UHMC Allied Health Center Renamed to Honor Inouye

University of Hawai‘i Maui College, The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center. Courtesy photo UH.

By Wendy Osher

Four facilities and programs at the University of Hawai’i were renamed in honor of the late US Senator Daniel K. Inouye, including a program at UH Maui College in Kahului.

The UH Board of Regents today approved the renaming of the UHMC Allied Health Center in Inouye’s honor.

The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center recognizes Senator Inouye as a champion for nursing, allied health, and the well-being of Hawai’i residents.

University officials say his commitment to the neighbor islands and particularly to Maui, the home of his mother, continued for years. The Allied Health Center primarily supports Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene programs that grew out of community need.

Senator Daniel Inouye’s family will officially accept the University of Hawai’i’s tribute to the late senator at a ceremony on Oahu on Friday.

The proposal also puts Inouye’s name on a total of four UH facilities and programs including:

• University of Hawai’i at Manoa – The Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education
• University of Hawai’i at Hilo – The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy
• UH Maui College – The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center
• Kaua’i Community College – The Daniel K. Inouye Electronics Technology Building

University of Hawai‘i Maui College, The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center. Courtesy photo UH.

Officials say the senator inspired the university with his extraordinary vision and his resolve to build for the future.

“Senator Inouye impacted the University of Hawai’i in ways that cannot be measured,” said University of Hawai’i President M.R.C. Greenwood.

“We are deeply grateful to the senator for his years of support and for all that he has done for us. Today’s board action gives us the opportunity to thank Senator Inouye and to emphasize the many things he helped us accomplish and the many things he has inspired us to accomplish in the future.”

The honor is the latest tribute being paid to the late senator who passed away on December 17, 2012, following respiratory complications.

At the state Legislature, lawmakers are considering two concurrent resolutions that seek to rename the Kilauea Point Lighthouse on Kauai (HCR41) in his honor, and designate Hawaii Island’s Saddle Road as the Daniel K. Inouye Legacy Highway (HCR 42).

A separate bill was introduced in honor of Inouye on Maui that sought to rename the Mokulele Highway the “Daniel K. Inouye Veteran’s Highway,” in recognition of the senator’s work in obtaining federal transportation funds for the state.