If we build it, they must come.

That's the critical issue facing local leaders who are deciding not if we need a new hospital, but where it will be located

Representing the administration at an oversight hearing on the feasibility of Ypao Point was acting CHamoru Land Trust Commission Director John Burch, a late substitute for the recently retired Alice Taijeron.

He says members of the previous 36th Guam Legislature already seemed to rule out that location as too small as senators and the governor unanimously decided that Guam should build a state-of-the-art medical campus to house all health care agencies.

"The health care center would position Guam as the regional health care hub of Micronesia fostering opportunities for medical training, tourism and enhanced medical professional services throughout the entire region," Burch said. "Aside from the pandemic, which further underscored the need for improved healthcare facilities, there are no apparent reasons to deviate from the intent of the 36th Guam Legislature."

But dr. Jonathan Thorpe of the Seventh-day Adventist Clinic says guam doesn't need such a massive medical campus.

The new hospital could easily be built at Ypao Point, and the current location could continue to house the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center and more.

"We have a good facility there there's room for expansion there," Thorpe questioned. "Why do we need to expand it out? The adjacent nature of the behavioral health to either the Ypao Point or the existing facility is not too far to transport a patient. On that point I would make the point that you have the existing Guam Memorial Hospital facility that would not necessarily need to be completely condemned but would work very well as a public health facility and a cdc lab. So again why are we spending limited dollars that eventually have to come out of our pockets as taxpayers to build this massive campus where we're replicating and duplicating structures that we already have in place?"

Also supporting Ypao Point was Dr. Thomas Shieh.

"Ninety percent of current medical clinics are within ten minutes of Tamuning, and Shieh says that proximity to the hospital saves lives.

He quotes the administration's own report by consultant matrix, which he says favors Ypao Point by a wide margin.

"Look at 0 to 10 minutes, you got almost 36,000 population of patients that have direct access within 10 minutes," Shieh said. "If you have a heart attack, you're in labor, you're bleeding, trauma you're gonna need access. You got 36,000 of the population there. Now even if you go 20 minutes Ypao Point is still higher. When you look at this next one, this is talking about Adacao, this is what Adelup is focusing on, they're saying we're gonna build it out there because it's better for patients' access. No, it's not according to that $6 million study. Read it. Ten minutes, it's only 13,000 people accessible at eight percent of the population."

With the pros and cons of Ypao Point now laid out, another hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1. This one on the governor's choice of crown land in Barrigada.