Dr. Johnsen's commitment to his patients during the Lahaina, Maui wildfires
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize my doctor, Samuel Johnsen, MD. My husband & I have been patients of his for several years now, and have always been very pleased with the care we receive from his and his office staff.
Earlier this year, our community in Lahaina, Maui was devastated by wildfires. We had no electricity for about 6 days; no internet service for close to a month; extremely limited text and cell phone capability for about two weeks. All the pharmacies; laboratories; doctor’s offices; etc. were either lost in the fire or shut down during the initial two weeks of the fire. Dr. Johnsen’s office was located right in downtown Lahaina and was destroyed in the fire.
This was a very traumatic and scary time for us, and I felt that Dr. Johnsen truly went over and above in keeping us updated on how to reach him; where we could still see him if we needed to; and even more important (at least for me personally at this time) was helping to get my prescription medications set up at alternate pharmacies on the other side of the island. I can’t begin to explain how stressful & overwhelming it was to realize that we could not access our prescriptions locally. I was having trouble with one of my prescriptions, as there was a nationwide shortage for this medication. I was unable to locate another pharmacy on the island that carried it, and Dr. Johnsen took the time out of his busy day to call around to numerous pharmacies until he found one that could get it in stock for me. Again, I cannot begin to explain how much relief this provided for me - as I was panicking about not being able to find it anywhere.
In addition, Dr. Johnsen set up regular automated voicemails for his patients to keep us updated about how we could reach him; what to do if we needed to see him; etc. He also made sure to let us know that all of the office staff were safe (many of whom are like “ohana” to us; the Hawaiian word for family). I was so grateful to know that Lala and Kayla were okay, as well as their families.
Dr. Johnsen also made sure to let us know we could reach out to him by text or email at any time for any questions; requests for prescription refills; etc., as the office telephone number was out of order for quite some time. I was going through quite a bit of stress and anxiety at this time, and I really appreciated knowing that I could text him with my worries, and he responded immediately to me each time I reached out to him.
Dr. Johnsen continued to keep us updated as things began to improve, and we are now able to see him in temporary offices back in Lahaina again. I have always been extremely pleased with the care we receive from Dr. Johnsen, but I felt that he really went above and beyond in making sure we knew he was there for our needs during this VERY difficult time for our community.