Best Buys Maui Homes For Sale
Week of November 30, 2009
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Best Buys in Maui Properties
Week of November 16, 2009
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Maui Real Estate For Sale - Best Buys
Week of November 9, 2009
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Maui's Wailea Resort Celebrates Restaurant Week
Maui's Wailea Resort will be bringing back “Restaurant Week Wailea.” This celebration of Wailea’s finest cuisine will take place at 15 participating restaurants from Sunday, November 8, through Saturday, November 14.
The 15 restaurants have created three-course, prix-fixe menus for $29*/$39* per person (*depending on the restaurant—beverages, tax and gratuity not included). Some restaurants are offering wine pairings, and each participating restaurant has agreed to make a contribution to the Maui Food Bank for every pre-fixe entrée sold during Restaurant Week Wailea.
This pre-fixe menu is not valid with any other discount, coupons or promotion being offered at participating restaurants. Diners may contact each restaurant direct for reservations, as advance reservations are strongly recommended or visit www.opentable.com for select restaurants which offer online dinner reservations.
The 15 Wailea Resort participating restaurants are:
Bistro Molokini (Grand Wailea)
(808) 875-1234
Capische?* (Hotel Wailea)
(808) 879-2224
Duo Steak and Seafood (Four Seasons)
(808) 874-8000
Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante (Four Seasons)
(808) 874-8000
Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Grand Wailea)
(808) 875-1234
Joe’s in Wailea (Wailea Tennis Club)
(808) 875-7767
K?* (Fairmont Kea Lani)
(808) 875-4100
Longhi’s* (The Shops at Wailea)
(808) 891-8883
Mala Wailea* (Wailea Marriott)
(808) 875-9394
Matteo’s (Wailea Blue Course)
(808) 874-1234
Mulligan’s on the Blue (Wailea Blue Course)
(808) 874-1131
Nick’s Fishmarket Maui* (Fairmont Kea Lani)
(808) 879-7224
Ruth’s Chris Steak House* (The Shops at Wailea)
(808) 874-8880
SeaWatch by Bev Gannon (Wailea Gold & Emerald Course)
(808) 875-8080
Tommy Bahamas Restaurant & Bar* (The Shops at Wailea)
(808) 875-9983
*Participating restaurant offers online reservations through OpenTable.com. Reservations are free and confirmed instantly 24 hours a day.
Source: www.travelagentcentral.com, Nov 03, 2009
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Proud parents off to see Maui's Shane Victorino in World Series
Caring spirit, faith set him apart, they say
WAILUKU, Maui — The parents of Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino, a graduate of St. Anthony High School on Maui, are packing for the World Series that starts today in New York City and haven't forgotten what they learned from attending last year's Fall Classic.
"The biggest thing is warmer clothes. Be prepared with gloves, be prepared with beanies," said Mike Victorino, 57, a Maui councilman.
"And shoes and socks," chimed in wife Joycelyn, 51, who works at the ILWU Local 142 office in Wailuku.
"We went up kind of nonchalantly last year, thinking we're still in Hawaii, and we found out right away that it's cold," said Mike Victorino.
The World Series will be a family reunion for the Victorino ohana, with about three dozen kin and close friends converging on Phila-delphia from all corners of the country when the competition shifts to that city later this week.
Mike Victorino, who reluctantly admits to being a former Yankees fan, plans to attend all the games and has been monitoring the media build-up to the championship series.
"Nobody is saying the Phillies. Everyone is saying the Yankees in seven, the Yankees in six, the Yankees this, the Yankees that, and you know, they could be right," he said. "I hope Shane guys can prove them wrong, but you know what? I'm just so honored that he has an opportunity that many kids and many big league players never get — appearing in the World Series for a second time.
"When he went last year it was like, 'Whew, unbelievable.' Now this year it's like, 'This is real.' I hope we can win again. I'll leave it to the good Lord and the players on the field, and that's the way it's going to be."
Friends and fans back on Maui will be closely following Shane Victorino's exploits as the Phillies attempt to repeat as Major League Baseball titleholders.
