By Abigail Alosima, for KUAM News

Guam’s behavioral health system is facing a major funding setback after the Trump Administration ordered immediate cuts to federal grants supporting substance abuse and mental health programs. 

More than $6 million previously allocated to the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center has been terminated, placing critical services and nearly 20 local jobs at risk.

Nonprofit provider Westcare Pacific is also expected to lose about $1 million as a result of the cuts.

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero called the decision devastating and heartless, while Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio said the total loss could reach $6.6 million, threatening recent progress in treatment and prevention efforts.

The administration says it plans to temporarily replace the lost federal funds with local tax dollars to stabilize services, but that move will still leave GBHWC with a more than $1 million shortfall this fiscal year.

The governor is now urging Guam’s congressional delegate and the local legislature to help restore funding, warning that without long-term solutions, life-saving behavioral health services could be compromised.