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About GMHA |
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History |
Hospital Today
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Mission
Statement |Confidentiality
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Distance
Education |
Telemedicine
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New Programs
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The Future of
GMHA |
Tele-Echo
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Twenty-Three
Hour Services |
Health Education
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Alternate
Birthing |
Rooming-in
Services |
Our
History
The Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA) is a
semi-autonomous Government of Guam agency that was
created in 1964 to administer and operate the Guam
Memorial Hospital. 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. government provided free
hospital and health care services to the people of
Guam. 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's delivery of care after World War II,
and culminated with their donation of the first
hospital facility of the Government of Guam's
Department of Public Health and Welfare in the 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. As the
need for hospital services increased, this Oka Point
facility was renovated to serve as a 230-bed
hospital that offered acute, psychiatric 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.
The
Hospital Today
top
The Guam Memorial Hospital's bed capacity is
currently 208 beds; 159 acute care beds, 16
bassinettes, and 33 long-term beds located in our
Skilled Nursing Facility. The availability of beds
for actual admissions, however, varies from time to
time in accordance with the availability of fully
trained and licensed staff.
The hospital provides all customary acute care
services and certain specialty services. These
include adult and pediatric medical services;
inpatient and outpatient surgery; intensive care
(neonatal, pediatric and adult); skilled nursing
care; laboratory and comprehensive blood bank
services; radiology, nuclear medicine and CT scan
diagnostic services; pharmacy, respiratory care;
renal dialysis; physical, occupational, speech,
language pathology and recreational therapy;
dietetic services and 24-hour emergency services.
Other modalities available on site includes MRI and
a cath lab. The hospital currently has the
capability of tele-radiology for CT scans to allow
discussion of cases with Hawaii physicians via a
tele-network. Cardiac diagnostic studies can also be
performed at GMH then reviewed by a cardiac
intervention list or surgeon for possible
treatment.
GMH is presently certified by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS) formly known
as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA),
and its Blood Bank is accredited by the American
Association of Blood Bank (AABB). Its mammography
machine is also certified by the American College of
Radiology.
We realize that being
ill may be a difficult and unpleasant time in your
life. Being ill disrupts your life and takes you
temporarily away from doing the usual things you
enjoy. Every member of our hospital family is at
your service. All our doctors, nurses and support
staff are dedicated to serving you.
Mission Statement
top
" We are committed to excellence in healing and
caring for the people of our community".
Patient Privacy &
Confidentiality
GMHA is
committed to maintaining strict patient privacy and
confidentiality at all times. If you feel your
privacy has been violated, please report it to our
Guest Relations Coordinator/Patient Privacy
Advocate, Ms. Maria Perez at (671) 647-2443, email
maria.perez@gmha.org
or our HIPAA Privacy Officer, Mr. Tony
Lorenzo at (671) 649-2249, email
tony.lorenzo@gmha.org.
For more information, please refer to the Notice of
Privacy Practice posted throughout the hospital.
Copies may be obtained from Patient Registration or
any of the nursing units.
Distance Education
top
Since April 2001,
GMHA has been offering TeleCME, a distance education
program that provides continuing education
activities and credits for physicians, nurses, and
other healthcare professionals. Participants access
medical conferences and grand rounds anywhere in the
world, through real-time, interactive
video-conferencing.
In these difficult
times, TeleCME is a great opportunity offered to all
medical personnel, not only at GMH, but also from
Public Health, Naval Hospital, and other local
healthcare agencies, to maintain and improve their
skills and keep abreast from medical updates,
without requiring off-island travel.
By the end of 2002,
Kapi'olani Medical Center in Hawaii is expected to
join the program, and offer weekly Pediatrics and
Ob-Gyn grand rounds.
Telemedicine /
Teleradiolgy
top
At the core of GMHA
Radiiology Department lies a digital PACS (Picture
Archiving and Communications System), that collects
and archives most of the radiographic images
acquired at GMHA, such as Computed Radiography
(x-rays), Computed Tomography (cat-scan),
ultrasound, angiography, flouroscopy, and nuclear
medicine. All these modalities are being stored as
digital files on a state-of-the-art computer system
capable of archiving up to seven years of images in
a space smaller than an office refrigerator.
Having all Images
stored as files instead of printed films allows for
easy 24x7 access and retrieval throughout the
hospital, and reduces delays and risks of lost or
misplaced films. In emergency situations where a
few minutes saved can make the difference between
live and death, radiologists can access the system
from their home, even in the middle of the night,
and quickly retrieve the latest images to make their
preliminary assessment.
