Kudos to CHC Volunteers and its supporters

By Timothy Villagomez

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is my distinct pleasure to be here tonight to join hands with the Commonwealth Health Center volunteers—and each of you supporters— in making a Hyperbaric Chamber and a Multi-Slice CT Scanner a reality here in the Commonwealth.

The medical advantages of these machines are really quite amazing. For the hyperbaric chamber, those to be served include divers needing safe recompression, diabetic patients with wounds that are difficult to heal, and cancer patients with radiation tissue damage. The CT scanner will provide detailed cross-sectional views of body tissues to help diagnose cancers, cardiovascular diseases and other disorders. These machines will bring the Commonwealth to a higher level of medical care than we have ever seen here before.

And this is all possible, in part, thanks to the CHC Volunteers and people like you who have purchased a ticket tonight for this fundraiser and have played an active part in this effort. The contributions of the Commonwealth Health Center Volunteers Association and its supporters over the years cannot be overstated. Since the inception of this association in 1986 when the hospital opened, your volunteers have been known for your vision and your determination to getting the job done. Your tireless and selfless efforts have given CHC an X-ray machine, two mammography machines, countless wheelchairs and so much more. And soon, a hyperbaric chamber and a Multi-Slice CT scanner.

In addition to the medical benefits our people will receive with the purchase of this equipment, I am especially grateful for the intangible benefits we can expect, particularly in the area of patient and family well-being. Instead of traveling off-island for diagnosis, patients will now be able to face the uncertainty of their health screenings in familiar surroundings and with the emotional support of loved ones. Instead of traveling off-island for treatment, healing will now be a short trip away by car or plane, and the families will be able to care for their loved ones during treatment with less physical and financial stress. These are the immeasurable, yet invaluable, benefits we can also look forward to.

It is my distinct pleasure this evening to sign into law House Local Bill 15-40, appropriating $300,000 for the purchase of a hyperbaric chamber and a Multi-Slice CT scanner for our people. Governor Fitial and I would like to thank the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation for sharing our vision and putting this House local bill before us. Thank you all.