Docomo Pacific donates $250,000 to CHCC

From left are Brent Deleon Guerrero, brand coordinator; Clinton Dela Cruz, marketing coordinator; Joe Torres, enterprise manager; Pauline Johnson, assistant general manager, all from Docomo Pacific; Bel Bulsby, acting IT director, CHCC; Dino Manning, vice president/general manager, Docomo Pacific; Gov. Ralph Torres; Dr. David Grauman, chief of staff; Jesse Tudela, director of Hospital Services; Esther Muña, chief executive officer, all from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.; Kevin McCale, account executive, Docomo Pacific; Rep. Ivan Blanco; Sen. Jude Hofschneider; Liezl Balan, director and deputy general manager CNMI; Conrad Sablan, store manager; James Hofman, chief legal officer; and Christian Camacho, field manager, all from Docomo Pacific. (Contributed Photo)

Esther Muña, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., can recall a time, barely three years ago, when the limited availability and high cost of undersea cable bandwidth meant that physicians who tried to send large digital files like MRI scans to off-island experts frequently had to wait several hours—if it worked at all.

Today, healthcare in the CNMI took a major step forward, as Docomo Pacific officially launched it’s “One Marianas Initiative” with a $250,000 gift to CHCC to develop and maintain an Electronic Health Records system for patient care.

This donation will allow residents of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to more easily share their treatment history, test results, and other medical information with specialists outside of Micronesia.

Muña said that one of the biggest challenges CHCC has is “ensuring that we have a system that works. I want to thank Docomo Pacific for being there and presenting us with this significant contribution. The cooperation and collaboration between the government and Docomo really benefits us at CHCC.”

Dino Manning, general manager of Docomo Pacific CNMI, said that real-time medical consultations and remote diagnoses that depend on the power of reliable, high-speed internet have become critical, cost-effective ways of treating patients, especially those who live far from off island medical facilities.

“We are very happy to contribute our resources to help CHCC move forward with its mission of serving our island communities’ healthcare needs,” Manning added.

Yesterday’s donation to CHCC follows last year’s installment of Atisa, a state-of-the-art submarine fiber-optic cable connecting Guam with Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

To date, Docomo Pacific has invested over $26 million in Atisa, which will modernize and expand fixed and mobile networks in the CNMI.

Docomo Pacific’s One Marianas Initiative is part of a public-private partnership between Docomo Pacific and the CNMI government. For its part, the CNMI has pledged $3 million to help defray the cost of landing Atisa on Tinian and Rota.

Jonathan Kriegel, president and CEO of Docomo Pacific, said this long-term community investment by Docomo Pacific “is a tangible symbol of our commitment to our islands’ future. It is also a gesture of gratitude to the CNMI’s leaders in both government and private business. “

Kriegel particularly cited the strong support of former governor Inos, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, Lt. Gov. Victor Hocog, Senate President Arnold Palacios, Sen. Jude Hofschneider, and Reps. Angel Demapan and Ivan Blanco.

Following the installation of Atisa in June of last year, Docomo Pacific announced its commitment to the One Marianas Initiative—a five-year program of significant community investments in the areas of healthcare, education, and public safety in the CNMI. Donations to the Public School System and the Department of Public Safety will be announced in coming weeks.

Docomo Pacific provides TV, online, mobile, phone, and enterprise solutions in Guam and the Marianas. The company employs 640 personnel and serves customers through outlets in Agat Point, Andersen Air Force Base Exchange, Agana Shopping Center, Dededo Mall, Guam Premier Outlets, Mangilao Mobil, Micronesia Mall, Tamuning HQ, and Gualo Rai and Susupe, Saipan.

Docomo Pacific is a subsidiary of NTT Docomo, which provides service to over 70 million mobile customers in Japan. Outside of Japan, NTT Docomo contributes to the global standardization of all-new mobile technologies and lends their technical and operational support to seven mobile phone operators and partner companies.

For more information, visit www.docomopacific.com. (PR)