Dr. Keanu Kapule was born on the island of Molokai in 1984. Famed local doctor Noa Emmett Aluli was his family physician until Dr. Kapule and his family moved to Japan where his father served in the United States Marines for several years before the family relocated again due to Dr. Kapule’s father’s reassignment.

 

When Dr. Kapule decided to study medicine, it was in large part because he could still remember Dr. Aluli’s visits to his home when a member of the Kapule family needed medical attention.

 

When Dr. Kapule learned that Dr. Aluli had passed at the age of 78 in November 2022 and his Molokai Family Health Center was scheduled to close January 25, 2023, Dr. Kapule knew what that meant to the approximately 1700 patients that Dr. Aluli cared for. He also learned that Dr. Thomas Longfellow, age 63, died in September of 2022. 

 

The Queen’s Health System, which operates the Molokai General Hospital in Kaunakakai, flew in a few doctors on a rotating basis until February 2023, but had to halt this service. The hospital handles emergency medical care and is located at the central, southern city of Kaunakakai. 

 

In 2023, Dr. R.G. Gamias, age 71, also retired. This left the island with access to very few physicians, some of them only available by flight from Maui or Oahu on an as needed basis. 

 

Another clinic has opened in place of Dr. Aluli’s practice. Headed by Dr. Ka’ohimanu Dang Akiona, who practices out of Honolulu, that clinic serves residents on the east side of the island.

 

Dr. Kapule decided to open his new practice in Ho’olehua because of its proximity to the hospital and to local highways serving the western side of the island. Ho’olehua is also the home of the island’s largest of three elementary schools, which is convenient when pediatric care is required. 

 

Dr. Kapule received a grant from Maui County (which encompasses Molokai) that enabled him to make necessary investments in his clinic’s offices, equipment, and supplies. He also accepted an offer to participate in a Maui County school loan forgiveness program. The loan forgiveness program helped him to recruit two more doctors who are scheduled to join the practice in October of 2024 and October of 2025, respectively. Dr. Annalise Grenier is expected to move to Molokai this fall. Her specializations are in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Sami Lepau will complete his residency in geriatrics in fall of 2025 and will move to the island to begin his practice. These additions to the population of Molokai are most needed and welcome!