One COVID-19 Positive Staff Member at Hale Makua Kahului, After Resident Case Earlier This Week

Hale Makua Health Services has confirmed that one staff has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Kahului facility. The individual is asymptomatic and is in quarantine at home.

The positive case was discovered through a baseline round of testing all residents and staff after a resident was confirmed positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

According to information released by the facility, “the two cases are unrelated as they did not have contact and were in different areas in the facility.”

After completing first round of testing that included 195 residents and 354 staff, all others have been negative. 

Two additional rounds of testing are planned of all residents and staff within the next two weeks.  

Hale Makua CEO, Wes Lo, said, “Although this is unfortunate news, it reminds us that there may be asymptomatic individuals in the community so following all COVID-19 precautions is still extremely important. With the recent increase of positive COVID-19 cases on Maui, I’m hopeful that with the rollout of the vaccine we will be able to slowly take steps back to normalcy again and our residents will be reunited with their loved ones.”  

*Information about the resident case identified earlier this week is posted here.

At Hale Makua, precautions include:

• Staff and vendors screened for respiratory symptoms and/or fever prior to entering the campuses since early March.
• All new admissions have been admitted to West neighborhood in Kahului.
• All employees have been required to wear appropriate PPE including masks and face shields.
• High touch surfaces are wiped down frequently.

Hale Makua Kahului will suspend all in-person, socially distanced family visits until further notice. Virtual visits and calls are encouraged until in-person visits resume.

The first round of COVID-19 vaccinations were recently administered at the Kahului facility on Dec. 30 and 31, 2020. Hale Makua reports that 80% of residents and 40% of staff took the first dose of the vaccine. The next vaccine clinic for Hale Makua Kahului staff and residents will take place on Jan. 29-30, 2020.

Hale Makua Wailuku residents and staff will receive their first vaccines on Jan. 11, 2020.

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 one of Maui’s largest non-government employers with more then 450 employees providing care for upwards of 1,500 individuals on Maui annually. 

The organization’s continuum of healthcare programs includes two nursing homes and rehab centers specializing in both in and out-patient physical, occupational and speech therapies; a home health care agency; an adult day health center; and an adult residential care home.