Republican caucus wants governor to declare emergency at Guam Memorial Hospital

Republicans at the Guam Legislature want the governor to declare a state of emergency at the Guam Memorial Hospital.  Resolution 215 was introduced today calling out the administration for their "lack of action in addressing the deteriorating, unsafe conditions of GMH and urges Governor Lou Leon Guerrero declare a state of emergency for the hospital". 

The GOP hoping that will then shift the resources necessary to mitigate the facility’s condition.

A joint statement from the republican caucus notes the broken HVAC systems, massive flood damage, the threat of electrical fires, a consistent shortage of basic medical and sanitary supplies.

The issue follows last week's GMH oversight hearing where the administrator Lilian Posadas walked out after a heated exchange with Senator Telo Taitague. 

The republic caucus states, “When we have nurses with direct connections to the administration speaking on the record, pleading for help to fix the deplorable conditions in which they must care for critically ill patients, we know we have to take action. This resolution and the declaration of the state of emergency is the first of many actions that must be taken in order to bring GMH above its current unacceptable condition.”

The resolution also states that more than $1 billion in resources and financial support through various federal relief programs since 2020 has made its way to Guam, raising serious questions about whether or not the federal dollars were properly utilized.

In response governor communications director Krystal Paco-San Agustin states, "Everyone knows GMH needs urgent help. But, this resolution is just like the republican approach to providing that help—it says a lot but does absolutely nothing. Six of the seven republicans in today’s legislature are veteran politicians who have served in that role years before—some going back to the '90s and early 2000s, yet not once did they call for a state of emergency when the Calvo administration lost GMH accreditation or the Camacho administration couldn’t afford epidurals. We need a new GMH. And the republican senators who have introduced this resolution also blocked the construction of a new hospital at the Eagles Field on property that the Department of Defense was going to lease to GovGuam at no cost. Now, DoD is going to use that property for something else and there is still no site for the construction of a new hospital. We call upon the republican minority to work with this administration and the democrat majority to find a new piece of land and help fund the construction of a new hospital. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has already evaluated the current hospital and determined that it would be more cost-effective to build a new one than to repair the existing one."