West Oahu facility earns sustainability certification

KAPOLEI, Hawaii — Kaiser Permanente today announced that its West Oahu Medical Office at Kapolei has been awarded LEED® Gold certification. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the foremost program for buildings, homes, and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

The new facility, which opened in April, achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. The building is powered by a solar energy system with microgrid technology using Tesla batteries for backup power storage. Exterior windows are also programmed to dim during each day's hottest hours, which helps reduce interior cooling needs. The interior plumbing fixtures conserve water and exterior landscaping uses reclaimed water for irrigation. The facility includes charging stations for 5 electric vehicles and 11 hybrid vehicles. The building has interior and exterior LED lighting, and interior room-occupancy sensors save energy when rooms are not in use.

The 40,000-square-foot facility brings new and enhanced services to Kaiser Permanente members in the growing West Oahu community. The facility offers families primary care, mental health services, laboratory, pharmacy, and prevention and wellness programs. New and enhanced services include urgent care with extended hours (nights, weekends, and holidays); women’s health services; and general radiology, mammography, and ultrasound imaging. It is also Hawaii’s first NextGen Health Hub, featuring state-of-the-art technology that maximizes the value of members’ visits, evolves in response to their changing health care needs, supports care team collaboration, and contributes to improving quality of care.

“We are pleased to receive this designation for the new West Oahu Medical Office at Kapolei,” said Greg Christian, Hawaii Market president, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. “From the beginning, our goal was to create a space where our West Oahu members could receive the compassionate, integrated care they expect from us, coupled with state-of-the-art technology and a strong sense of community. Delivering on this in an environment built with an eye toward sustainability will truly allow our members, and the West Oahu community, to thrive and ‘malama’ our island,” he said, meaning ‘to take care of’ Hawaii.   

Since 1983, Kaiser Permanente’s membership in West Oahu alone has tripled to over 70,000 members. Located on 5.4 acres of land, the West Oahu Medical Office at Kapolei is 3 times larger than the Kaiser Permanente Kapolei Clinic. The new facility includes a community engagement center where members can gather for classes, programs, and events. It incorporates Native Hawaiian plants within the landscaping surrounding its grounds and features Native Hawaiian art inside the facility to create a soothing environment designed for healing.

For more information about the West Oahu Medical Office at Kapolei, visit kp.org/westoahu.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve almost 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.