Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician, have donated $1.8 million to help Kauai’s Wilcox Medical Center make a $4 million upgrade to one of its two CT scan machines.

The gift marks the couple’s fourth major donation to the island’s largest medical center. Their past contributions supported telemedicine initiatives, Covid-19 relief and the renovation of the Wilcox Emergency Department and Trauma Center.

The couple owns roughly 1,400 acres on Kauai’s north shore.

Replacing equipment installed in 1999, the new CT scanner will help detect and monitor diseases and conditions, such as cancer and heart disease, and diagnose muscle and bone disorders, like fractures and bone tumors. The new technology is faster and requires a lower dose of radiation.

The hospital conducts about 11,000 CT scans annually.

Help Power Local, Nonprofit News.

Across the nation and in Hawaii, news organizations are downsizing and closing their doors due to the ever-rising costs of keeping local journalism alive and well.

While Civil Beat has grown year over year, still only 1% of our readers are donors, and we need your help now more than ever.

Make a gift today of any amount, and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $20,500, thanks to a generous group of Civil Beat donors.

About the Author