THE Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation on Tuesday broke ground on a new facility that will house the CNMI’s first MRI machine and hyperbaric chamber — two critical pieces of equipment that can reduce the need for residents to seek treatment off island.
The facility will be built adjacent to CHCC’s north parking lot, with a construction deadline of July 18, 2026.
According to CHCC Chief Operations Officer for Ancillary and Support Services Jesse Tudela, the project will include a 4,300-square-foot facility to accommodate the MRI machine and hyperbaric chamber, as well as a 1,400-square-foot maintenance building. Other equipment to be installed include an 800-kilowatt generator, a reverse osmosis water system, a medical gas vacuum system, an oxygen generator and a fire pump — all to be housed in the maintenance building.
A grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, along with federal funds, will cover the cost of the facility and equipment. CHCC CEO Dr. Esther L. Muna added that the funding — worth over $2.8 million — will also defray one year of operational costs for the facility.
“We insisted that this grant include the operation, the staffing, the training that would be required to make sure that when we turn on that switch, you’re going to see it happen — you’re going to have the service,” Muna said. “This MRI is not going to sit there and not work. It’s going to be used because we want our population to be as healthy as can be, and to ensure safety, quality and generate revenue.”
Tudela said without an MRI machine, CNMI residents often face delays in diagnosis and treatment, as they must travel off island when doctors require MRI images. Patients are diagnosed elsewhere, then return to the CNMI for treatment.
He added that the hyperbaric chamber will allow doctors to prescribe wound therapy for diabetics. Inside the chamber, patients inhale nearly pure oxygen, which saturates the blood and increases oxygen flow to wounds — helping prevent amputations. The chamber can also treat scuba divers for decompression sickness, which occurs when nitrogen bubbles form in the blood. Currently, divers on island must be flown to Guam for treatment.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios called the groundbreaking “a transformative chapter in health care for our people.”
“For far too long … our residents have had to go off island, either to Guam or further — traveling sometimes thousands of miles — to receive diagnostic imaging that many communities in the mainland have taken for granted,” Palacios said. “The burden on families for those travels has included emotional, physical, and financial stress. Today, we take this step forward to ensure that our people have access to the care they deserve right here on Saipan.”
CHCC and CNMI officials break ground on a $2.8 million facility that will house the CNMI’s first MRI machine and hyperbaric chamber.
An artist’s depiction of a new CHCC facility that will house the CNMI’s first MRI and hyperbaric chamber machines.
A grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust as well as federal funds will pay for the new facility.
The new facility will be adjacent to the CHCC north parking lot. The construction deadline is July 18, 2026.
