by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - Following trends in the U.S. mainland, Bill 73 was introduced and had a public hearing today. The legislation was rename the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse to the Guam Behavioral Health Center. The legislation was introduced at the request of the agency's director Rey Vega and federal management team Dr. James Kiffer.

"We want to provide the services to our consumers in the most appropriate environment without the feeling of disgust and shame; I believe that a name carries a lot of weight people can form an opinion with such a name as substance abuse and mental health," he said.

The name change would do away with the negative stigma associated with the agency's current name. Vega recommended adding the word "wellness", so that the name would actually be changed to the Guam Behavioral and Wellness Center.