Francisco’s “Women of the Year.” Marc and Lynne Benioff received a George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award for their civic engagement in 2020.
About Hilo Medical Center
Hilo Medical Center is a 166-bed acute care hospital and Hawaii Island’s leading provider of inpatient and outpatient care. As the largest hospital within the state-funded Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC), Hilo Medical Center functions as a Level III Trauma Center, which includes the second busiest emergency room in the state that sees over 50,000 patients annually. Our medical staff is comprised of 250 physicians, advanced practice providers, representing more than 30 specialties. Hilo Medical Center is the flagship hospital within the East Hawaii Region of HHSC that also consists of Hale Hoola Hamakua, Kau Hospital, the Yukio Okutstu State Veterans Home, and the East Hawaii Health Clinics, our network of primary and specialty care clinics. The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, a public entity established in 1996 by the State of Hawaii to fulfill the promise to provide quality, hometown health care. For more information, go to: HiloMedicalCenter.org.
About Hawaii Pacific Health
Hawaii Pacific Health is a not-for-profit health care system including medical centers, clinics, physicians and other caregivers working together to create a healthier Hawaii. Its four medical centers – Kapiolani, Pali Momi, Straub and Wilcox – specialize in innovative programs in bone and joint services, cancer care, cardiovascular services, pediatric care, women’s health, and more. Hawaii Pacific Health’s employed physicians and advanced practice providers are unified under the Hawaii Pacific Health Medical Group, which includes more than 800 health care providers brought together under one operational structure to provide consistency and excellence in patient outcomes and patient experiences across the system. Learn more at HawaiiPacificHealth.org.
About UCSF Health
UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies, and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is a top-ranked hospital, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland; Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics; UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians; and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Visit UCSFHealth.org. Follow UCSF Health on Facebook or on Twitter.