Reminder: Hyperbaric Treatment Center to close temporarily for renovations

Media note: The original announcement was made on May 6, 2021

The University of Hawaiʻi Hyperbaric Treatment Center (HTC), located at the Kuakini Medical Center, will temporarily suspend all operations from June 28 through August 13 to undergo renovations. The scuba diving community was notified in April and asked that planned dive operations scheduled during the renovations be carefully reviewed and that recreational dive operators inform their clients.

The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC) has agreed to provide limited emergency hyperbaric services during the HTC renovations. Due to limited capacity, QMC will only be able to admit emergency patients who are stable and without need for other medical interventions. The University of California, San Diego multiplace hyperbaric chamber in San Diego, California will serve as a potential back-up for hyperbaric emergencies that cannot be accommodated at QMC.

The HTC facility at Kuakini Medical Center will undergo a $1.6-million renovation funded by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. The renovation includes a complete overhaul of the hyperbaric chamber control station, patient monitoring and system upgrades to improve medical care.

The center has treated civilian divers for decompression sickness or “the bends” in Hawaiʻi since 1983 and maintains 24-hour/7-days-a-week emergency services. In 2020, HTC treated 18 emergency patients and provided more than 1,350 hyperbaric oxygen treatments for patients suffering from tissue damage due to infection, illness and radiation. In 2019, 29 emergency patients were treated and more than 1,300 hyperbaric oxygen treatments were provided.