All these digital
images can be transmitted electronically and
securely to off-island specialists in partnering
medical centers to get a second opinion on difficult
cases. On a typical month, two to eight emergency
cases are actually referred to off-island neuro-surgeons
or to Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. Thanks
to the teleradiology, these patients get evaluated
quickly, and for some of them, it probable will save
their life!
By the end of 2002,
GMHA PACS should receive additional upgrades to
expand availability on-site and to comply with
upcoming federal privacy and security regulations
from the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)
New Programs and
Services
top
GMHA now offers
cardiac rehabilitation for patients with
pre-operative and post-operative care in and
in-patient and out-patient setting. This
rehabilitation aims to provide both preventative and
wellness programs and encompasses all phases of
acute cardiac rehabilitation. Through tele-medicine
and tele-radiology, access and consultation with
specialists off-island are not possible. Our
Radiology Department is almost complete in its
transformation to a filmless department. Thus, all
images, including CT, MRI, ultrasound, angiography,
and echocardiography may be transmitted immediately
to any major medical institution in Hawaii or on the
Mainland. GMHA entered into a new era in the area
of cardiology this past year. New services include
thallium stress imaging, and transesophageal
echocardiography. A state-of-the-art Cardiac
Angiography suite introduced diagnostic cardiac
angiograms to the services available. Our
Orthopedic Program expanded to include elective hip,
knee joint, and shoulder replacements.
THE FUTURE OF GUAM MEMORIAL
HOSPITAL
With the investment
and upgrading of the equipment and technology at
GMHA, there are numerous opportunities to attract
and provide additional specialty services. Such
areas include gastroenterology, urology, neurology,
advance cardiology, orthopedic and gerontology
services.
Tele-Echo-Cardiography
top
In 2003, GMHA will
be starting a tele-echocardiography program with
Kapi'olani Medical Center, thanks to a grant from
the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Until
now, pediatric patients, especially babies, who
needed echocardiograms had to wait over a week to
get results from a pediatric cardiologists in
California.
With
Tele-echocardiography, this delay will be reduced to
24 hours or less. In addition to the potential
improvement from earlier diagnosis and treatment,
families will be able to take their babies and
children back home sooner, and ultimately save
thousands of dollars in extended hospital stays.
Twenty-Three Hour Observation
GMHA's implementation of the Twenty-Three Hour
Observation Service allows placement of patients in
an appropriate nursing unit for observation not to
exceed 23 hours. The 23-hour observation is a short
stay in the hospital to enable your doctor to order
additional tests, and/or to observe your response to
any treatment which you are given. As a 23-hour
observation patient, you will be provided with
appropriate care. If it is decided that you require
services/observation for more than 23 hours you will
be admitted as an in-patient.
Patient/Family
Health
Education
top
The Guam Memorial Hospital Authority Education
Department, in cooperation with the physicians,
nurses, and professional support services staff,
provides patient/family health education for the
following diseases and healthcare issues:
Cancer(including smoke cessation); Diabetes; Heart
Disease; Hypertension; Obesity (i.e., nutrition
education); Maternal and Child Health Education;
HIV/AIDS Awareness; Tuberculosis; Hepatitis and
much, much more.
Alternate Birthing
Center (ABC Room)
This birthing room is available to patients on a
first come basis to provide a home-like environment
within the hospital setting and to allow the family
to participate in the birth experience. This room
involves the labor, delivery, and recovery
processes. To use this room, simply ask your
attending physician during your pre-natal care. At
that time, your medical/OB condition will be
assessed by your physician and confirmed. Forms to
use the ABC room are available from your clinic and
must be completed by you and signed by your
physician. Forms are also available at the Labor &
Delivery Ward of the hospital. The completed ABC
form must be given to the Labor & Delivery staff
upon your arrival to the unit. Do not give the form
to the Registration Staff.
Rooming-In (Mother and
Newborn)
top
Rooming-in of mother and newborn is allowed provided
the baby is in well condition. This means that the
baby does not have an IV insertion, isolation
precaution issue, treatment such as photo therapy or
other medical problems. The mother and a significant
other will take care of the baby with the assistance
of the OB and Nursery nurses. The nurses will
provide information on basic baby care,
immunizations, breastfeeding, postpartum care, and
the importance of medication in relation to self
recovery.
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