Anthony A. Leon Guerrero Allied Health Center

Officials from the Bank of Guam and the family of the late Anthony A. Leon Guerrero joined Gov. Felix Camacho and Anthony M. Babauta, U.S. Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas, at the ribbon cutting of the Anthony A. Leon Guerrero Allied Health Center at GCC on Dec. 21, 2009.

During his remarks just prior to the ribbon cutting, Babauta announced that GCC would receive $365,000 of $6 million in additional grant money the Department of Interior is giving to the government of Guam.

“This money is a wonderful Christmas gift for the college,”said GCC President Dr. Mary Okada. “We already have the money slated for use: $135,000 for air conditioning/refrigeration stand up instructional lab workstations, $104,000 for electrical wiring/electrician stand up instructional lab workstations, and $126,000 for plumber stand up instructional lab workstations. This money will assist GCC in providing the workforce training our students need to garner jobs that will sustain them even beyond the military buildup,” she said.

This morning Dr. Okada also announced the new names for the Allied Health Center’s two lecture halls: The Lourdes Leon Guerrero Lecture Hall and the Shigeru & Dorothy Okada Lecture Hall. “We are extremely grateful to Ms. Lou Leon Guerrero and to the Okada family for their generous donations to our naming campaign for rooms in the Allied Health Center. And we again acknowledge the Bank of Guam for their generous donation toward the naming of our new Allied Health Center in memory of the late Anthony A. Leon Guerrero.”

GCC’s new $4.03 million Anthony A. Leon Guerrero Allied Health Center was funded in part by the Department of Interior, which paid $260,000 for the A & E design, $943,000 for construction, and $150,000 forscience equipment. GCC funded the other $3 million. The health center will house GCC’s Practical Nursing and Medical Assisting programs, as well as a new science laboratory.

The two-story, 22,000 square foot facility contains the two lecture halls, a science classroom and science lab, computer lab, microbiology classroom, two nursing labs, two nursing lab/classrooms, a med lab, med lab/classroom, a conference room and other faculty/staff facilities. The average classroom size at the college is 20 students per classroom. The Lourdes Leon Guerrero Lecture Hall has a capacity of 60 persons. The Shigery & Dorothy Okada Lecture Hall has a capacity of 50 persons.

                                       GCC photo courtesy of R.D. Golding. 

GCC President Dr. Mary Okada, Gov. Felix Camacho, Asst. Interior Secretary Tony Babauta and Speaker Judi Won Pat join other officials in cutting the flower ribbon to open the Anthony A. Leon Guerrero Allied Health Center at GCC on Dec. 21.