by Krystal Paco

Guam - The Urgent Care Planning Committee continues to iron out the details for the new department at the Guam Memorial Hospital.

At today's meeting, members talked possible hours of operation as well as possible locations, including the temporary ICU at roughly 2,600 square feet.

According to GMH administrator Joseph Verga, the new department will alleviate the waiting times at the overburdened ER.

"We expect that most of the people that visit the ER are not truly emergencies a lot of the people that visit there can be taken care of at an urgent care setting and if we're successful at educating the public the way we hope to be, there should be a lot less people visiting the ER," he said.

Meanwhile, GMH chief financial officer Alan Ulrich says from budget to staffing, data will drive the numbers.

As we reported yesterday, the Department of Administration cut the first check to go towards the establishment of the urgent care facility. The revenues are a result of Public Law 32-60 which collects taxes and license fees from Guam gaming activities throughout villages as well as helps to operate an urgent care facility at the hospital.