Governor pushes back at naysayers over building new specialized services hospital

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga, is not sitting still over push back to his plans to build a new hospital across from the Lions Park area.  In a statement published in Samoa News on Wednesday and again today, he is taking the fight to the public and is rejecting the loud call from the Senate and others in the medical community to allocate all of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) $300 million to renovate and rehabilitate the territory’s only hospital. 

In the statement he adamantly reiterated his administration’s decision to build a new specialized services hospital, using $200 million of the ARPA funding.

“With the facts at hand and the once-in-a-lifetime support of the American Rescue Plan Act funds, together with Lieutenant Governor Talauega E. V. Ale, I am resolute in my decision to build a new hospital in our territory that can provide … much needed services,” Lemanu states.

This despite strong opposition voiced in a non-binding Senate resolution, and in reports from the US Corps of Engineering and a Medical Subcommittee that reviewed the issue and put the option of building a new hospital at the bottom of the list of local options for Capital investment in a Healthcare Facility.

The governor’s statement emphasized that his administration’s decision is “about investing in the health and well-being of our people” — that it is not “just about infrastructure.”

It was an emotional appeal that began with the statement, “It seems like a week does not go by that my heart does not ache because I hear that a member of our community, our family, our friends have passed because we do not have specialized facilities to meet their healthcare needs,” adding that “we must take bold steps to ensure that every resident receives the care they deserve.”

“This means fewer families will have to face the difficult choice of leaving our territory for medical treatment and more accessibility for those who do not have the means to seek medical assistance elsewhere.”

Lemanu focused on the need for a specialized hospital to meet the needs of “our people” of which “too many” are lost because the territory lacks specialized screenings and facilities to help diagnose or treat them.

“In each of these cases, for those who cannot make it off island on their own, their only option is to seek help at LBJ until they are either medically referred and transported off island or they succumb to the disease.

“This needs to end. Our people deserve better,” he stated.

The governor further explained that receiving “quality care here at home where their family can support them through what is often the most difficult times of their lives.

“Too often our elders, worried about their health and missing loved ones, are crammed into hotel rooms or hospital rooms thousands of miles away from their family. 

“Why should these loved ones – those who have spent their lives supporting their families and this community – suffer these indignities when we have the opportunity to now provide these services here at home? 

“The answer is simple. They should not.”

In his statement, Gov. Lemanu puts forth his decision to stay the course — build a new specialized services hospital with $200 million of the $300 million of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding — stating, “In recognition of the importance of diversifying and increasing our healthcare offerings, we are allocating $200 million for a new specialized services hospital, overseen by the Steering and Construction Management Committee.”

He said that the initiative is “about delivering advanced medical treatments and services that are currently lacking in our region.”

It’s objective is clear Lemanu states: “to reduce the need for off-island referrals and bring more quality medical services within our borders.

“This means fewer families will have to face the difficult choice of leaving our territory for medical treatment and more accessibility for those who do not have the means to seek medical assistance elsewhere.”

Rejecting the naysayers that have said the decision was made without in-depth consultation from the local medical community, Lemanu stated that “the deliberations leading up to this decision were thorough and inclusive.

“Working closely with the Steering and Construction Management Committee and the Medical Subcommittee, I am confident that this new hospital is the right step forward.”

The governor further assured that “every dollar allocated will be used judiciously and transparently,” and said that the 2019 Army Corps of Engineers' report has guided their considerations, “and we acknowledge the potential adjustments needed to account for current market conditions.”

Read the entire statement in a paid advertisement in today's edition of Samoa News.

BACKGROUND

In 2021 the US Government implemented the ARPA which gave American Samoa over $475 million to be used for various COVID related healthcare response projects. 

This funding is to respond directly to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and non profits or to help impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality. 

Approximately 95% of the ARPA funding was apportioned directly to the public health emergency. Out of 95%of ARPA funding, $300 million was assigned to Capital investment in a Healthcare Facility.