The government of Guam is expected to officially obtain by the end of the year the right to use Eagles Field in Mangilao, the proposed site of the government’s new hospital project, according to Lilian Perez-Posadas, CEO of the Guam Memorial Hospital.
Perez-Posadas said the Department of Navy has agreed to grant GovGuam a license for property use by December.
“It is centrally located so it will be accessible to people,” Perez-Posadas said in her presentation before the Rotary Club of Northern Guam during the group’s virtual meeting Wednesday.
“I know there are concerns regarding this location because it belongs to the military, but the military has given their commitment that they will give GovGuam the license to use that land for building a new hospital and medical campus,” she added.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ 2019 study estimated the project to cost $743 million.
Perez-Posadas, however, said the costs of the construction have gone up since the study was released, necessitating adjustments to the cost estimate.
“We are looking at about $800 million,” she said. “It’s not a cost; it’s an investment, a down payment for the future of Guam. Imagine our children not having to leave the island for medical treatments.”
Giving the Rotarians a preview of the plan, Perez-Posadas said the proposed medical facility that will replace GMH will have between 250 and 300 acute care single-room inpatient beds
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It will be designed as a three-storey building with one or two-storey underground for employee parking, communications/command centers, IT/MIS, auditorium & training rooms, materials management and a warehouse.
In a separate building adjacent to the hospital, there will be an annex for outpatient clinics. This building extension will be used for cardiology, IV infusion, oncology, orthopedic, post-surgery, primary care, pulmonary care and rehabilitation therapy.
As for the current GMH facility, Perez-Posadas said the Guam Economic Development Authority has commissioned a study to determine the best alternative use for the existing building, which she said can be converted into an assisted-living facility.
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