By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Springing a surprise announcement, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero today said a new hospital will be built in Mangilao, dropping a hint that a deal has been sealed and a groundbreaking will happen sooner than expected.
“It’s in the works. Be ready to cover it,” the governor told reporters during the public unveiling of the new Angiosuite at Guam Memorial Hospital.
While declining to provide details, the governor confirmed that the remaining $100 million from the American Rescue Plan will partially cover the project.
“It is going to be obligated. Nothing is going to go back (to the federal government),” the governor said, referring to the ARP grant that is set to expire on Sept. 30.
“When a woman says she will do something, she will do it,” Leon Guerrero added.
The administration’s initial plan to build a new medical complex at the defense-owned Eagles Field property in Mangilao had received a lukewarm response from senators, who demanded more transparency with her agreement with the Navy.
The Eagles Field option was eventually aborted following the Navy’s withdrawal of the lease agreement, which Attorney General Douglas Moylan refused to sign.
The governor later proposed the Adacao area in Mangilao, but the new proposal was thumbed down by the legislature and the medical sector.
In May, the governor enlisted the Guam Housing and Urban Authority's assistance in acquiring a piece of property on Mangilao, offering a $10 million loan using the ARP.
Adhering to the medical sector’s recommendation, the legislature passed a bill designating Oka Point in Tamuning as the site of a new hospital. The governor vetoed the proposal, which failed to get the required number of votes for a sduccessful override.
Some senators suggested that the administration forego its plan to construct a new medical campus and focus instead on improving GMH.
Leon Guerrero said the administration has been investing resources into GMH, including $20 million in ARP money earmarked for GMH’s capital improvement projects.
“Just because the life of the building is five years or more—which is sinking down because five years was like three years ago— doesn't mean you don't improve yourself,” she said.
The new $2 million Angiosuite, funded through a grant from the Department of the Interior, was the latest addition to GMH assets.
“You have to continue improving in all areas— nursing, allied health, doctors, ancillary people, radiologists, physiotherapy, everything— to provide that care for our people,” the governor said.
"So even if we build the new hospital, this will go into the new hospital. We need to meet the needs right now, and we are going to make sure that that happens," she added.
Just the same, Leon Guerrero said she is “very adamant about building a new hospital.”
Plans are afoot as well for the possible utilization of the existing GMH when a replacement facility is built.
“There are plans for (Guam Community College) to take it over so they can provide facilities for medical training and healthcare training,” said Lilian Posadas, GMH administrator.
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