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Palacios still in ICU; feels ‘much better’
Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios remains in the Intensive Care Unit at The Queens Healthcare Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to the latest update yesterday from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. It said Palacios continues to undergo tests and described him as “in high spirits and feels much better this week.”
“He wishes to thank everyone for the outpouring of support from the community that came in the form of thoughts, prayers, and visits. He would also like to apologize to anyone who came to visit him but were unable to because of the limited access to patients in the ICU,” the statement adds.
Palacios, 66, was rushed to the Commonwealth Health Center last Tuesday after he collapsed during a break while giving testimony in the criminal case against Gov. Ralph DLG Torres at the Guma Hustisia.
The statement said that Palacios expresses his appreciation for the fast action taken by the Emergency Medical Technicians from the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services who arrived in the courtroom moments after they received the call.
“I can never repay them. They were the first responders and they got me out of there in no time and put me in a better situation,” he said.
Palacios also thanked Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for personally coordinating with the Department of Defense for his safe transport to Hawaii.
“I want to thank him for working things out with the Department of the Air Force to have that C117 ready to take off the next day. I wasn’t aware how quickly things came together in the early evening to evacuate me off-island,” Palacios said. “Our community is a small community and we set aside these major sometimes dramatic differences when the need arises. We’re decent people, God-fearing people and we look out for each other under any circumstances.”
The lieutenant governor expressed his appreciation for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. medical team, the staff with the CNMI Medical Referral Program on Saipan and Honolulu, the Department of Defense, the flight crew that assisted him from Saipan to Hawaii, his friends and family and, most especially, his wife, Wella.
The office said it will continue to provide updates as they become available. (Saipan Tribune)
