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Overhaul of hospital’s HVAC system still lagging
Due to lack of funds, unpaid hospital bills, and high monthly utility payment to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., the long-awaited overhaul of the Commonwealth Health Center’s HVAC system remains at a slow pace.
According to Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. hospital administrator Jesse Tudela, the hospital is still working on the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system as part of the corrective action plan submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“Although we have addressed many of the corrective measures, the HVAC system is still ongoing,” Tudela told Saipan Tribune.
In an earlier interview, CHCC chief executive officer Esther Muña said they are close to finishing the HVAC system project.
“Since we got the approval of our corrective action plan, we have been addressing the plan before it was approved and the HVAC system is still ongoing and is nearing completion,” Muña said.
CHCC’s monthly utilities consumption is nearly $500,000, according to CUC.
The HVAC project is part of CHCC’s cost-cutting measures to help reduce energy consumption at the hospital because it will replace the cooling and water heater tank with a more efficient unit.
CHCC earlier assured that the project will not jeopardize patient safety and patient care.
The hospital’s current HVAC system was installed in the 1990s and uses R22-type refrigeration system, designed for a small population.
Saipan Tribune learned that the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs awarded the CNMI nearly $13.771 million in capital improvement grants last year, of which $4.958 million was given to CHCC for the HVAC project and sprinkler and fire alarm system replacement.