Throughout the regular season, the daily morning assembly at St. Anthony High School includes a recap of Victorino's performance in games the day before, and athletic director Charlie Pico said the television will be on in his office today to watch Game 1 of the World Series.
Pico's son played soccer and football with Victorino, now 28, and Pico was an assistant track coach at St. Anthony when Victorino won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races at the 1999 state high school track and field championships.
"He was just always an active kid who couldn't keep still. He had a lot of speed," he said. "When he got to high school he didn't have to do much, just show up at the track and beat everybody."
Pico, 51, a St. Anthony alumnus, said he's not much of a baseball fan but watches Phillies games because of Victorino.
"To see where he's at now is unbelievable. You always watch pro sports and you see all these people you don't know," he said. "It's different when you see someone you know.
"Criminy, this guy is on the biggest stage in the world."
'TOTALLY AN HONOR'
The Victorinos went to Denver to watch the Phillies play the Rockies in the National League Division Series, and Joycelyn was at Dodger Stadium for the first two games of the NL Championship Series.
The couple also were present for the season opener when Shane and his teammates received their 2008 World Series rings, and their son flew them up for July's Major League All-Star Game in St. Louis, where another Hawaii high school alumnus, President Obama, tossed the first pitch.
Victorino was the first Hawaii player voted into an All-Star starting lineup by the public.
"To see all the who's who there and have Shane walk among these people was totally an honor," his mother said.
"The Pujolses, the Teixeiras, the Rodriguezes, the Jeters and all the former All-Stars were there. It was a beautiful experience," Mike Victorino said.
Shane passed along some macadamia nuts to Obama that his parents had brought from Maui and presented the commander in chief with specially made baseball shoes adorned with the number 44, representing the 44th president of the United States.
"Shane thinks about everything. That kid is so awesome," Joycelyn said.
During last year's World Series games in Philadelphia, Shane reserved a reception room at the hotel where family and friends were staying and hosted a gathering with food and refreshments after every game.
Mike Victorino said he doesn't talk much baseball with his son when they're together.
"I may have coached him when he was in Little League, but this is a different league altogether," he said, laughing.
"After showering and getting treatments, he comes out and all he wants to do is leave and go back to the hotel and spend time with us and the family. He just loves to be around everyone. This is the time he gets to spend with family and friends beyond the holiday season."
MUCH MEMORABILIA
Victorino spent much of his first five pro seasons in the minor leagues, and as his career took off, so did his parents' collection of news clippings, game tickets, batting helmets, framed photos, baseball cards and other memorabilia. The items are displayed throughout the couple's Wailuku home along with Little League trophies and other long-ago awards marking the athletic and academic achievements of both Shane and his older brother, Michael Jr.
Joycelyn estimated she's spent "thousands of hours" assembling scrapbooks that date back to 1996.
"You should see our kitchen table. We're still on 2008 stuff," her husband said.
The Victorinos also find themselves regularly dealing with visiting Phillies fans and calls to their home and offices asking for souvenirs or a chance to just talk story.
"They want to know why Shane is the way he is. We feel honored and blessed that they ask us," Joycelyn said.
"The greatest reason why he's been successful is his faith in God and his love of family."
Just last weekend, the Victorinos had dinner with a couple from Philadelphia who had ordered photo prints at the Longs Drug Store in Kíhei. A Longs clerk who knows Joycelyn spotted a picture of Shane with an elderly female fan in the batch and put them in touch.
"They told us that their grandmother, who is 96, is a Phillies fan and that Shane is one of her favorite players," Joycelyn said.
"Every year they have what they call Fan Fest when fans can go on the field and meet the players personally. They told us how this lady, when she goes to the field, many of the other players just walk by but Shane looks for her and he says, 'Where's my girlfriend, where's my girlfriend?' and runs over to her and says, 'Where have you been? I've been looking for you.' "
Victorino's caring spirit was acknowledged publicly when he won the 2008 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for his outstanding commitment to the community and philanthropy. This year, he received the Volunteers of America 2009 Outstanding Community Service Award for his work as a mentor and inspiration to Philadelphia-area youth volunteers through the national Action Team program.
