Castle Aging Well Since Its 1963 Opening

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Castle Medical Center marks its 45th year with Po’okela: An ‘aha mele, two benefit concerts this weekend at Mamiya Theatre in Kaimuki.

Na Palapalai and Maunalua perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, along with Sonny Ching and his halau and Lanakila Casupang and his halau. Na Leo Pilimehana will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday along with Jeff Peterson and Kaukahi. Emcees will be KITV’s Paula Akana, The Surfers’ Clayton Naluai and entertainer Al Harrington.

“We are kind of closing out our 45-year celebration,” said Jasmin Rodriguez, marketing director for Windward Oahu’s largest hospital. “A concert is a good way of attracting the public and giving them something for their money instead of a gala event ... It’s really to raise money for our patient services and our remodel or renovations.”

Tickets are $95 for general admission, $65 for all Castle associates, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

For more information, call 263-5371 or visit http://www.castlemed.com. $30 from each ticket is tax-deductible.

Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona kicked off the festivities in late September with a congratulatory speech, Rodriguez noted.

“We (also) had Jeff Peterson kind of open up the program for our employees, and give an example of some of the things that will be at the concert.”

Owned and operated by Adventist Health, a Seventh-day Adventist healthcare system, CMC opened in 1963 with 72 beds and 14 bassinets, and it has since blossomed into a 160-bed facility with more than 1,000 employees and medical staff. The hospital treats about 6,500 inpatients, 52,000 outpatents and 22,000 emergency-room patients a year, and is currently the only faith-based hospital in the state.

Castle Medical Center has received several awards over the years covering a wide range of achievements, such as the Four Star Excellence Award, the Betty Crocker Landscape Award and the American Heart Association’s Performance Achievement Award.

“We received eight to 10 awards just this year,” Rodriguez said.