Kapi`olani Medical Center dates its origin back to 1890 when Queen Kapi`olani, who, in order to provide better natal care for mothers and their babies, established a maternity home that bore her name. The queen endowed her legacy with the motto, "Kulia I Ka Nu'u" or "Strive for the Highest," a motto which the medical center continues to uphold.
Today, the center's mission is to develop and promote state-of-the-art health care services and programs dedicated to enhancing the health and well being of the people of Hawaii, the Pacific Basin, and Pacific Rim.