Marc and Lynne Benioff are donating $150 million to two Hawaiʻi hospitals to help ensure continuous health care access in the state, according to a news release Tuesday.
The gift is one of the largest single private donations in Hawaiʻi history, the release said.
Of the $150 million, Hilo Medical Center on Hawaiʻi Island will receive $50 million to build out critical areas of care. The center will be renamed the Hilo Benioff Medical Center. The Benioffs' contribution matches a $50 million appropriation from the state.
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health will receive $100 million to help create a “healthcare campus of the future” at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu on Oʻahu. The upgraded center will be triple in size — and renamed the Straub Benioff Medical Center.
The news release said the donation will also connect both Hawaiʻi hospitals with UCSF Health in San Francisco to provide more specialized care in areas like oncology and neurology.
“We feel fortunate to have been part of the Hawai‘i community for many decades and to be able to support our ohana in this way. Nothing is more important than the health of our community, and access to care for all who need it," the Benioffs said in a statement.
Marc Benioff is the CEO and co-founder of San Francisco-based Salesforce, one of the world's largest software companies. The Benioffs also own Time magazine.
Separately, an investigative report by NPR's Dara Kerr released last week revealed the Benioffs have been quietly buying hundreds of acres of land in Waimea on Hawaiʻi Island. The Benioffs also have a home on the island.
