HAGÅTÑA, Guam — Acting Governor Joshua Tenorio has activated the Guam National Guard to help prepare Guam Memorial Hospital for an accreditation visit by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality, the Office of the Governor said.
CIHQ is one of four major hospital accreditation organizations for U.S. hospitals and is preferred by many community and rural hospitals similar to GMH, according to the release.
Tenorio said he signed a memorandum of understanding between the hospital and the Guard for the joint effort, describing the activation as bringing together a range of skills, technical know-how and personnel to benefit both the hospital and the wider community.
“The Guam Guard has historically been utilized to help prepare critical public spaces and infrastructure to meet operational needs,” the acting governor said.
Under hospital administrator Dr. Joleen Aguon, GMH has been undertaking a facility-wide effort to strengthen patient safety, quality of care, operational performance and regulatory compliance in pursuit of CIHQ accreditation, the release said. The office described it as one of the most comprehensive quality improvement and modernization initiatives currently underway at the hospital.
The readiness effort includes investments meant to improve reliability and the care environment, and the release noted that modern accreditation preparation now involves areas such as cybersecurity and network upgrades. The hospital marks 80 years of healthcare service to Guam.
Tenorio said the Guard’s record working alongside standing military forces in the Indo-Pacific would carry over to helping the hospital prepare for accreditation.
