Senators Press Guam Memorial Hospital on $28M Operations Shortfall; Amendment Would Shift $3.65M from DOC

A Committee of the Whole hearing on Monday focused on the fragile finances of Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH) and a proposed amendment to redirect $3,650,000 from the Department of Corrections (DOC) to the hospital’s general fund.

Senator Sabrina Salas Montanani proffered amendment SSM L18P40 to increase the GMH general‑fund appropriation by $3,650,000 and remove the same appropriation from DOC, saying the change would “ensure that these funds are allocated efficiently and used specifically for the hospital’s needs, bypassing potential delays or misallocations within the Department of Corrections budget.” The amendment was read and discussed but not voted on by the end of the transcripted session.

Why it matters: GMH officials told senators the hospital faces a multi‑part shortfall that they say threatens payroll, vendor payments and facility upkeep. Hospital witnesses described large outstanding receivables, utility arrears, and capital needs while urging the legislature for immediate and sustained support to keep inpatient services running while a new hospital is planned.

Most important facts

- GMH officials said social‑case receivables total about $55,000,000 and that roughly 20 inpatients qualify as “social cases” (patients who remain in hospital care for non‑medical reasons). GMH described a per‑patient room and board charge of about $2,000 per day, which totals roughly $40,000–$50,000 per day for the current social‑case census. The transcript identified the social‑case count as “about 20, 21” patients.

- Utilities arrears reported to the committee: power about $1,600,000 (owed from January to the current month) and water about $250,000…