The guam memorial hospital authority (gmha) seeks funding to enhance pediatric emergency and critical care services in guam, a geographically isolated region with limited access to specialized…

The Department of the Interior Insular Affairs awarded Guam Memorial Hospital Authority $360,000 on November 3, 2025, under the Economic, Social, and Political Development of the Territories program (CFDA 15.875) to enhance pediatric emergency and critical care services in Guam.

GMHA, the only civilian hospital providing inpatient pediatric services on the island, will deliver comprehensive hands-on and virtual training to strengthen the capabilities of pediatric providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, and EMS personnel. On-island training will bring expert instructors from the Society of Critical Care Medicine, UC Davis, CHLA, and Rady's Children's Hospital to provide resource-conscious, real-world instruction covering noninvasive and invasive ventilation strategies, pediatric hemodialysis training, acute respiratory failure and shock management, pediatric pharmacology and sedation protocols, and trauma, sepsis, and neurologic injury stabilization. The project will develop online training modules in pediatric respiratory care and dialysis for 22 respiratory therapists and 8 dialysis staff members and establish ongoing training partnerships and virtual consultation networks for sustained professional development. Expected outcomes include enhanced provider competency measured through certification completion rates and skill evaluations, reduction in pediatric morbidity and mortality through improved early recognition and intervention for critical conditions, and increased hospital capacity for pediatric critical care.

The period of performance runs through September 30, 2029, with work performed in Guam.

Activities

1. On-island pediatric critical care training: bringing expert trainers from sccm, UC davis, chla, and rady?s children?s hospital to guam to provide real-world, resource-conscious instruction. 2. Hands-on and virtual training programs: offering specialized education in: o noninvasive and invasive ventilation strategies o pediatric hemodialysis training for nephrologists and dialysis nurses o acute respiratory failure, hypoventilation, and shock management o pediatric pharmacology, sedation, and weaning protocols o trauma, sepsis, and neurologic injury stabilization 3. Implementation of online training modules: developing virtual pediatric respiratory care and dialysis training for 22 respiratory therapists and 8 dialysis staff members. 4. Sustainability and knowledge retention: establishing ongoing training partnerships and virtual consultation networks to support continued education and professional development. Expected deliverables or outcomes: 1. Enhanced provider competency: measured by certification completion rates, provider confidence assessments, and skill evaluations. 2. Reduction in pediatric morbidity and mortality: improved early recognition and intervention for critical conditions, leading to better patient outcomes. 3. Increased hospital capacity for pediatric critical care: more providers trained in advanced pediatric life support and stabilization techniques. 4. Sustainable professional development infrastructure: establishing a framework for continued pediatric critical care education through remote learning and periodic in-person training.

Intended beneficiaries

1. Direct beneficiaries: gmha pediatricians, hospitalists, emergency room providers, anesthesiologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and EMS personnel. 2. Indirect beneficiaries: pediatric patients from guam, surrounding pacific islands, and military families who rely on gmha for critical care services. 3. Guam?s healthcare system: strengthening the island?s ability to deliver high-quality pediatric emergency and critical care, reducing the need for off-island patient transfers.