HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Following the introduction of legislation that would transfer the former headquarters of the Department of Public Health and Social Services to the Guam Community College, Speaker Therese Terlaje has introduced her own bill to reserve the property for immediate use by DPHSS.
Bill 222-37 would designate the use of Lot 2417-1-R7, the DPHSS property in Mangilao, to be consistent with the purpose of a central community health center, administrative office for DPHSS and any other related purpose approved by the governor.
“Lot No. 2417-1-R7 in the Municipality of Mangilao … is hereby reserved for the Department of Public Health and Social Services,” Bill 222 states.
The measure was introduced just a couple of days after Vice Speaker Tina Muña Barnes and Sens. Chris Duenas and Joe San Agustin introduced Bill 221-37. This bill would designate Lot 2417-1-R7 for the purpose of constructing a nursing annex for GCC’s nursing program and other allied health educational programs, as well as any other purpose approved by the GCC board of trustees. The measure would also transfer the property from DPHSS to GCC.
According to the findings and intent within Bill 221, the former DPHSS headquarters has been sitting idle in Mangilao since a reported electrical fire shut down the building in November 2019. It was subsequently deemed unsafe by the Guam Fire Department.
The findings also state that GCC’s contributions to improving health care on island are being obstructed by the depletion of its land inventory, including the loss of about 314 acres in the Radio Barrigada area due to Public Law 31-134. The previous headquarters of the public health department is an ideal location for GCC’s expansion efforts, the findings added.
Bill 222 doesn’t have a findings and intent portion. The Guam Daily Post asked the speaker why she introduced the measure.
“Bill 222 was introduced because nurses and other longtime Public Health employees, including the acting chief public health officer, have expressed great concern and pleaded for help because they are unable to provide the level of care and services that they were able to provide in their building in Mangilao. The building, with its millions of dollars of infrastructure, was equipped with (a) medical clinic, dental clinic, lab, and other services and was extremely convenient for the patients because of the multiple Public Health bureaus in that facility. These services were the backbone of our system of care and tremendously expanded the services of the northern and southern clinics. Our public health system as a whole has suffered greatly from the refusal to repair or rebuild and immediately resume critical health services in that facility,” Terlaje told the Post.
Both measures have been referred to the Legislature’s Committee on Health, Land, Justice and Culture, which is chaired by Terlaje.
On Thursday, the speaker’s committee conducted an oversight hearing on community health centers, as well as a public hearing on her Bill 209-37, which seeks to update the program, advisory council and duties of the council concerning community health centers.
