Governor Josh Green, M.D., highlighted the importance of the philanthropic community to Hawaii’s health care industry, in welcoming grants from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
One of the latest grants will expand access to critical cancer care at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
“We are so grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for its generous grants of $5 million to each of these hospitals, which is key to ensuring that our state’s residents have access to the highest quality cancer care,” said Governor Green. “We cannot overstate the magnitude of such gracious support from the philanthropic community for health care, especially in specialty fields and for rural or remote communities. Mahalo to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for its continuing investment in Hawaii and its people.”
The Helmsley Trust’s $5 million grant to Kapiolani Medical Center will help to build the Martha B. Smith Cancer & Infusion Center, offering life-saving and specialized treatments for women and children diagnosed with cancer.
“Oahu residents facing cancer diagnoses should be able to access top-notch cancer care close to home, where family and friends can provide much-needed support,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “These expansions will ensure patients can get the care they need in a timely manner.”
At 25,000-square-feet, the new Martha B. Smith Cancer & Infusion Center will be five times larger than the current space at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. The center will double the number of infusion bays for women and pediatric patients, and expand research space for clinical trials and cutting-edge therapies. Kapiolani is the state’s dedicated site for bone marrow collection and transplants for children, and it’s the only women’s cancer facility in Hawaii that specializes in treating breast and gynecologic oncology patients.
“We are incredibly thankful for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s gift to Kapiolani in helping to provide state-of-the-art cancer care for years to come,” said Gidget Ruscetta, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children chief operating officer. “This funding will allow Kapiolani to best serve the cancer needs of women and children across Hawaii by further elevating how we deliver specialized care, as well as expanding innovative treatments and research.”
As part of Helmsley’s goal of reducing disparities between rural and urban Americans in their access to health care, its Rural Healthcare program has invested $88 million in cancer care since 2009. In addition to funding new and existing cancer care facilities, Helmsley champions novel models that leverage telehealth, affiliations, partnerships, and outreach clinics to ensure that people can have access to quality health care, no matter where they live.
Today’s grant announcement in Hawaii builds on a previous grant of $10.6 million to the Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai in August 2024, funding state-of-the-art diagnostic and radiology equipment to ensure communities on Kauai have access to high-quality care.
Photo (top): Emily Naula, Kapiolani Health Foundation development officer; Dawn Dunbar, Hawaii Pacific Health senior vice president of Philanthropy; Walter Panzirer, Leona M. & Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee, and Gidget Ruscetta, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children chief operating officer.
Photo (inset): (back row) Rachel Awa; Gov. Josh Green, MD.; Walter Panzirer, Leona M. & Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee and Kaimi Awa. (front row) 2025 Kapiolani Children's Miracle Network Champion Aurelia Awa and her sister, Quinn.