New Chinese Home facility offers expanded services

Palolo Chinese Home on July 15 opened a new, three-story Skilled Nursing/Food Service Complex. The $10 million facility will have 46 nursing-home beds, a commercial kitchen, wellness center for rehabilitation services and a conference room open to the community.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and former City Council member Ann Kobayashi attended the opening which also included a lion dance, firecrackers and tours of the complex.

Palolo Chinese Home received a $1.6 million grant from the state and $5.7 million from the city for the facility. The 26,500-square-foot building is the culmination of the second phase of the home's redevelopment project. The third phase will renovate Farm Hall, built in 1957.

68,000 meals a year will be prepared in the new kitchen for the Meals on Wheels program, participants at the home's Adult Day Care program and the home's own meal delivery program.

The new complex expanded the home's total capacity to 111 nursing-home and adult-residential beds. The home hopes to start admitting residents to the new facility in August.