By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

HEART specialists from the Valley Hearts Associates Medical Team began performing diagnostic testing and angiogram procedures for cardiac patients and conducted an advanced training course for nurses at the Guam Memorial Hospital upon arriving on island yesterday.
The team, led by Guamanian surgeon Dr. Noel Concepcion, will be on island throughout the week to provide clinical and diagnostic services as part of GMH’s Heart Project. Acting Gov. Mike Cruz, a surgeon himself and who heads the administration’s healthcare initiatives, is hosting the group.
“The specialized life-saving services these doctors bring to the people of Guam are extraordinary. Their work has already saved lives and restored hope for so many families,” Cruz said.
Concepcion is accompanied by Dr. John Merilat, Dr. Melissa Pearce and Dr. Andy Ward. The medical team, based in Modesto, California, last visited Guam in September last year, and performed about 20 cardio catheterizations and open-heart surgeries at GMH. The team first came to Guam two years ago.
Also yesterday, members of the team concluded a training course for local nurses on performing the intra-aortic balloon pump procedure, which is critical for stabilizing cardiac patients who require surgery off-island.
“Our nurses are taking a tremendous step forward in their profession while carrying out our mission to strengthen the island’s healthcare system,” Cruz said. “This training gives them the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills and, more important, they are helping to save lives.”
The Valley Hearts Team is scheduled to return to Guam in April to perform open-heart surgeries.