HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Two respite centers that helped cut emergency room visits and EMS transports for the homeless are in danger of closing after state lawmakers cut appropriations.
Health officials and city leaders are now working to find money to keep the centers running.
Without alternatives, 62 people at the Aala Respite Center in Chinatown and 24 people receiving care at the Leahi Respite Center in Kaimuku could be back on the streets on July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
Medical care for vulnerable population
Hawaii News Now visited the Aala Respite Center on Monday. A doctor, nurses and staff were treating patients for leg injuries, respiratory viruses and cancer. All are too sick to be in shelters or on the streets, but are well enough to be discharged from hospitals, freeing up beds.
“Anybody that lives in Hawaii has been constantly asking us, do something about it. We see these people with amputations, with wheelchairs, with oxygen bottles,” said Dr. Scott Miscovich, who manages the Aala Respite Center…