A new medical complex or new Guam Memorial Hospital? Whatever it's called, it will be located along Route 15 in Mangilao, across the street from the Guam Power and Guam Waterworks building. The governor making the announcement from Adelup today joined by officials from the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority.

GHURA helped to secure the private property at $3.5 million. The governor projects Guam will have a new hospital in that central village as early as 2029.

"Mangilao, for sure!" Those are the words Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, confidently telling kuam during a tour at the GMH in September when asked the location for the new hospital. Her comment sparked more questions as to where for weeks. And today, that question was answered today during a press conference. The new hospital will be located next to Eagles Field.

“The property is 48 acres in Mangilao," she detaied, "the cost of the property was $3.5 million. It was appraised, and that was the value.”

GHURA is managing the acquisition of the private land under the estate of Catalina Eclevea Camacho. Specifically, the land is located across the GWA/GPA headquarters. The governor took this route after the legislature voted down two of her previous site picks - Eagle’s Field and Eda Agaga.

“We do not have to go to the Legislature for this property," Leon Guerrero stated. “As we understand, GHURA’s mandate is urban development and housing–and in their housing mandate, healthcare facilities is one of the authorities that they have.”

The courts approved the sale of the property last Thursday. The purchase she says will be finalized in the coming days. Now, plans for preparatory work like preparing the land, topography, and infrastructure, and getting an architectural and engineer firm are the next steps forward.

The maga'haga says this will give GovGuam a better idea of the actual cost of the hospital’s construction. “I am targeting to do this work by the end of this year–and just FYI, I know there’s been a lot of discussion on ARP monies–I do have about $120 million of ARP money that I have set aside–and I have argued incessantly that that should be for the beginning of the preparatory work and the beginning work of the preparatory work for a new hospital and construction," she said.

For now, Adelup is eyeing groundbreaking in the next year or a year-and-a-half, with hopes of a new hospital to be ready for Guam in four to five years. “There will be a hospital on our island that will meet the needs of medical care for our people," she concluded.

In the meantime, the current hospital is among the items to be discussed during emergency session tomorrow. The speaker called senators into session at 9am stating the urgency surrounds the Guam Memorial Hospital’s ability to provide critical services amid its dire financial situation, GDOE's critical need for funding which they testified is necessary to maintain safe and sanitary conditions for students, faculty and staff, the Guam Cancer Trust Fund underfunding for Fiscal Year 2025, which would result in significant gaps in the essential cancer services compared to FY'24, and other critical needs following the passage of the current budget law.

Emergency session begins at 9am.