Gathering Place
Webster K. Nolan
Kakaako medical school
may be costly boondoggleIn an April 6 article in the Star-Bulletin, I asked readers to consider how the multimillion-dollar medical school now under construction near Kakaako Waterfront Park is delaying the long-promised Leeward university campus, mainly because the state cannot afford taking on two huge capital debts at the same time. But that's not the end of the story.
The Kakaako project is a classic example of stealth politics in Hawaii, and it's fast becoming a case study in how to build a myth in record time.
Let's start with stealth politics. The key legislation for funding the project, a bill authorizing use of $150 million in tobacco settlement funds, was introduced in a special session on Oct. 23, 2001; 10 days later, then-Gov. Ben Cayetano signed it into law. The Legislature held one major hearing, the media wrote a few stories and bingo, the taxpayers of Hawaii were committed to one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by the University of Hawaii.
There was hardly any time for legislators, reporters and concerned citizens to ask questions. The list of questions is long; here are just a few:
>> Why would any responsible government undertake a major financial obligation at a time of enormous economic uncertainty? The Legislature approved the bill less than two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, at a time when the stock market was diving and Hawaii's economy was faltering.
>> Supporters indicated that a sizeable amount of the operating costs would come from federal and other grants and contracts. But they did not explain how the relatively small UH school could compete for significant research money against well-established universities, research institutions and companies already heavily engaged in research.
>> UH projected the total construction cost would be $300 million, with $150 million coming from the state and President Evan Dobelle promising to raise a matching $150 million. How much has he raised? According to an article by Dobelle in the July 13 Star-Bulletin, just $4.91 million. More important, what's the backup plan in the event he falls short of the goal?
>> Why was the Hawaii Community Development Authority, which owns the Kakaako site, allowed to evict a paying tenant (a food distribution facility) with a rental contract running until 2029 in favor of a nonpaying tenant (the medical complex)?
>> At the time of the 2001 special session, the national organization that certifies medical schools (the Liaison Committee on Medical Education) was studying whether to suspend the Burns school because of money and faculty problems. In April 2002, the committee did recommend putting the school on probation. An interesting question is whether UH advised legislators about this problem when seeking the funds. The medical school later won reversal of the probation, but a mystery remains about whether the Legislature approved the $150 million without knowing about the accreditation problem, or whether lawmakers passed the spending in full knowledge of a possible probation.
Apart from issues of stealth and cost, another deeply troubling aspect of the project is that its supporters have given it the status of a major player in the future of Hawaii's economy, when actually it's a costly and enormously risky gamble.
As part of the myth-building process, Cayetano derided those who raised questions as lacking "vision," and Dobelle, who likes to talk about the need for openness and dialogue, scorned those not sharing his "dream."
A corollary part of the myth comes with the name: the John A. Burns School of Medicine, suggesting it is primarily a place to train doctors. Indeed, UH has done a terrific job training doctors since 1967. Many of the 1,500-plus graduates practice in the state, and this in itself makes a strong case to continue operating a medical school, even building a new one to replace the existing but deteriorating facility.
The Kakaako facility will be more than a place to educate doctors. It could turn out to be an extraordinarily expensive research facility with a medical school attached. That raises the core question: Can Hawaii afford a costly and elaborate set of laboratories for medical research? Why not just build a new medical school with modest research facilities?
In any case, why not be straight with the public?
Webster K. Nolan is a former Hawaii journalist.
