Tamuning
Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon ( ch, Tamuneng) is a village located on the western shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village of Tamuning is the economic center of Guam, containing tourist center Tumon, Harmon Indu ...
,
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
and is the public civilian hospital serving the island of Guam. The hospital has 158 licensed acute care beds, plus 40 beds at its off-site, long-term care Skilled Nursing Facility.
The hospital offers adult and pediatric medical services. These include 24-hour emergency services;
medical telemetry Biotelemetry (or medical telemetry) involves the application of telemetry in biology, medicine, and other health care to remotely monitor various vital signs of ambulatory patients.
Application
The most common usage for biotelemetry is in dedica ...
and progressive care; obstetrics, labor and delivery; nursery; catheterization lab (periodically with visiting cardiologists); orthopedic services; in-patient and out-patient surgery; intensive care (neonatal, pediatric and adult); skilled nursing care; laboratory and blood bank services; radiology, angiography, nuclear medicine and CT scan diagnostic services; pharmacy; respiratory care; renal dialysis; physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, cardiac rehabilitation and recreational therapy; dietetic services, patient education and social services; and pastoral care services.
History
Guam Memorial Hospital Authority was created prior to 1954 to administer and operate the Guam Memorial Hospital.Guam Memorial Hospital Authority /ref> Its operations represent a major change in the history of the government's role in delivery of medical care to the community. Historically, the
U.S
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. government provided free hospital and health care services to the people of Guam through
Naval Hospital Guam
United States Naval Hospital Guam is a U.S. Navy medical facility on the U.S. territory of Guam. It provides a broad range of medical services to active-duty U.S. military personnel under Joint Region Marianas. Besides the main hospital, the hospi ...
. The U.S. Naval forces assumed responsibility for the island's medical needs at the turn of the 20th century when the United States took formal possession of Guam.
These services continued with the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
's delivery of care after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, and culminated with their donation of the first hospital facility of the Government of Guam's Department of Public Health and Welfare in the postwar era.
This "Quonset Hut" facility was replaced in 1956 with the construction of the Guam Memorial Hospital at Oka Point which originally served as a nurse training facility and tuberculosis hospital.Guampedia, "U.S. Naval Era: Hospitals" /ref> As the need for hospital services increased, this Oka Point facility was renovated to serve as a 230-bed hospital that offered acute,
psychiatric
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial psy ...
and long-term care services.
In 1964, the Guam Memorial Hospital was established as a line agency of the Government of Guam's executive branch. Its creation separated hospital services from community health services provided by the Department of Public Health and Welfare Corporation. Thirteen years later in 1977, the Guam Memorial Hospital was created as a Public Corporation, and has since been operating as a "governmental, non-profit institution serving the people of Guam, " under the governance of a Board of Trustees.
Prior to August 19, 1983, Guam Memorial Hospital provided mental health services. On that day, the
Guam Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
The Guam Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (DMHSA, ch, Dipattamenton Salut Hinasso Yan Abuson Amot) is a government agency of Guam. The agency's main facility is located in Tamuning, across from Guam Memorial Hospital.The Joint Commission on July 9, 2010 after more than 2 decades without it. The hospital had lost its JCAH accreditation in 1983. GMH lost its JCAH accreditation again on 16 July 2018. As of 20 June 2019, the hospital is also under threat of losing its CMS Certification, the federal agency that funds Medicare and Medicaid.