Leticia Reyes, David Rosario nominated to CHCC board

Leticia Reyes and David Rosario were nominated by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to serve on the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. board last Thursday. Their nominations fill up two of three remaining open seats on the board.

Reyes, a registered nurse with a post-masters degree as a family nurse practitioner from the University of Massachusetts Boston College of Nursing and Health Sciences, has various experience in the nursing field.

A nurse practitioner at the Saipan Health Clinic, Reyes’ responsibilities include diagnosing, treating, and helping patients manage acute and chronic illnesses. Her prior experience at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. as an acting director of nursing provides her with two years of administrative experience.

Reyes obtained her associate degree in nursing at Northern Marianas College, where she graduated cum laude, and passed the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX, soon after. Reyes received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Savannah, Georgia with cum laude honors before securing her master’s in nursing from the same university soon after.

Rosario, who is currently an environmental specialist for Hofschneider Engineering Corp., served as public health adviser to the secretary of health and the deputy secretary of public health administration on community health issues from 1998 to 2002. Prior experiences in the public health sector include serving as acting deputy secretary for public health from January 1998 to August 1998, as appointed by former governor Pedro P. Tenorio.

Rosario’s additional work experiences include involvement with the Storm Prediction Center and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities—organizations that have presences in the Cook Islands, Guam, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, CNMI, Tuvalu, and many more.

Rosario has a bachelor’s degree in international political science and has a minor in public administration from the University of Guam. Rosario also has a master’s in public health, specializing in health services administration and in health education from the University of the Philippines’ School of Public Health.

Their nominations must be acted upon by the Senate through a public hearing before being officially appointed to the CHCC board. The date and specifics of the public hearing have yet to be announced.

PL 19-78 changed the CHCC board from an advisory role to a governing one. Its passage grants the CHCC board authority to control the corporation’s daily operations, functions, and activities.

Although the governor or PL 19-78 did not set a specific timeline for the reorganization of the CHCC board, PL 19-78 did mention that six months after the formation of the board, the CEO and the chief financial officer of CHCC would have to start reporting to the board.

Once confirmed by the Senate, there would be only one seat left on the CHCC board that has yet to be filled. No names have been provided as of publication.

The Senate has already approved the earlier nominations of Larry Hocog as CHCC representative for Rota, and William Cing as representative of Tinian.