FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (February 3, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA) has faced perennial nursing shortages for decades which have impacted the hospital’s ability to maximize bed capacity in its Acute, Emergency, and Clinical Areas.  Each year GMHA loses nurses due to retirement, resignation, or transfer to other public or private entities on island or off-island opportunities. Recently, the GMHA Board of Trustees have explored increasing the 16% differential pay for nurses to 22% in order to achieve parity at Guam Memorial Hospital with competing nursing salaries on and off island but were lacking a funding source to implement this recruitment and retention strategy.  

Bill No. 42-36 (COR), introduced by Speaker Therese Terlaje and Senator Joe San Agustin would redirect a portion of the Annual Community Contribution amount mandated in the Qualifying Certificate (QC) to GRMC to GMHA for the sole purpose of increasing the nursing differential pay at Guam Memorial Hospital Authority to adequately recruit and retain nursing staff at Guam’s only public hospital.  The Annual Community Contribution were recommended in §3.12.02 of QC No. 252 to be allocated to health care (priority to Guam Memorial Hospital and Department of Public Health and Social Services), Medicaid matching, MIP payments; public safety; economic development with a priority on the promotion of the medical industry and small business; higher education, and cultural preservation.

“The nursing shortage at GMH has been well documented for years, underscoring the need for long-term solutions that incentivize filling and maintaining these crucial positions at our only public hospital.  We cannot afford to lose our local nurses to off-island opportunities and must attract and retain our most talented nurses in order to provide the best patient care possible for our community,” stated Speaker Terlaje.  

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