HILO, Hawai'i — The network of state-run hospitals is planning a study of each of its dozen medical facilities to determine what steps it can take to limit earthquake damage.

Big Island hospitals were spared major structural damage in the 6.7-magnitude Kiholo earthquake on Oct. 15, 2006, but the 96-bed Kona Community Hospital emergency room had to be relocated to a tent outside the building after ceiling tiles and light fixtures fell during the shaking.

At Hale Ho'ola Hamakua long-term-care facility in Honoka'a, eaves collapsed and a broken water line flooded parts of the facility, prompting evacuation of patients to a nearby building.

Drywall cracked at the hospital and at the long-term care facility, air-conditioning ducts cracked or broke open, and equipment and supplies fell off shelves and out of cabinets.

Ronald Kurasaki, capital improvement projects coordinator for the Hawai'i Health Systems Corp., said the study will determine what steps the hospital system can take to prevent the kind of damage that occurred that day.

The study will not be a detailed evaluation of the concrete structures of the hospital but instead will focus on steps such as clips or bracing to reinforce the ceiling tiles, bracing to protect sprinkler systems and air-conditioning systems from the shaking, and ways to secure furniture and equipment, he said.

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday announced she had released $750,000 for the effort, which Kurasaki said includes money for the study and some design money for the corrective efforts.

The mitigation study will include state-run hospitals statewide and is scheduled to be completed in September 2008. The design phase of the effort is scheduled to be completed by September 2009.

"Hospitals need to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies," Lingle said in a written statement about the project. "This study will help to ensure that our public hospitals remain safe and operational during and after an earthquake so that doctors and staff can continue to care for patients in critical times of need."

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.