Queen’s Health
chief to retire

CORRECTION Tuesday, June 28, 2005 » Dr. Gary Okamoto is a board-certified physiatrist. An article on Page C1 Saturday incorrectly identified him as a psychiatrist. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.

Five years after taking the reigns of the institution, Dr. Gary Okamoto will retire as president and chief executive of the Queen's Health Systems on Sept. 1. Replacing Okamoto will be Arthur Ushijima, president and chief executive of the Queen's Medical Center, the state's largest hospital.

Dr. Naleen Andrade, chairwoman of Queen's Health Systems' board of trustees, credited Okamoto with strengthening the organization financially, maintaining its A+/A1 bond rating and developing new capital projects.

"I have reached a critical juncture at which the corporate goals that I had set out to attain have been achieved and the timing to turn over the reins to other leaders seems right," Okamoto said.

Okamoto leaves behind a grueling but lucrative post. According to Queen's 2003 federal tax return, Okamoto worked 60 hours a week for a compensation package totaling approximately $624,000. It included $454,000 in salary, benefits contributions of $105,000 and a $24,000 expense account. Okamoto also received $40,000 from the Queen Emma Foundation in 2003 for tuition and expenses related to a master's in business administration program he was enrolled in.

A board certified psychiatrist, Okamoto has also served as medical director for Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, medical director of Queen's Medical Center and faculty member of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii.

Queen's Health Systems serves as an umbrella organization for the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Queen's Healthcare Centers, the Queen Emma Foundation, Queen's Development Corp., Queen's Insurance Exchange Inc. and Molokai General Hospital. Queen's also has ownership interests in CareResource Hawaii, Hamamatsu/Queen's PET Imaging Center and Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.

Begun in 1859 when King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma established the original Queen's hospital, the Queen's Health System now has approximately 4,400 employees.