Honolulu psychiatrist Dr. Chad Koyanagi, known for taking his practice straight to the streets and pushing Hawaii to rethink crisis care, has been named one of this year’s winners of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Exemplary Psychiatrist Award. The honor recognizes his years of work with people experiencing homelessness, psychosis and other barriers to traditional care, and spotlights his role in building Hawaii’s first Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Iwilei. Advocates say his show-up-in-person approach has helped reshape the local crisis system and expand options beyond hospital emergency rooms and jail cells.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness included Koyanagi among 13 recipients of its 2026 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, according to NAMI. The winners were featured during NAMICon, the group’s national convention held in late May.
State officials say Koyanagi, who serves as the Hawaii Department of Health’s Crisis Continuum and Medicaid Services medical director, played a key role in shaping the Iwilei center’s trauma-informed approach and operational policies, according to a Hawaii Department of Health news release. The department describes the site as a short-term, sub-acute facility that stabilizes people in crisis and quickly connects them with housing, treatment and community services.
“Dr. Chad does work most people could never imagine doing,” Anisa Wiseman, deputy director of NAMI Hawaii, told Hawaii News Now. Wiseman credited his persistence and compassion, saying he keeps showing up for people the rest of the system often overlooks.
Local reporting has followed Koyanagi’s street psychiatry over the years, including visits to encampments and rapid interventions that can divert people from jail or emergency rooms, according to Honolulu Civil Beat. Civil Beat’s coverage highlighted several cases in which his efforts led to short-term stabilization and links to housing and long-term care.
What the Award Recognizes
NAMI describes the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award as honoring psychiatrists who expand access to care, advocate for funding and help design state and local mental health systems, according to NAMI. This year’s class spans settings from community clinics to telepsychiatry and crisis services, reflecting a broader push for treatment that meets people where they are instead of waiting for them to show up at a hospital.
How the Iwilei Center Fits In
The Department of Health reports that the Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Iwilei operates with 16 initial observation beds and, at full capacity, nine stabilization beds. It is staffed by psychiatrists or APRNs, nurses, case managers and peer specialists, with annual operating costs estimated at about $6.7 million. Officials say the model is built around brief stabilization and rapid connections to follow-up services in order to cut down on repeat ER visits and arrests, according to the state release.
Local Legacy
The Iwilei center runs out of the Iwilei Resource Center at 806 Iwilei Road in Honolulu. The program is operated by CARE Hawaii and is listed with accreditation and program details at CARF. Koyanagi was one of 13 physicians honored at NAMICon; Hawaii News Now notes that the last Hawaii psychiatrist to receive the Exemplary Award was Dr. Denis Mee-Lee in 2015.
Advocates say the national recognition underscores both the progress and the remaining gaps in Hawaii’s crisis system, and it is fueling calls from providers and policymakers to replicate the Iwilei approach on other islands. Local leaders and clinicians point to awards like this as evidence that the state’s investments in crisis centers and street outreach are starting to change how people in psychiatric emergencies are treated.
