MEDIA RELEASE

In recognition of National Doctors’ Day on Friday, March 30, Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital invites everyone to join them in saying mahalo to all of the physicians in their communities.

“We are grateful for the dedication and care that our physicians provide at Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital,” commented Jay Kreuzer, CEO of Kona Community Hospital and Kohala Hospital. “We cannot thank them enough for their decision to practice in West Hawaii.”

Dr. Santad Sira

Kona Community Hospital’s Medical Executive Committee comprises of Robert Saito, M.D., Chief of Staff and Radiology Department Chair; Beth Groshong, D.O., Vice Chief of Staff and Anesthesia Department Chair; Christina Collins, M.D., Secretary-Treasurer; Lawrence Peebles, M.D., Surgery Department Chair; Richard McDowell, M.D., Emergency Department Chair; Michelle Huber, M.D., Medicine Department Chair; Michele Gilbert, M.D., OB/Gyn Department Chair; and Wesley Sugai, M.D., Pediatrics Department Chair. Donald Elder, M.D., is the Chief of Staff for Kohala Hospital.

Those with 30 years or more of service at Kona Community Hospital include Dr. Kevin Kunz (30), Dr. Edwin Gramlich (31), Dr. Lawrence Peebles (31), Dr. Robert Laird (34), Dr. James Lambeth (35), Dr. Sukchai Satta (35), and Dr. Santad Sira (36). Dr. Robert Watkins of Kohala Hospital has served 32 years.

OB/Gyn Santad Sira remembers when he started to work as a young physician in Kona. “Dr. James Mitchell and Dr. Chisato Hayashi brought me over in the early 1970s,” he said. “I was very young, but found it to be so quiet here. I really loved this place and my job.”

When asked “Why have you stayed in West Hawaii?” he replied, “I love this community, the nice people, the culture and aloha spirit.”

Sira’s 36 years of service is not the only milestone the physician has achieved. He has delivered approximately 8,000 babies spanning three generations.

“There has been a lot of discussion regarding physician recruitment and retention. It continues to be a challenge not only for us but for the entire country. However, it is also long overdue that we appreciate the physicians who have dedicated their lives to the well-being of their patients and the improvement of healthcare in Hawaii,” said Dr. Beth Groshong, KCH’s Vice Chief of Staff. “We sincerely thank the current and past medical staff members for their commitment to the medical profession and West Hawaii.”

The first Doctors’ Day observance was March 30, 1933 in Winder, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, decided to set aside a day to honor physicians.

The House of Representatives passed a resolution in 1958 officially recognizing Doctors’ Day; and in 1991, President George Bush issued an executive order that designated March 30 as National Doctors’ Day.