Full evaluation on staffing, operations of health centers underway

A comprehensive evaluation of all public health centers on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota is currently underway to ensure the smooth transition of the Commonwealth Health Center and other health clinics from government entities into one private corporation this October.

Department of Public Health secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said a transition committee formed by the administration has started the preliminary work that will focus on the health centers’ operation and staffing.

The full assessment, the health chief said, also covers analysis of each center’s data recordings on illnesses, patients, and services that are being offered.

Public Law 16-51, or the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation Act of 2008, mandates to turn the public hospital and the clinics on Rota and Tinian, including the Community Guidance Center, the Children and Women’s Clinic, and the inter-island medical referral services, into a healthcare corporation. At present, both Rota and Tinian health centers are operating under their respective municipalities.

Starting on Oct. 1, a commission’s account will be established to test the “independence” of the corporation where the central government will provide the seed money. Revenues from all clinics will be deposited in the said account.

Villagomez said the new setup will make public health more accountable and more self-sustaining. New procurement regulations and policies will also be established for the corporation.

“It is only through full evaluation of the operation of each center that we will know how many physicians, physician assistants, nurses, midlevel providers, and other staff they really need,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Currently Tinian has only one doctor and two midlevel providers onboard. Villagomez said until analysis are incomplete, additional physicians for the Tinian Health Center cannot be determined yet.

“We’re looking now at the number of patients on Tinian and whether it warrants two physicians,” said Villagomez.

Compared to the Tinian clinic, Rota Health Center has had two doctors serving the island for years. The health chief can’t say if this is justifiable considering the number of patients on island.

“We’re also looking at the overall financial picture here. Records will give us how many people they’re treating every day, number of emergency and follow-up cases of the center. The evaluation would allow us to see how many nurses, for example, are really needed there. We call this staff-matching so we can continue to provide the care but not necessarily at a huge price for us,” explained Villagomez.

At CHC, there are 27 active physicians as of last month—a figure considered as stable by DPH officials.

Villagomez admitted that the U.S. immigration policy hinders the department’s efforts in bringing more doctors and other medical specialists on island.

Villagomez, the chair of the transition team tasked to oversee the transformation of the hospital into a public corporation, assured that both Tinian and Rota health centers will be consulted in the group’s next meetings.

He said that “members” of the transition group are all department chairs and nobody outside the community has been identified in the team.