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Transforming Childrens Mental Healthcare in America
Systems of Care

Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Program for Children and Their Families

Guam

“I'Famagu'onta" (Our Children)

The goals of “I'Famagu'onta" (our children) are to develop and implement a child-centered, family-focused system of care that delivers effective, comprehensive, community-based, culturally competent mental health and related services for children/adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families, and to ensure longitudinal studies of service system outcomes. I'Famagu'onta seeks a return to traditional, cultural, and family values to empower families and reclaim responsibilities by island leaders. Our community's commitment is to live true to our island heritage of "taking care of our own" and filling gaps by providing supports on the island, rather than sending children thousands of miles away to off-island placements or not serving them at all. System outcomes include: a sustained organized service support system developed in the context of a geographically "rural and remote" Pacific island, an emphasis on comprehensive, individualized, culturally competent and appropriate services provided in the least restrictive environment; full involvement of families in all levels of decisionmaking; interagency collaboration at the systems level; and care coordination at the family/service-provision level. Outcomes for children and families involved include improved levels of functioning, improved access to, and satisfaction with services, and a decrease in separation from families and placements away from Guam.

Michele Herman
Grantee Project Officer
1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 6-1050
Rockville, MD 20857
Phone: 240-276-1924
Fax: 240-276-1990
E-mail: michele.herman@samhsa.hhs.gov 
Annie Unpingco, LCSW
Principal Investigator
Department of Mental Health/Substance Abuse
790 Gov. Carlos G. Camacho Road
Tamuning, Guam 96913
Phone: 671-647-5348
Fax: 671-649-6948
E-mail: aunpingco@mail.gov.gu 
Edward Santos, Ph.D.
Project Director
Clinical Director
Department of Mental Health/Substance Abuse
Suite 103F Ada’s Professional and Commercial Building
Hagatno, Guam 96910
Phone: 671-477-5338
Fax: 671-477-5330
E-mail: mt_cmhi_family_contact@hotmail.com 
John Taitano
Youth Coordinator
Suite 103F Ada’s Professional and Commercial Building
Hagatna, Guam 96910
Phone: 671-447-5338
Fax: 671-477-5330
E-mail: gu_youthco@yahoo.com 
Doines Guevarra
Social Marketing and Communications Manager
Suite 103F Ada’s Professional and Commercial Building
Hagatna, Guam 96910
Phone: 671-477-5338
Fax: 671-477-5330
E-mail: socialmarketingmanager@hotmail.com 
Bernadita P. Grajek
Technical Assistance/Cultural Competence Coordinator
Suite 103F Ada’s Professional and Commercial Building
Hagatna, Guam 96910
Phone: 671-477-5338
Fax: 671-477-5330
E-mail: bgrajek@ite.net 
Velma Sablan, Ph.D.
Lead Evaluator
Suite 103 Ada’s Professional and Commercial Building
Hagatna, Guam 96910
Phone: 671-477-5338
Fax: 671-477-5330
E-mail: sablanva@ite.net 

											

											
 

  Please direct information updates to soc@samhsa.gov with the specific location or internet address to be updated. Thank you.
Systems of Care