|
GUAM:
In July of 2009, WestCare opened a new home in the Western Pacific on the island of Guam. The island is a territory of
the United States fondly known as "Where America’s Day Begins" and is home to 175,000 people of diverse ethnic backgrounds, making the culture and
lifestyle of Guam truly unique.
WestCare's relationship to uplifting the human spirit in the Pacific Islands began on Guam in 2004 as WestCare
commenced providing data management, training and technical assistance to a local nonprofit starting a residential substance abuse treatment
facility for adolescents, the first and only one of its kind in the region. Over the years, WestCare has been captivated by the warmth and
hospitality of Guam's generous and vibrant people. WestCare visited the behavioral health communities on the islands of Guam, Saipan and
Palau and like most places in the world today, we witnessed the struggle to provide essential services to the community due to lack of
resources and a struggling economy. WestCare saw many opportunities to fill the gaps in services to the people of the islands and could
not turn away from helping such wonderful, welcoming people. It was then that the idea to start WestCare Pacific Islands was born, and
that it was time to plant some roots into the beautiful Guam landscape.
WestCare does not see itself as the answer to the problems of the Pacific Islands, but rather comes in the spirit of
inafa maolek. In Chamorro, the indigenous language of the Mariana Islands, this phrase is the foundation of the culture and means "to bring
harmony, to make better", as WestCare will work to fill the gaps in services as well as bring new resources to the islands in the way of
federal funding, training and community awareness from the local to the federal level.
Fast Facts
Guam Map
Guam Mailing Address
WestCare - Pacific Islands
PO Box 23873
Barrigada, Guam 96921
Phone (671) 472-0218/9
Fax (671) 472-0217
Back
to top
|
