Oprah Winfrey helped launch a $60 million disaster-relief fund for Maui wildfire survivors; in June 2026, a separate donation delivered a new CT scanner to Maui Memorial Medical Center for local patients

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has continued supporting residents of Hawaii’s Maui island, where devastating wildfires destroyed homes and displaced thousands of people in 2023. After joining actor Dwayne Johnson to launch the People’s Fund of Maui, which ultimately distributed $60 million to wildfire survivors, Winfrey made a separate contribution to healthcare in June 2026, helping Maui Memorial Medical Center acquire a new computed tomography (CT) scanner.According to Maui Health, the hospital system’s official announcement on June 12, 2026, Winfrey’s donation to the Maui Health Foundation made the advanced imaging equipment possible. The scanner was formally blessed during a ceremony on June 8, attended by Winfrey, members of the hospital’s imaging team and local spiritual leader Kahu Kimokeo Kapahulehua. The equipment is expected to strengthen access to diagnostic services for patients across Maui County.

New CT scanner aims to improve diagnosis and treatment

The new scanner at Maui Memorial Medical Center is designed to provide faster and more detailed medical images, helping physicians identify illnesses and make treatment decisions with greater precision. CT scans use X-rays and computer processing to produce detailed images of structures inside the body, helping doctors investigate injuries and diagnose a range of medical conditions. Maui Health said the new technology would help physicians diagnose and treat patients earlier and more accurately, while strengthening access to high-quality healthcare across the island county. The hospital’s imaging department will operate the equipment as part of its diagnostic services.The June 8 ceremony included a traditional blessing led by Kapahulehua. He blessed the scanner and the hands of the caregivers who would operate it, recognising the responsibilities of the imaging team in treating patients. Winfrey also joined the hospital staff during the event, marking the installation of equipment made possible by her contribution.The hospital expressed gratitude to Winfrey and her team for supporting the community’s healthcare needs. Neither the hospital’s announcement nor the local reports cited here disclosed the monetary value of her CT scanner donation.

How Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launched a $60 million relief fund

Winfrey’s latest contribution follows a major relief initiative launched after the August 2023 Maui wildfires. The fires devastated Lahaina, a historic town on the island’s western coast, and caused widespread destruction, deaths and displacement. Residents faced the immediate loss of homes and belongings, alongside the longer-term challenges of finding housing and rebuilding their lives. On August 31, 2023, Winfrey and Johnson announced the People’s Fund of Maui, initially committing $10 million of their own money and inviting others to contribute. The initiative was designed to provide direct financial assistance to adults who had been displaced by the fires in Lahaina and Kula, allowing survivors to decide how best to use the money according to their individual circumstances.Under the programme, eligible adults were offered $1,200 per month during the distribution period. Rather than restricting assistance to specific purchases, the fund gave recipients flexibility to cover expenses such as housing, bills, transport and other immediate needs.The Entertainment Industry Foundation, which administered the fund, later reported that $60 million had been distributed to more than 8,100 residents. The final amount was substantially higher than the initial $10 million commitment announced at the fund’s launch.

Direct payments offered survivors flexibility

The fund’s approach was based on the idea that people affected by a disaster should have the freedom to decide which expenses were most urgent for them. Its administrators worked with local community leaders and elders while establishing the initiative, with the aim of reaching people who had lost their homes or whose homes had become uninhabitable.An Associated Press report published in April 2024 documented how the assistance helped survivors manage expenses while dealing with the aftermath of the fires. Some recipients used the money towards mortgage payments and essential household costs, while others faced vehicle repairs and the financial pressures associated with rebuilding their lives. The report also highlighted the scale of the continuing crisis. Thousands of people had been displaced, and survivors continued to confront housing shortages, prolonged stays in temporary accommodation and the emotional toll of losing homes and community connections. The relief payments offered a measure of financial flexibility, but they could not resolve the broader challenges of recovery.

A separate contribution to Maui’s healthcare needs

Winfrey’s June 2026 donation to the Maui Health Foundation represents a separate form of support, focused on medical infrastructure rather than direct cash payments to wildfire survivors. The new scanner is intended to benefit patients across Maui County, not exclusively those affected by the fires.The donation also comes amid wider efforts to strengthen the island’s healthcare facilities. In September 2026, Maui Health Foundation announced that three donors had secured $4.1 million for a new MRI system at Maui Memorial Medical Center. The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation contributed $500,000 towards that project, alongside funding from the Stable Road Foundation and Maui residents Nan and Wayne Kocourek.