A power outage Thursday morning incapacitated Guam Memorial Hospital's network, impacting operations at both the Tamuning facility and its skilled nursing facility in Barrigada Heights.

“It really impacted our IT system. We’re trying to get it back up. There are still some glitches, so we’re down,” said Lillian Posadas, Hospital Administrator. 

The outage also disrupted CareView, a digital application used to track patient care, but Posadas confirmed it was not a cyberattack.

Staff admit GMH’s I.T. system is outdated and in need of modernization.

“I don’t want to use ancient, but it’s been since the model procurement code from way back when,” said Assistant Administrator of Operations, Rodalyn Gerardo. 

Health Oversight Chair Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane said the issue raises larger concerns about the need to upgrade technology at the island's only public hospital. 

“So that is quite concerning for me because right now it’s manual. They’re doing everything through paper,” said Matanane. 

The Guam Memorial Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility costs around $5 million to operate annually, with a significant portion going toward the care of social patients who lack discharge options.

“Two to three million dollars for the social cases annually,” said Posadas. 

Because these patients do not qualify for medical insurance coverage once they exceed their 180-day stay limit, the cost falls on taxpayers.

“And that’s just a cost that we absorb and we pay for,” added Matanane. 

The facility focuses on rehabilitation and recovery, aiming to help patients regain independence and improve their quality of life.

“They’re not sick enough to need that high level care as far as equipment, medication, nursing skills,” said Danielle Manglona, an admin at GMH. “So, it’s less nurse heavy and more CNA heavy.”

Currently, 11 social patients reside at the SNF, with 10 more at GMH.

To help generate revenue for GMH, Posadas is considering leasing the facility to a rehabilitation firm.

“It's actually something that I’ve been looking into,” said Matanane. 

Despite challenges, Sen. Matanane praised the facility for maintaining quality care.

“It’s a really nice, well-run facility. I talked to some of the patients here and they’re happy with the service that they’re getting here,” added Matanane. 

We'll keep you updated on any progress made to restoring internet connectivity at GMH.