THE Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation is looking forward to working with the new administration of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, said CHCC Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna.
“We have a need, we’ve expressed our need, we’re going to express our need…and [we will] work together with them,” she said.
These needs include the 17% local match for Medicaid.
“It’s not necessarily all about money,” Muna said. “Sometimes a lot of it has to do with policy changes, so I’m hoping that we can see some of those policy changes that really help the health system and the health overall in the CNMI.”
Muna said CHCC has also met with the Palacios-Apatang administration’s transition team assigned to the healthcare corporation.
She said the transition team looked for data and numbers.
“You want to make sure they go straight to the management, so they’ve been really interviewing the management, and I think they’re done. It is what it is,” said Muna.
In its Fiscal Year 2022 Citizen-Centric Report, CHCC said it plans to move primary clinics into a new facility to clear space in the current facility for modernization and expansion of the emergency department and hospital units.
CHCC said moving the emergency and radiology departments to the northern wing of the Navy Hill facility will open up space for expansion and renovation of hospital wards.
A multi-level parking structure has also been proposed to accommodate future expansion of services. The structure would connect to the hospital’s main building, particularly the dietary unit on the first floor and the Intensive Care Unit on the second floor.
In addition, CHCC is also looking into providing a drive-thru option for its outpatient pharmacy.
CHCC’s Citizen-Centric Report did not mention the cost of these projects and the funding source.
To view the full CHCC’s FY 2022 Citizen-Centric Report, visit https://www.opacnmi.com/oockuvoa/2022/12/Commonwealth-Healthcare-Corporation-FY-2022-CCR.pdf
