Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health
Geography
Location	Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, United States
Organization
Care system	Community, Specialist
Funding	Non-profit hospital
Hospital type	Non-profit
Patron	Queen Kapiʻolani
Network	Hawaiʻi Pacific Health
Services
Emergency department	Level III Pediatric Trauma Center
Beds	207
History
Founded	1890

Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children (2021)

A woman with a baby at the Kapiolani Maternity Home around its twenty-first anniversary in 1912

Barack Obama birth announcement

A new mother holds her baby who was born 10 weeks premature at Kapiʻolani Medical Center

Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children is a special hospital in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is part of the Hawaiʻi Pacific Health network. This hospital is unique because it is Hawaiʻi's only hospital just for children. It has doctors and nurses who are experts in caring for kids, from babies to young adults up to 21 years old.

The hospital also has the only 24-hour emergency room for kids in the state. It offers many different types of care for children. Queen Kapiʻolani started this hospital in 1890. It was first called the Kapiʻolani Maternity Home. She raised money by holding bazaars and lūʻaus to help Hawaiian mothers. Over the years, the hospital's name changed a few times. In 1978, it became Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children after joining with Kauikeōlani Children's Hospital.

A Look Back: Hospital History

Kapiʻolani Hospital's Journey

• In 1884, Princess Victoria Kekaulike wanted her home to become a place for Hawaiian mothers to have their babies.
• In 1890, Queen Kapiʻolani raised $8,000. She opened the Kapiʻolani Home. It was a maternity home for Hawaiian women. King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiʻolani opened the five-bedroom home on June 14.
• In 1918, the home moved to a bigger building with 25 beds. It changed its name to the Kapiʻolani Maternity Home. It started helping women from all backgrounds.
• In 1929, the home moved to an even larger building with 50 beds. It also began treating women with non-infectious health problems.
• In 1931, its name changed to the Kapiʻolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital.
• In 1945, the hospital added a new wing. This doubled its size to 110 beds.
• In 1961, Barack Obama, who later became the 44th U.S. president, was born at this hospital on August 4.
• In 1971, its name was shortened to Kapiʻolani Hospital.
• In 1974, the hospital started a big building project. They added an eleven-story tower. This tower would be for both Kapiʻolani and the Children's Medical Center.
• In 1977, part of the old 1929 building was taken down. Tiles from its roof were sold. This was to remember the 145,000 babies born there.

Kauikeōlani Children's Hospital's Story

• In 1908, Albert Spencer Wilcox gave $55,000. Other people also gave money. This helped buy land for a children's hospital. It was named after Wilcox's wife, Emma Kauikeōlani Napoleon Mahelona. It was a small, home-like hospital for children.
• In 1929, the hospital stopped offering maternity services.
• In 1950, a new, modern hospital building was built. It had 100 beds.
• In 1975, the rehabilitation center that was part of the hospital became its own separate hospital. It was called the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific.
• In 1978, Kauikeōlani Children's Hospital moved into the new Kapiʻolani/Children's Medical Center tower.

Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children Today

• In 1976, Kapiʻolani Hospital and Kauikeōlani Children's Hospital started to merge. This process took ten years.
• In 1978, Kauikeōlani Children's Hospital moved into the new eleven-story tower. This tower became the Kapiʻolani/Children's Medical Center. It had 226 beds and 108 bassinets for babies.
• In 1986, the two hospitals officially finished their merger. They became one hospital.
• In 1989, Kapiʻolani bought the Pali Momi Medical Center in ʻAiea.
• In 2001, Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children joined with other hospitals. These included Pali Momi, Wilcox Memorial Hospital, and Straub Clinic & Hospital. They all became part of a new company called Hawaiʻi Pacific Health.
• In 2024, Kapiʻolani Medical Center had a disagreement with its nurses. The nurses, who are part of a union, went on a one-day strike. They were concerned about not having enough staff to safely care for patients. The hospital did not allow the nurses to return to their shifts after the strike. The hospital and nurses had been discussing their contract for almost a year. They were trying to agree on staffing levels and wages.