A new GovGuam pilot project is set to launch at the beginning of February. The Guam Behavioral Health’s Smart Short Messaging System project hopes to improve access to mental healthcare. As Nick Delgado reports, local telecommunications companies met this week with the administration to explain the benefits to come.

Imagine you have an appointment set or need a reminder to pick up your prescription at Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center. Suddenly, you get a message on your phone alerting you to do just that.

Next month, the agency health will launch its smart short messaging system pilot project. Director Theresa Arriola says it’s a way to address longstanding challenges for their services by enhancing capacity to meet the needs of clients.

"You are waiving the fees and that’s what’s important," said Arriola. "Our consumers are already struggling with their lives and the fact that you are willing as a public service to waive the fees for their SMS communication with us when it comes to reminding them for medication ready for pickup or appointments forthcoming. Our goal is to reduce no show rate, keep our community and clients maintained for medication, and just keep things going."

If you’re worried about your private information, officials confirm the system features two-way, cyber secure health insurance portability and accountability or hippa compliant privacy.

GTA, Docomo Pacific, and IT&E have all decided to get involved. The companies agreed to offer an exemption to the agency and its clients by waiving long-distance fees. Officials note a limitation to using SMS in Guam is the reach-back connection to SMS aggregators in the U.S. and the application for long-distance charges to the user, which is roughly $0.05 to $0.10 per message.

Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio said, "This public-private partnership with our telecom providers is another example of good innovation." And Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said, "With our federal partners and this grant we were able to push it out into the community for the benefit of our people as we’ve always done for all out financial and federal assistance to our island."

The $281,000 pilot project was awarded to community connect labs and funded through the U.S. Department of Justice Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Grant. Arriola says the program will expand to include a variety of languages like CHamoru, Pohnpeian, and Chuukese.

The SMS program will also help the agency with Project Tulaika. Alyssa Roberto said, "Tulaika in our native language meaning change – we work with youth adults’ ages 16 – 25 hoping to make a seamless change in their lives in regards to transitioning into adult hood. So with this population of them experiencing high rates of homelessness, unemployment, struggling with education and also experiencing a mental illness, we really try to meet them half way."

The pilot program will begin on February 7.