Experience Hawaii's best healthcare at Straub Clinic & Hospital

Overview

Straub and its physicians are dedicated to giving you the best healthcare experience in Hawaii. We are guided by the principle of Alapono, which means "the path to well-being through better health." At Straub, no matter what the reason for your visit, you can be sure that you will experience excellence from the moment you book your appointment.

Straub cares for and comforts patients throughout the state. Straub welcomes all patients and welcomes referrals from all physicians. And, with manyclinic locations, a visit to Straub is always convenient to your home or office.

Our patient-focused mission began when renowned physician Dr. George F. Straub brought a distinguished team of medical specialists together in 1921 to form what was called "The Clinic."

To meet the health care needs of a growing state, Straub expanded its services and facilities, opening the hospital in 1973 and establishing a network of neighborhood clinics on Oahu, Lanai, and visiting specialists on the Big Island. Today, Straub offers you the services of nearly 200 physician specialists.

Comprehensive, well-coordinated health care is what we promise you. Straub's skilled physicians, new technologies and innovative programs, all respond directly to your unique health care needs.

Straub physicians are leaders in their fields, introducing many medical firsts to Hawaii that directly benefit, you, the patient. Some of these firsts include minimally-invasive open heart surgery and the use TPA, a clot dissolving drug that can greatly benefit many stroke patients.

Straub is a complete health care system, which means the primary care physicians, specialist physicians, clinics and hospital are all part of the same organization. This is important because it ensures that patients' medical histories always travel with them, and that their care is comprehensive and continuous.

History of Straub

Straub Clinic & Hospital was founded in 1921 as "The Clinic" by Dr. George F. Straub. Dr. Straub was educated in Germany and came to practice in Hawaii in 1907. In 1910, he conceived the idea of forming a group of physicians to provide better, more specialized care for his patients. It, however, took over 10 years to bring this idea to fruition.

The first step in 1912 was the construction of a wood frame building at 410 South Beretania Street. Here, Dr. Straub established his office on the first floor and his home on the second. By 1916 his practice had grown to the point that he recruited an assistant, Dr. Guy C. Milnor. Looking to the future, Dr. Straub began to envision a clinic providing specialized care in five major fields of medicine: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Internal Medicine, ENT, and Clinical Pathology. To this end, he next enlisted Dr. Arthur Jackson, a specialist in internal medicine in 1920 and the group carried on for a short time as Straub, Milnor, and Jackson.

In the latter part of 1920, Dr. Howard Clarke resigned his commission in the United States Army and joined as a specialist in Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat. Dr. Eric A Fennel also left the Army about this time and joined the group as pathologist.

In January, 1921, the five founding partners formally organized themselves as a legal partnership. At Dr. Straub's insistence the group he founded did not bear his name, and it was to be known simply as "The Clinic".

Dr. Harry L. Arnold, Sr., specialist in internal medicine and radiology, joined The Clinic in 1921. Dr. Joseph E. Strode, a general surgeon, joined in 1922, and Dr. Joseph Palma, a pediatrician, joined in 1924.

Dr. Straub's influence on "The Clinic" was profound and distinctive. His favorite mottoes were, "To win the race or die running", and "Take care of patients and they will take care of you". Another motto derived from his name was, "Such true rivalry as unity begets".

In 1952, after years of success and growth, "The Clinic" was renamed "Straub Clinic" in honor of Dr. Straub. Dr. Straub died in May, 1966.

In the time since Dr. Straub's death, there have been major and dramatic changes at Straub. A brief chronology of these events includes:

Straub merged with Kapi'olani and Wilcox under the parent company Hawaii Pacific Health on December 21, 2001. Hawaii Pacific Health is committed to provide the highest quality health care and services to the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Region.

The merger of Straub, Wilcox and Kapi'olani formed one of the largest health care delivery systems in Hawaii with the financial strength for continued investment in our hospitals and medical groups including new medical services and technology. As a combined organization, Hawaii Pacific Health has realized economies of scale and operational efficiencies necessary for hospital and physician organizations such as Straub to continue to provide the people of Hawaii with the best in health care.