July 2, 2018
Hagåtña — Governor Eddie Calvo has tasked Port General Manager and former Senator Joanne Brown to review the operations at the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMH). The role is temporary and a collateral duty to her current role as Port General Manager.
“I’ve asked Joanne to assist GMH by augmenting management and provide recommendations on how we can help. I want to ensure that GMH management remains focused on patient care during a divisive political season,” Governor Calvo said.
GMH has recently been a political football of senators seeking higher office, and it has distracted them from their core mission. Senators running for higher office, to include GMH Oversight Chair Senator Dennis Rodriguez (gubernatorial candidate), Senator Mike San Nicolas (congressional candidate), and Senator Frank Aguon (gubernatorial candidate) are all championing a bill that would strip $30M from GMH and $10M from DOE moving forward.
Joanne Brown is a former six-term senator and has held executive leadership roles for 12 years in department and agencies to include the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Public Works, and the Port Authority of Guam.
“We welcome and look forward to Joanne’s assistance,” said Eloy Lizama, Chairman of the GMH Board of Trustees.
Brown’s assignment will start later this month and she will begin in reviewing documents relevant to the assignment,” Brown said. “I appreciate the Governor’s confidence in tasking me to provide him an additional layer of insight and an assessment on the issues and challenges facing our island’s only public hospital. The important services provided by GMH are critical to the health and welfare of our community and look forward to assisting with this important task.”
