July 30, 2009

Acting Governor Michael W. Cruz, M.D, announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of the Insular Affairs has awarded a grant of $286,657 to the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA). These Compact Impact funds will be used for the completion of an operational assessment and a feasibility study that will enable GMHA to become eligible for needed federal resources for the expansion of its facility.

“This grant will help our island’s only public hospital evaluate and strengthen its operations,” said Acting Governor Cruz. “The assessment is a segue for the hospital’s expansion, which will improve our ability to provide quality and accessible care to our patients and the community.”

 Last year Governor Felix P. Camacho and Lt. Governor Michael W. Cruz met with a financing team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to discuss opportunities for federal funding of public capital projects. USDA officials shared with the Camacho Administration that GMHA funding for capital projects could be considered if an operational assessment and a feasibility study on the hospital were conducted.

Funding for these projects was made available through the reprogramming of Compact Impact funds. The hospital could use the results of the operational assessment and the feasibility study to develop a master plan for GMHA to address critical needs of the hospital.