HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-08-27 PL-USE-2026-000046 & PL-SPP-2026-000136 Mie Fowler, APRN, HBMC, Support Testimony
From: Mie Fowler
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Letter of support
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026 11:30:19 AM
Attachments: KBHC Letter of Support Windward Planning Commission 9.3.26.docx
Please see attached letter of support.
Sincerely,
Mie Fowler, APRN
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1190 WAIANUENUE AVENUE HILO, HAWAII 96720 PHONE (808) 932-3000 FAX (808) 974-4746
August 27, 2026
Mr. Louis Daniele III, Chair and
Members of the Windward Planning Commission 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Chair Daniele and Members of the Windward Planning Commission:
Testimony in Support of Use Permit Application No. PL-USE-2026-000046 and Special Permit Application No. PL-SPP-2026-000136 relating to the development of the the proposed Keaʻau Benioff Health Center
Applicant: Hilo Benioff MEDICAL Center
TMKs 1-6-0003:007 (por) and 127 (por); Keaʻau, Puna, Hawaiʻi As an employee of our healthcare system that includes Hilo Benioff Medical Center, Kau Hospital, Honokaa Hospital, and the East Hawaii Clinics in Hilo, Keaau, Pahoa and Kau, I
humbly request your approval the Use and Special Permits for the proposed Keaʻau Benioff
Health Center. I am excited about the opportunities that this new health center will bring to the residents of Puna. I can foresee the time when my family, friends and neighbors will no longer have to
make the long drive into Hilo for urgent, primary, and specialty care, along with imaging and
other basic medical services. To have Keaau Benioff Health Center systemically integrated with Hilo Benioff Medical Center will improve health services and coordination overall! It is time that Puna and lower East Hawaiʻi is served by a comprehensive health facility that
is reflective of the growth of our community and the increase in such basic health services.
For these reasons, I ask the Windward Planning Commission to approve the Use and Special Permit applications for the proposed Keaʻau Benioff Health Center.
Sincerely, Mie Fowler, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, OCN Nurse Practitioner Hilo Benioff Medical Center