HONOLULU (May 7, 2025) – Navian Hawaii, a nonprofit leader in hospice and palliative care services, has received a $400,000 grant from the Zilber Family Foundation to expand its community-based palliative care (PC) program.
“With Hawaii’s aging population growing at an unprecedented rate, access to comprehensive palliative care has never been more important,” said Dan Haire, President and CEO of Navian Hawaii. “The generous support from the Zilber Family Foundation helps ensure that patients facing serious illness receive individualized care, comfort, and dignity, regardless of their ability to pay.”
Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for individuals with serious illnesses by addressing pain, symptoms, emotional distress, and advance care planning. Despite its proven ability to enhance patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary hospital visits, palliative care remains underfunded and underprioritized across the healthcare system.
Navian Hawaii’s palliative care program bridges this critical gap by offering personalized care plans based on each patient’s health needs, in-person visits delivered by an interdisciplinary team of advanced practice registered nurses, physicians, registered nurses, and social workers, and 24/7 nurse triage access for timely support.
Hawaii is now the oldest state in the nation, with 20 percent of Oahu’s population already over the age of 70, a figure expected to climb to 35 percent within the next decade. This demographic shift means that Oahu will have more than 350,000 residents over the age of 70 within the next decade, dramatically increasing the demand for serious illness and palliative care services.
“The Zilber Family Foundation is proud to support Navian Hawaii’s efforts to expand access to compassionate palliative care,” said Lianna Bishop, Executive Director. “This program fills a critical need and ensures that patients and families receive the support they deserve during challenging times.”
The grant will help Navian Hawaii meet key goals over the next two years, including providing palliative care services to at least 500 underserved patients annually, investing in professional training in palliative care delivery for healthcare providers, and conducting public education sessions to raise awareness of the benefits of palliative care.
Navian Hawaii also plans to present statistical outcomes demonstrating that community-based palliative care improves patient health and reduces healthcare costs, an essential step toward securing broader healthcare system support for these services.
“Without adequate reimbursement models for palliative care, Navian Hawaii has historically subsidized its PC program through hospice service revenue, a practice that, without additional support, risks the future scalability of these services,” added Haire. “Thanks to the Zilber Family Foundation’s support, we will not only sustain but expand our palliative care services to meet the growing needs of Hawaii’s aging community.”
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About Navian Hawaii
Originally established in 1979 as Hospice Hawaii, Navian Hawaii works to provide care for every life journey for patients of all ages. The non-profit organization offers Palliative Care for those with serious but treatable illnesses, and Hospice Care for those near their journey’s end. In line with its mission to bring hope, reduce fears, and impact lives, Navian Hawaii is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of professionals and trained volunteers who meet the physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of patients and families in the comfort of their own home or any location they call home, including the Navian Hawaii Kailua Hospice Home. For more information, visit NavianHawaii.org.