PROUD PARENTS
Even with his accomplishments on and off the playing field, Joycelyn said she is most proud of her son's Eagle Scout award. Victorino participated in Boy Scouts from the time he was in grade school and earned the group's highest honor despite a multitude of athletic distractions, his mother said.
Winning the 2008 World Series was pretty special, but Mike Victorino recalled the pride he felt when his son was selected for the 1999 Nissan Hawaii High School Hall of Honor recognizing the state's top 12 student-athletes.
Regardless of the outcome of the 2009 World Series, Shane Victorino will soon be sporting a new ring on his finger.
Once the championship is over, he will return to Maui to marry his fiancee, Melissa Smith, on Nov. 14. The couple have a 2-year-old daughter, Kalia Makenna.
A week later he'll host the Shane Victorino Celebrity Golf Classic at the Makena Resort benefiting the Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation. For more information on the charity event, visit www.shanevictorino.com or call Kimberly Crossett at 800-858-1872 or e-mail kim berlyw@bhscouncil.com.
Source: www.honoluluadvertiser.com, Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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Best Buys: Maui Homes For Sale
Week of October 26, 2009
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Sightings mark start of whale season in Hawaii
KAHANA - A pod of humpback whales was spotted Tuesday morning off the coast of West Maui, the first reported sighting statewide marking the beginning of whale season, according to an official with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
John Reilly, 52, of Bend, Ore., said he saw a pod of about four whales while he was visiting the Kahana Ridge residence of his friend, Jim Troughton. After calling The Maui News, he reported the sighting to whale sanctuary officials.
Other reports of whale sightings also came in Tuesday.
Mahinahina resident Erin What was home for lunch at his Pacific Shores condominium, taking a break from his job at Sullivan Properties, when he saw "white foam splash remnants, spouts and a couple of tail slappings."
He said he couldn't determine the number of whales, but they were about 1 to 2 miles offshore, heading toward Lahaina.
Honokowai resident Kim Claus said she saw a whale much closer, about 150 to 200 yards offshore around noon Tuesday.
"There was a huge breach," she said. "So we got out our binoculars, and we watched for about five minutes."
Enjoying a day off from her job as office manager at Teralani Sailing, Claus said she called the company's boat captains and told them, "Heads up!"
She said she and a companion joked that the whale they saw was a male who had come early to Maui waters to prepare for mating season.
"We teased that that was the bachelor coming to set up the bachelor pad," Claus said.
She said she was excited to be among the first to see the early whale arrivals.
"Every year, it's a big thing to see them first," she said.
Last year, the first whale was spotted on Oct. 12, Miller said. Whales have been seen as early as September, but sanctuary officials did not have information on what year that happened, she said.
Humpback whales winter in Hawaiian waters from about the end of October and early November to the end of April and early May, Miller said.
The whales feed in Alaskan waters, and swim to Hawaii to spend the winter months mating, giving birth and caring for their young, she said.
Source: www.mauinews.com, October 21, 2009
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Best Buys: Maui Properties For Sale
Week of October 19, 2009
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Maui woman's sandwich recipe wins $1,000
Maui resident Virginia Suddath's Kona Po' Boy sandwich was a finalist in Mezzetta's "Make That Sandwich" contest.
The philosophy professor, who says she's been cooking since her first Easy Bake Oven, won $1,000 in the hot-sandwich category. It was her first shot at a cooking contest. Her recipe follows.
KONA PO' BOY
» Ginger-Chili Aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Kona Coast(R) Brand Ginger Chili Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
» Pineapple-Pepper Relish:
1-1/2 cups fresh pineapple, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia), finely chopped
1/2 cup Mezzetta(R) Brand Deli Sliced Mild Pepper Rings
1/2 cup Mezzetta(R) Brand Deli Sliced Roasted Sweet Bell Pepper Strips, chopped
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 fully-cooked chicken apple sausages
2 tablespoons Mezzetta(R) Brand Extra Virgin Italian Olive Oil
4 soft sandwich rolls
2 tablespoons dark rum
4 sprigs cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together mayonnaise, chili sauce and chopped cilantro. Set aside.
