Ads by Google Ads by Google

Amata argues to restore funding after cut in ASG operations account

Congresswoman Amata testifying
Sources: Media release from Cong. Aumua Amata's office

Washington, D.C.— Congresswoman Aumua Amata testified Tuesday before the leaders of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, and made the case for American Samoa’s operations funding, especially highlighting the needs at LBJ Tropical Medical Center.

In previous discussions with Members of the Committee, Congresswoman Amata emphasized the need to maintain or increase, and certainly not cut, current levels of funding for the ASG operations account administered by the office of Insular Affairs that funds to help support our court system, education system and our LBJ Hospital.  

Responding to the Committee’s inquiry about the recent Army Corps of Engineers report on the current state of the LBJ Hospital, Congresswoman Amata gave a statement in a Member’s Day Hearing before Chairwoman Betty McCollum of Minnesota and Ranking Member David Joyce of Ohio, who lead the House Appropriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

 “This was an opportunity to directly emphasize our Appropriations needs face to face in a hearing setting with key leaders of the Appropriations Committee,” said Aumua Amata. “It’s an important step in the Appropriations process. I emphasized the need to reject and prevent the proposed 10 percent across the board budget cut to all programs at the Department of Interior including our ASG account, and indicated the imperative need to not only maintain but increase our funding based on the clear findings of the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the millions that are needed to repair LBJ and improve our health infrastructure.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF CONGRESSWOMAN AMATA’S TESTIMONY

Thank you, Chairwoman McCollum and Ranking Member Joyce, for the opportunity to testify today. The Army Corps evaluated the state of health infrastructure in American Samoa’s only hospital – the LBJ Tropical Medical Center – for DOI as directed by this Committee last year.

The report’s findings are grim for America’s most remote community of 60,000 Americans living nearly 7000 miles away. Any cuts to this account would be catastrophic to the islands of American Samoa.

American Samoa maintains one of the highest army enlistment rates in the Country and was first in recruitment twice in the past 5 years on a per capita basis, and has one of the highest Veterans populations in the country.  

The VA spends $5 million per year on flights and hotels to treat these Vets in Hawaii, often for care that could be done locally but which is not available to them or their families.

The Army Corps report states bleakly as follows:

“The current infrastructure of the LBJ Territorial Medical Center hospital is in a state of failure due to age [and] environmental exposure.

Extensive repair and/or replacement of the facility is required to ensure compliance with hospital accreditation standards and to ensure the life, health, and safety of staff, patients, and visitors.

While the facility structure has held up relatively well, it is not in compliance with current seismic and wind requirements and retrofits would be expensive and disruptive.

The electrical and mechanical systems are in poor condition and in need of immediate repair.

Architectural deficiencies have led to mold and mildew growth in critical areas, exposing staff and patients to significant health risks…. plumbing, water treatment and medical gas systems are all in failed or failing condition.

The facility is [partly] dependent upon funding from CMS and further degradation of the infrastructure will result in non-compliance with standards and will result in denial of accreditation.

LBJ is the only full-service healthcare facility in the territory and further degradation of the plant infrastructure will hamper the delivery of care to American Samoa’s population.”

Notwithstanding these poor conditions our local government officials and hospital staff were able to successfully avert a major outbreak of measles that caused nearly 100 deaths in children in independent Samoa just 100 miles away last year, but no deaths occurred in American Samoa.

The Army Corps reports modernization costs will range from over 100 million for minimum compliance improvements to over 500 million in total hospital replacement costs.

The Army Corps Report indicates millions are needed to repair our hospital for even basic service improvements and we seek an appropriate increase that the Committee finds reasonable based on the Army Corps Findings to this Committee.

Modernizing the LBJ hospital with the basic emergency upgrades needed as set forth in the Army Corps report are essential. This increase will help provide the basic humanitarian health services which HHS/CMS compliance requires.

Considering the recent events with Coronavirus and my district’s proximity to Asia this is even more important now.

I want to thank the committee Members again for allowing me to testify, and I look forward to continuing working with you on this most important issue to the American Samoan people.”

In response, Committee Chairwoman McCollum thanked the Congresswoman for highlighting the Army Corps report findings, pledged to continue their work together in helping identify other potential sources of funding at HHS and elsewhere in addition to DOI, pointing out that DOI has limited funds available and far more requests from all Members across the Country than can be fully met.  

The Committee also asked for more details on potential LBJ renovation plans and on the effects of climate change in the islands on local infrastructure including the hospital and asked their respective staffs to continue working on the issue in the months ahead.

Video of Amata's testimony before the Appropriations Subcommittee at bottom of this page