Wilcox Medical Center Introduces New Procedure Suite for the Kaua‘i Community with Support from Helmsley Charitable Trust
Published Aug. 25, 2026
Dr. Leslie Chun (third from left), Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Medical Group CEO; Walter Panzirer (fourth from left), Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee; Dr. Chad Wilcox (fifth from right), Wilcox interventional radiologist; Jen Chahanovich (fourth from right), Wilcox president and CEO; Dr. Matthew Gadbaw (third from right), HPHMG chief of hospital-based medicine; with members of the Wilcox interventional radiology team.
Wilcox Medical Center recently held a blessing to unveil a new interventional radiology (IR) suite, the first of its kind on Kauaʻi. The new suite will expand services for specialized, minimally invasive procedures so patients don’t have to leave the island.
Interventional radiology allows specialists to use imaging to perform biopsies and procedures through small incisions in the body. In some cases, IR allows physicians to identify a medical issue and, if necessary, immediately treat it during the same procedure.
“Interventional radiology is the future, and we are excited to be able to offer it at Wilcox Medical Center,” said Dr. Chad Wilcox, interventional radiologist at Wilcox. “For the past year, we have been training staff, coordinating with the surgical team, and securing all the necessary equipment for this new IR suite. We know keeping care on Kauaʻi benefits our patients’ health and saves them and their families the time and expense that comes with traveling to Oʻahu.”
A grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust funded this imaging suite at Wilcox to ensure that more state-of-the-art care is available on Kauaʻi. Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, spoke at the blessing and was among the first to see the space.
“Wilcox will now be able to provide Kauaʻi residents with top-notch diagnostic care closer to home so they don’t have to travel off-island for crucial scans and tests,” said Panzirer.
The new interventional radiology suite at Wilcox Medical Center will allow specialists to use advanced imaging technology to perform a range of minimally invasive procedures on Kauaʻi.
The IR suite is one of the projects at Wilcox funded by a $10.6 million grant from Helmsley. The funding, which Panzirer announced in August of 2024, supports several imaging efforts as well as a sleep room for the new Family Medicine Residency Program.
As a not-for-profit medical center, Wilcox relies on the support of donors to help expand programs and services. The grant demonstrates how impactful community contributions can be in helping introduce new technologies to rural communities.
“Our new IR suite reflects our ongoing commitment to provide comprehensive care close to home for our patients by implementing the most advanced technology,” said Jen Chahanovich, president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center and CEO of Kaua‘i Medical Clinic. “We are sincerely grateful for the support of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. This investment will help Wilcox bring cutting-edge care to Kauaʻi families for years to come.”
To date the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program has awarded more than $65.5 million to organizations and initiatives in Hawaiʻi. The program works across nine U.S. states and two U.S. Pacific territories, ensuring communities of rural America have access to the highest quality healthcare.