Toss together pineapple, onion, peppers, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Slice sausages so they lay flat and pan-fry them in olive oil over medium heat, turning once, until heated through and nicely browned (about 8 to 10 minutes).
While sausage is cooking, open sandwich rolls and place on a baking sheet. Heat in oven until just beginning to brown. Spread rolls on both sides with aioli mixture and lay one sausage on each roll.
Add relish and rum to sausage skillet and saute, scraping up brown bits, about 1 minute. Top sausage rolls with relish and serve, garnished with cilantro sprigs. Serves 4.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Source: www.starbulletin.com, Oct 14, 2009
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Real estate bouncing at bottom amid signs of life
KAHULUI - For the first nine months of the year, Maui County's real estate market "seems to be bouncing along at the bottom," in the words of Terry Tolman, chief staff executive of the Realtors Association of Maui.
There are encouraging signs here and there, and at least things have not gotten much worse. But they haven't gotten much better, either, according to statistics from the association's Multiple Listing Service.
The number of sales closed is still way down. In September, there were 53 closings of single-family homes, which was not a huge difference from the 66 in September 2008, or the 74 the year before that, or the 63 the year before that. But the past four years have been very low compared with Septembers in 2004 and 2005, when there were more than 100 closings each month.
Condominium closings tell a similar tale, although this September's 62 was better than the 50 of September 2008. Going further back, however, shows how current sales have taken a big dip.
So far this year, there have been 450 single-family closings, compared with 708 in the first three quarters of last year.
For condos, the fall has been much less dramatic, down only from 674 to 610.
Average prices are holding more or less steady at about 20 percent less than last year. But single-family prices are down nearly 30 percent from 2006, when the average topped $1 million. Last year, the average was down to $877,000, and this year the average is down to $715,000.
For condos, the story has been different. Average prices reached $787,000 in 2006, held steady as house prices began to slide, and even rose to $946,000 last year. They are now down to $734,000. Last year's odd number reflected some late closings of new construction that had been sold at 2005-06 prices.
Multimillion-dollar luxury resort condos can be wrung out of the averages by looking just at less-pricey Kihei, which has by far the most condo sales of any area in the county. There the trajectory also shows a blip in 2008 but in general has been steadily down, from an average of $459,000 in 2006 to $447,000 the next year, then $493,000 last year, followed by a drop to $371,000 through this September.
Tolman cautions that Maui is a small market, so that monthly changes may not track longer-term trends. Also, he warns, regions within the county can have different experiences.
Thus, single-family sales prices this year in Central Maui have changed little compared to last year, at just under $500,000. Volume, though, is off by more than half to 163. In the first three quarters of 2008, 344 homes sold in Central Maui.
No place shows as much activity, although Lahaina has had 22 closings this year, up from 15 at this time last year. Prices there, however, are way down, from $1.67 million to $967,000.
Median prices, which can sometimes catch the tone of a market better than averages, are down 16 percent for single-family residences this year, from $595,000 to $501,000.
That still puts a typical Maui house well beyond the means of many. However, incentives, including low interest rates and, for some, tax credits, should open opportunities for some first-time buyers.
The median price of a Maui condo this year is $491,000, down 14 percent from the $570,000 of last year.
A considerable number of short sales (sales for less than the balance of the owner's mortgage) and bank repossessions make the market hard to assess.
Nationally, according to the National Association of Realtors, the pending sales index has risen for seven straight months. That is the longest string since this statistic began to be tracked in 2001.
However, the NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, noted that short sales tend to take longer to close, so a rise in the index of pending sales does not simply translate into more completed deals.
There are still plenty of places in Maui County where average prices, whether for a condo or a house, require a millionaire to buy: Kaanapali, Kapalua, Wailea-Makena and, most expensive of all, Lanai for condos; and Kaanapali, Kapalua, Napili-Kahana-Honokowai, Wailea-Makena and, most expensive of all for houses, Olowalu (but just one sale there, for $3,750,000).
