Court extends federal management team's authority

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Control of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse will not be turned back over to the government next week as planned.  District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall amended a previous order and extended the transition period until February of next year. With Mental Health director Wilfred Aflague's recent resignation, the court has yet to meet with the acting director Rey Vega to discuss his plans for implementing the amended permanent injunction.

As a result, the court has extended the transition leaving the federal management team in place until February 3. The court is scheduled to hold a status conference in mid-January to get up update on the department's progress.