Administrators at Hilo Benioff Medical Center are reminding patients to be prepared for parking disruptions when visiting the hospital.
Parking areas at HBMC and the East Hawaii Health Clinics across the street have been temporarily changed to accommodate ongoing construction of the hospital’s expansion at 1190 Waianuenue Ave.
“We want people to know that there is access to the hospital and ample parking,” said Elena Cabatu, director of marketing, legislative and public affairs. “We don’t want people to be intimidated coming here with the major construction going on.”
There is a smaller lot with 32 stalls dedicated to parking for those with accessibility and disability challenges, and 21 stalls for standard patient parking on the same side of Waianuenue as the hospital between the construction site and Kaiser Permanente.
For those with mobility issues, an HBMC employee is available to assist with transport from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Patients can call (808) 747-0275 to receive assistance from any parking space. However, staffing may limit response times.
The hospital will begin offering a paid valet service for $8 a car during regular business hours in early May. Those interested in the service can access it from the roundabout dropoff area by the lobby entrance.
The majority of visitor, patient and staff parking is located across Waianuenue next to the East Hawaii Health Clinics, which are also known as Medical Office Buildings 1 and 2, or MOB 1 and 2.
While the third medical office building is under construction, the main entrance to the other Medical Office Buildings is at the back of the parking lot. Pink arrows and a pink path can help patients find their way to the entrance from the parking lot.
The clinic also has a small parking lot in the front of the building, which is monitored by a full-time security guard. There are stalls for patients with mobility issues, a couple of stalls for the Urgent Care Center, and a 15-minute parking zone for people dropping off patients.
“Parking was a year-and-a-half project that we had to complete before we could start the expansion,” said Chief Information Officer Kris Wilson. “We have gravel parking behind the main lot and have over 200 stalls for patients and visitors. There is just as much parking as there was before, with even a few more added.”
The construction is expected to last two years, and parking will remain the same throughout the work, according to Wilson, who is the administrator in charge of the construction.
For now, the hospital’s staff is encouraging patients to arrive early for appointments, or to look at a map of parking on the HBMC website, which will help alleviate the stress of finding parking.
“We want people to give themselves more time, so they can decrease any anxiety when coming here and make the experience more manageable,” Cabatu said.
“We studied and planned for a long time to make this as seamless as possible,” Wilson added. “We just want everyone to know we are open for business.”
For those needing more information or a map for parking and the ongoing construction, materials are available online at tinyurl.com/hmcpark.
Call (808) 932-3000 to speak to HBMC staff with any questions or concerns.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
