Because long-term housing for Tinian medical referral patients is “outside the scope” of its responsibilities, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. is urging Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan to seek assistance from the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.
Aldan wrote to CHCC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Esther L. Muna asking her to reconsider funding hotel accommodations for Tinian residents staying on Saipan while receiving medical treatment at CHCC.
Last month, Aldan said his office received billings from hotels where four of the 18 Tinian medical referral patients were staying.
The Tinian Mayor’s Office operates two medical referral lodging houses on Saipan: one facility with six rooms at the liaison office in Navy Hill (housing five patients), and the Medical Referral Center in As Lito (housing eight patients).
With both facilities full, three patients had to stay in low-cost hotels. Three are at Sunshine Garden in Susupe and one at Beach Garden in Garapan. Sunshine Garden charges $65 a day, while Beach Garden Hotel charges $85 per day.
The mayor said hotel owners were told to send billing to his office. He informed Muna that hotel accommodations “is the responsibility of the healthcare authorities, not the municipality,” and stressed that without proper funding, “the municipality cannot assume this financial burden.”
In her response, Muna said providing long-term housing is outside CHCC’s responsibilities. She expressed understanding of the challenges Tinian residents face, particularly those needing ongoing care such as dialysis treatment. CHCC, she wrote, acknowledges these difficulties and empathizes with their situation.
She encouraged Aldan to reach out to agencies specializing in housing social services, such as NMHC and DCCA, to explore assistance and grants.
In an interview Tuesday, Aldan maintained that housing assistance should be part of the Healthcare Network Program (formerly Medical Referral Program) administered by CHCC. The FY2026 budget allocates $1.2 million for HNP.
The mayor also said the Legislature must provide adequate funding to HNP for medical referral patients in the revised FY2026 budget.