Source: www.mauinews.com, October 13, 2009
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Best Maui Real Estate Buys
Week of October 12, 2009
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Maui's Newest Resort Serious about Sustainability
The newest full service hotel development on Kaanapali Beach unveils details of its comprehensive sustainability program as part of Honua Kai Resort & Spa’s commitment to the traditional Hawaiian concept of “malama aina,” (caring for the land). Honua Kai is a hospitality leader in environmental stewardship with malama aina practices that begin in the ocean, protect the surrounding beach and extend to every room on the top floors of property.
Honua Kai, which opened in January 2009, even has its own Director of Sustainability, Lance Gilliland. “We call it ‘Eco-nomics,’ – practices that are ecologically sound and economically feasible,” says Gilliland. “It just makes sense to conserve energy, re-use, recycle and protect the beautiful natural environment for our homeowners and the resort guests that visit the property.”
Water Conservation
Fertigation
A new two-tiered water-conserving program is designed to keep the nearly 40 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and grounds healthy and green without wasting precious water.
Honua Kai worked in partnership with the county waste water department to develop a landscape irrigation system that is fed solely by recycled “R1” water, which provides the highest quality of recycled water.
That water is then enhanced through a process known as “fertigation,” which delivers small daily doses of organic fertilizer through the irrigation system. Computers monitor ambient moisture at key locations around the resort to activate the sprinklers that keep the grounds and gardens healthy. Unlike traditional broadcast or drop fertilizer methods, fertigation allows increased nutrient absorption by plants, and the daily feeding reduces the amount of fertilizer and chemical needed, while also reducing water usage. Fertigation can also distribute pest repellants. The combination of daily micro-dosing combined with organic products insures no negative impacts to ground water or from run off.
Environmental Conservation
Reef Awareness and Honu Protection
Hawaii’s reefs provide a home for over 7,000 species of marine plants and animals, 25 percent of which are unique to our islands. Honua Kai helps malama (care for) these many species with signs posted at each bridge leading to the ocean. They explain how a healthy reef depends on exploring it respectfully, snorkeling over and around the coral without damaging it, and watching the fish, not feeding them.
Signs along the shore inform guests about the endangered honu (green sea turtles) that sun themselves in front of the resort. Honua Kai further protects the honu and their latest visitor, a Hawaiian monk seal, with educational materials and awareness campaigns to prevent the public from getting too close.
Guests will also notice the retention ponds that have been landscaped into the property to protect the ocean against soil run-off during an unusually heavy rain storm. Fertigation also helps contain run-off by producing a denser root mass that traps water.
Wetlands and Dunes
Being the only resort on Maui with a wetland pond, Honua Kai has restored this micro-ecosystem with native shoreline plants. Already, several species of seabirds, including the aukuu (black-crowned night heron) and kolea (Pacific golden plover) have begun stopping here to preen and rest.
The resort protects the sand dunes because they form the first line of defense against coastal storms and beach erosion, and provide a supply of sand to the beach when erosion occurs. Non-native trees have been removed and replaced with low-lying indigenous plants that spread their root systems to hug the sand and protect the dunes from wind and ocean erosion.
Energy Conservation
High-Tech/Low-Energy
It’s really no big surprise why this year Honua Kai received Maui Electric Company’s largest ever rebate for energy savings. Some of the resort’s initiatives:
• Heat generated from the air conditioning cooling system is captured and used to heat the pool water.
• Honua Kai installed the solar powered restrooms at North Beach.
• The resort’s green compactor is only the second one on Maui, and is run on soy oil and solar power.
• The BOSCH appliances in each suite have the highest energy efficient ratings.
• The air conditioning system allows for the monitoring of every unit installed in the resort including suites via a central control, ensuring energy efficiency without sacrificing personal comfort.
• Honua Kai uses energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs wherever advisable.
Recycling
Honua Kai has established a recycling program that begins with training for all employees, and extends throughout the resort, including encouragement for guest participation. Other ways that Honua Kai practices and promotes recycling:
• Recycling centers are located throughout the resort, including the employee lounge, offices, public areas and each guest floor. These centers capture paper, cans, bottles and glass.
• Honua Kai partners with local company, Aloha Waste, to recycle aluminum, glass, plastic, green waste and paper.
