TJC Accredited
3 consecutive terms
(Thursday, June 8, 2023; Dededo, Guam) Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC) would like to recognize the exceptional efforts of the deployed disaster responders of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), who in the wake of Typhoon Mawar, came to GRMC’s immediate aid in supplementing medical supplies, equipment, and patient care support.
Remarkably, within 24 hours from GRMC submitting an assistance request to the Guam Homeland Security Office’s Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8) online portal, a team of HHS NDMS leadership team members arrived at GRMC to coordinate medical staff support to decompress the hospital’s inpatient and emergency departments. Prior to their arrival, the HHS NDMS team had coordinated the pick-up of refrigerated pharmaceuticals that GRMC ordered from its supplier in Hawaii. Because traditional shipping methods for the pharmaceuticals were suspended due to the storm, the HHS NDMS team loaded them onto their charter flight and personally transported them to Guam, so that they could be delivered to GRMC for immediate patient care.
GRMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alexander “Beau” Wielaard said, “GRMC’s Emergency Department plays a vital role in Guam’s healthcare system every day, caring for all patients that arrive at its doors. The surge of needs following the devastation from Typhoon Mawar has been unprecedented. GRMC would like to extend sincere gratitude to our colleagues from the HHS NDMS team who have worked tirelessly alongside our own people to ensure we can provide the highest standard of emergency care to our community throughout such a difficult time.”
“Responders from NDMS are everyday heroes from across the United States who answer the call when disaster strikes,” said Peter Cassell, spokesperson for the HHS Administration for Strategic Response and Preparedness (ASPR). “We are here to support the GRMC hospital staff as they have been responding to the increase in patients due to the typhoon and treat patients in the emergency department. ASPR stands prepared for this tropical weather season, and we thank our local and territorial partners in Guam for their work.”
The National Disaster Medical System is one of many response operations of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR) under the U.S. Department of Human Health Services (HHS). They provide emergency health and medical assistance in response to any natural or man-made disaster in the U.S. For more information, visit https://aspr.hhs.gov.