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American Savings Bank and Maui Electric Help Provide Power to Maui Seniors
Posted June 30, 2017
American Savings Bank and Maui Electric through HEI Charitable Foundation have awarded a total of $20,000 to Hale Makua Health Services (HMHS) to help procure and install a much-needed, higher capacity emergency generator at Hale Makua Kahului.
The new generator will address the safety and healthcare needs of hundreds of individuals who live at the Hale Makua Kahului nursing home and clients who attend the Adult Day Health program. “We are very grateful for this grant,” said HMHS CEO, Wesley Lo. “Having a reliable source of back-up power is vital to the safety and health of over 250 seniors and disabled individuals that we care for on a daily basis. The generator provides critical back-up power to life supporting medical equipment, fire detection, alarm and extinguishing systems, and security monitoring systems which help keep our residents safe.”
“American Savings Bank is proud to support Hale Makua and its mission to improve the well-being of Maui’s elderly and disabled,” said Rich Wacker, president and CEO of American Savings Bank. “It’s our hope that this donation will help power the future of Hale Makua, which provides vital services to the local community.”
“We take our duty of providing safe and reliable power to our community very seriously, but natural disasters do happen and outages can occur, so being prepared is crucial,” said Sharon Suzuki, president of Maui Electric. “That’s why we’re honored to support Hale Makua with this donation to ensure they can continue to provide such a critical level of care if an emergency strikes.”
An expansion to the Hale Makua Kahului facility in 2005 which added 16 beds for short-stay, in-patient rehab and the addition of an electronic medical records system in 2014, has led to critical electricity needs dramatically increasing at Hale Makua Kahului, pushing the existing 400kW emergency generator near capacity. Donated funds will help with the purchase and installation of a 500kW generator.
Pictured in photo from left are Chuck Dando (American Savings Bank First Vice President and Regional Executive), Wes Lo (HMHS CEO) , Vilma Sanchez (Hale Makua Kahului Resident Council representative), Donna McCleary, MD (Board Chair), Sharon Suzuki (Maui Electric President)
About Hale Makua Health Services
Hale Makua Health Services is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, established in 1946 to provide a home for elders who had no one to care for them or means to pay for care. It is the only Eden Alternative registered home in the state of Hawaii, and is one of Maui’s largest non-government employers. Over 450 employees serve two nursing homes with a total capacity of 344 beds, a home health care agency that provides skilled nursing and therapies in homes, a rehab center that specializes in physical, occupational and speech therapies, an adult day health center, and an adult residential care home for up to 22 individuals.
About American Savings Bank
American Savings Bank (ASB) has been serving Hawaii’s businesses and communities since 1925 and currently provides a full range of financial products and services, including business and consumer banking, home loans, insurance and investments. ASB is one of Hawaii’s leading financial institutions, with e-banking services and branch locations throughout the state offering evening, weekend and holiday hours. ASB provides Hawaii’s consumers and businesses with more extended weekday and weekend hours than other similarly sized local banks, as well as convenient in-store branches. ASB was the first Hawaii bank to introduce remote-deposit capture with a mobile banking application.
ASB matches its exceptional customer experience with an employee experience that has garnered local and national awards. ASB has been recognized locally as one of the “Best Places to Work” by Hawaii Business Magazine for eight consecutive years and honored nationally as one of the “Best Banks to Work For” by American Banker Magazine. Fortune Magazine has recognized ASB as one of the 100 Best Workplaces for Women and 50 Best Workplaces for Diversity. For more than 90 years, ASB has been helping build strong communities. Through its Seeds of Service program, ASB teammates have contributed more than 29,000 hours of volunteer service, and ASB has donated millions of dollars to Hawaii’s non-profits and community organizations.
About Maui Electric
Maui Electric, which is part of the Hawaiian Electric Companies that includes Hawaiian Electric on Oahu and Hawaii Electric Light on Hawai‘i Island, serves nearly 70,000 customers on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. The demand for power that has fueled the growth of the Hawaiian Islands has been met by our companies for well over a century. And as the next millennium unfolds, our companies are committed to providing quality service and seeking clean local energy sources to power generations of Hawaii families and businesses to come.