• Biodegradable trash bags are used throughout the resort.
• Each guest floor also has a designated chute for trash, as well as a recycling center. This allows for guest participation. The “donations” go to the Resort Recycling Center where the trash is separated for recycling.
• The beach walk planks fronting the Resort, are made from 50-percent recycled and reclaimed plastic and 50-percent reclaimed wood. Using these materials significantly reduces landfill impact.
• The binder for the in-room compendium is made from 100-percent recycled materials.
In ways large and small, Honua Kai Resort & Spa is both cutting-edge and firmly grounded in local island values – because in Hawaii, to malama (care for) the environment is a tradition as solid as a sand dune – and as modern as Maui’s newest resort.
Green Clean
An information card is placed in every room to show guests how they can easily participate in Honua Kai’s environmental stewardship efforts. It explains why bed linens are changed every third day, and towels are changed upon guest request.
About Honua Kai Resort & Spa (http://www.honuakaimaui.com/) Honua Kai offers a uniquely contemporary Maui experience. Nestled on 38 oceanfront acres of Kaanapali’s pristine North Beach, the resort is designed as two U-shaped buildings with ocean and mountain views, lush landscaping and expansive open spaces. This openness is mirrored in each of the 628 guest suites (one-, two-, and three-bedroom) with professionally equipped kitchens, spacious and homelike floor plans, and luxury resort services. An imaginative aqua network of pools, hot tubs, natural pond bridges, waterslide, waterfalls and fountains allows for privacy and play.
Honua Kai Resort & Spa is opening in phases through early 2010:
OPEN – Hokulani building (318 guest suites, `Aina Gourmet Market, pool, fitness center, concierge desk, Family Fun Club, pool & beach activities operation) Late 2009 – Duke’s beachside restaurant Early 2010 – Konea building opens (310 guest suites, lobby café, two pools, spa)
For reservations and information, please contact a travel professional, or call the Resort directly at 1-888-718-5789 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hawaii Time, or visit www.honuakaimaui.com.
Source: www.hotelinteractive.com, Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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University of Hawaii-Maui Community College Selects American TeleCare for Allied Health Department's Nursing Telehealth Project
Minneapolis, MN and Kahului, HI (PRWEB) September 23, 2009 -- American TeleCare (ATI), Inc. announced that the Allied Health Department, University of Hawaii-Maui Community College (UH-Maui CC), Kahului, Hawaii, has selected ATI technology and services for Project OHANA (Online Health and Academic Network Access), its nursing telehealth project. American TeleCare pioneered telehealth-supported solutions for connected care. ATI solutions establish and sustain telemedicine monitoring and patient care, keeping patients connected to clinical expertise to improve health outcomes. With funding from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program, the UH-Maui CC Allied Health Department is undertaking their project to develop and evaluate best practices for the integration of telehealth in nurse training and clinical practice.
"Telehealth will be an important element of clinical practice for the nursing students we are educating today. In particular, telehealth extends the reach of community health and outpatient care in rural Hawaii," said Nancy Johnson, M.S.N., A.P.R.N., department chair, Allied Health, University of Hawaii-Maui Community College. "ATI offers us leading technology, expertise in training and experience in the design and implementation of telehealth programs."
"We built our knowledge base in telehealth training and clinical care over more than 15 years of working with more than 400 telemedicine sites," said Randy Moore, M.D., M.B.A., chief executive officer, American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI). "The Allied Health Department at UH-Maui CC is committed to formulating best practices for making telehealth a part of every nurse's training, and we look forward to contributing to (and learning from) Project OHANA."
The UH-Maui CC Allied Health Department is utilizing the inLife™ and LifeView™ Telehealth Systems from American TeleCare. Deployed in patients' residences, inLife™ Patient Stations are compact, easy-to-use monitors that gather and transmit both objective clinical data and subjective patient-reported information. The Patient Stations prompt patients to answer health questions and use the system's integrated medical peripherals (including ATI's patented CareTone® Telephonic Stethoscopes) to transmit their heart sounds, weight, blood pressure, pulse and blood oxygen levels. LifeView™ Patient Stations add interactive audio-video for televisits and video snapshot capture capability.
