Guam hospital gets a lifesaver; $40M rescue fund bill now at governor's desk after high drama subsides
- Admin
- Sep 11
- 3 min read
By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Guam senators on Thursday passed Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s proposal to appropriate $40 million to Guam Memorial Hospital, drawing on the general fund for urgent facility repairs and debt payments.
After a series of special sessions, 13 senators voted to pass the amended version of Bill 1(3-S). Sen. Therese Terlaje and Tina Muna Barnes were excused.
“This action is a positive and necessary step,” Leon Guerrero said, adding that the stopgap measure was just as “partial relief” for GMH and “not full resolution” to its perennial challenges.
Based on the amended Bill 1(3-S), the $40 million rescue fund would be pipelined straight to GMH instead of being directed to the Department of Administration first, as initially proposed by the governor.
Sen. Anthony Borja, who proposed the amendment, noted that while the administration had “valid points” for asking a direct appropriation to DOA, the hospital panel’s counterargument was equally sound.
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“GMH expressed that they prefer to receive the money directly so that they could use it as the fund becomes available to address the issues that they brought before us,” Borja said. “So, give the money straight to GMH rather than having it go to DOA and then transferring it.”
Sen. Jesse A. Lujan agreed. “The easiest way to get from point A to point B is a straight line,” he said.
Sen. Joe San Agustin seconded his colleagues’ arguments. “We remove the middlemen, it's done. Then we can deal with them in the future,” San Agustin said. “Let's trust the folks (at GMH). They've been working with whatever they got.”
Sen. Telo Taitague’s amendment—co-sponsored by San Agustin—would ensure that up to $10 million of the funds are immediately available when emergencies threaten the hospital’s essential systems.
Under the amendment, GMH can access $5 million for electrical system repairs and another $5 million for IT infrastructure upgrades when an emergency is declared.
“We cannot continue to allow GMH to be caught unprepared when its systems fail,” Taitague said. “This amendment gives the hospital the tools to respond immediately and protect patient safety when seconds matter.”
In a statement after the bill’s passage, the governor said the measure, which awaits her signature, will address urgent issues such as urgent facility repairs and payments of outstanding debts to vendors.
“These measures do not ‘save’ GMH,” the governor said. “They buy us some time to breathe—time we intend to use to protect patient safety, pay critical vendors, and keep essential services running while we pursue long-term solutions," Leon Gurrero said.
“Let’s pair this funding with the policy tools needed to manage the emergency responsibly and keep working toward a modern, reliable hospital our families deserve," she added.
Sen. Shawn Gumataotao said that while he was reluctant to “pour more money into GMH without a state of emergency declaration," he acknowledged the urgency of funding the hospital in the wake of a fire that hit the hospital’s pediatric unit last month.
“I recognize that resources are needed right now in FY 2025 to stabilize GMH operations and ensure facility repairs are made as soon as humanly possible,” Gumataotao said.
"Good medicine does happen there thanks to the professional and support staff - and community volunteers who have for many years offered their time, talents, and treasures to helping patients and families during some of their most challenging moments in life," Gumataotao said.
Meanwhile, Vice Speaker Anthony Ada introduces a resolution urging the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority to set aside 20 percent of Guam’s $500.8 million in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery funds to urgent repairs at GMH, Guam Department of Education schools and village facilities under the jurisdiction of village mayors.
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