Two hospital groups on the Big Island have completed their merger.
Bay Clinic in East Hawaiʻi Island and West Hawaiʻi Community Health Center around Kailua-Kona are now called Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center.
The change went into effect on July 1.
“Merging the Bay Clinic and West Hawaiʻi Community Health Center into a single entity is having immediate effects on patient health care island-wide," said Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center CEO Richard Taaffe.
"A more comprehensive scope of care, increased access to providers, greater economies of scale and the opportunity to add new clinic locations are the immediate benefits the Hawaiʻi Island community will see,” Taaffe said.
Patients and employees should notice no difference. Staff, locations, hours, and medical providers remain the same.
The new Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center offers medical, dental and behavioral health services for over 40,000 patients on the island.
The center's Board of Directors is led by Chair Mike Matsukawa and Vice Chair Haidee Abe.
For locations, services, hours of operation, visit HICommunityHealthCenter.org or call 808-333-3600 for eastside info and 808-326-5629 for westside info.