ATI system software provides a combination of visual and narrated instructions that guide patients through the process of taking their vital signs and other physiological measurements. The instructions also help them answer questions about their health conditions. Clinicians and care teams can program Patient Stations with customized medication reminders, health status questions, care step instructions and patient education messages tailored for individual patients.
About American TeleCare
Founded in 1993, American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI) is the pioneer in the development and deployment of telehealth-supported solutions for connected care. ATI solutions establish and sustain telemedicine monitoring and constant care of patients -- keeping them connected to expert clinical care to improve and maintain their health. In partnership with leading health care delivery systems, ATI organizes and supports interdisciplinary medical teams that extend clinical expertise to patients whenever and wherever it is required. ATI's partners achieve 65 to 95 percent reductions in emergency department and inpatient utilization for patients with the highest burden and complexity of disease. For more information, visit www.americantelecare.com. Then call 800-323-6667.
ATI is exhibiting at the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 10-14, 2009, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, Calif. ATI will be located a booth #1153.
Source: www.prweb.com, September 23, 2009
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Kula housing project gains a little ground
Maui Planning Commission members were unable to agree where to designate growth boundaries in South Maui, but they did make some progress in Kula.
The Kula Ridge housing project had both supporters and doubters before the planning commission.
Part of the project is supposed to be affordable, but some wondered how to ensure that it really turns out that way.
"Don't get into a project-review decision-making mode," advised Department of Planning Director Jeff Hunt, adding that downstream reviews of matters such as community plan designations can look at projects in detail.
"This is the beginning of a 125-hurdle process," said Chairman Wayne Hedani.
When it came to a vote, the controversial portion of Kula Ridge cleared its hurdle, with commission member Warren Shibuya dissenting over concerns about water and the adequacy of Lower Kula Road.
However, A&B Properties' bid to add 80 acres to 63 acres for residential development at Haliimaile failed.
Commission member Kent Hiranaga pointed out that the developer is going to provide water and sewage treatment anyway, so it would be financially helpful to expand the project.
"A&B is an agriculture company and a development company," he said. "If we want to allow them to continue the agricultural sector of their business, you need to allow some development. If you take away development, I believe you are jeopardizing the future of sugar cane.
"Then you will have lots of ag land to use for something."
However, farmers - organic and conventional - opposed taking prime agricultural land out of production, and on a split vote the 80 acres were excluded from the designated growth zone.
That Hiranaga moved to support an A&B proposal was ironic in light of earlier testimony.
The morning was spent in hours of testimony on all manner of subjects, not all of them closely connected to Monday's agenda.
Lucienne de Naie of the Hawaii Sierra Club made a bid that would have canceled pro-development votes by advising the commission to follow the practice of the General Plan Advisory Committee to have members recuse themselves on matters that would affect their interests financially, even if indirectly, to the extent of having hotel union members decline to vote on hotel projects because it might change the amount of hotel work.
Saying she was not picking on anyone in particular, she noted that Hiranaga had once worked for A&B.
Hiranaga, making an effort to control himself, told her that he had worked for A&B, until he was fired in 1995 "with two weeks' notice and two weeks' severance pay."
He told de Naie that if she imagines he still holds any fondness for A&B, "I think you are imagining it."
Mercer "Chubby" Vicens, retired from A&B and an advisory panel member, said de Naie was incorrect when she said the advisory committee had followed a policy of recusal.
Also making an effort to keep his temper, he said he was appointed by the mayor "to represent a faction of the community," and that he took pride in making decisions that would be "good for the community."
The commission has only three more meetings scheduled, of a total of 17, to wrap up its contribution to the General Plan revision. It has completed its policy statement and will meet again today in the Planning Department's conference room at Kalana Pakui.
The panel will continue making recommendations on growth boundaries, which make development easier in designated areas and more difficult outside them.
This is a new concept, and at times the commission was counseled not to get too wrapped up in which specific proposals are within a proposed boundary.
Source: www.mauinews.com, September 15, 2009
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