Doctor moves to private sector to offer services at Tumon Sands Plaza

BY KATIE AIZON
Journal Staff

Businesses in Guam are either new to the commercial market or have new products and services to offer the community. 

Dr. Paul Coty, board certified medical oncologist at Guam Hematology Oncology Associates Inc. is generating a new avenue for accessible cancer care at the Tumon Sands Plaza, opening doors for appointments as of June 8.

In 2021, Coty officially retired from full-time medicine only working four months out of the year. “I found that I couldn’t just let go completely and I didn’t want to give up being a doctor. I was bored not working and I felt adrift,” he said, eventually deciding to open a practice of his own at the Tumon Sands Plaza with plans to work alongside other practitioners in the future. 

Coty, born and raised in New York, began his medical career in hematology-oncology in Hawaii and Bermuda, gaining experience in treating cancer in small island communities. Prior to retirement, he joined Guam Regional Medical City as a key contributor in spearheading the cancer department upon the hospital’s opening in 2014.

He said his main goal is to make cancer care more accessible to residents, providing the same standard of care that can be found across the United States. As one of the few oncologists practicing on island there is an increasing need to provide patients with access to modern medicine, chemotherapy treatments, and cancer screening considering population density. “The island certainly needs more oncologists, and we’ll help share the burden of patients that need treatments to be seen,” Coty said. 

Oncology doctors typically find themselves seeing up to around 15 patients per day, Coty said. “Usually for one oncologist there’s six or seven infusion chairs full all day long and that’ll probably happen here in time. I’ll be busy and a lot of patients are going to be getting treatment because that’s just a normal oncology practice,” he said.

Other than oncology, the practice also specializes in hematology, where blood-related diseases are diagnosed and treated. 

For Coty, creating a functional but warm environment for patients and their families to enjoy is something that he hopes they can experience “I’m happy to offer this beautiful location. It’s quieter down in Tumon and there’s plenty of parking,” he said.

For those undergoing infusion treatments, infusion chairs will be placed in a large open space with windows overlooking the streets of Tumon allowing patients the chance to enjoy the scenery and talk amongst each other. 

Coty has also invested in a “state of the art” computer program to make keeping track of notes and patient visits more fluid for staff. “Everything in the office is going to be digital and the patients will have a digital portal to look up lab values or schedule appointments,” he said. That will be similar to other practices who have taken a paperless approach to patient communication.

While the Guam Hematology Oncology Associates have been accepting patients as of June 8, the business will be operating at limited capacity and expecst to be fully operational by July with the space being fully furnished and ready to provide full services. 

Guam Hematology Oncology Associates can be found at Suite 22, Tumon Sands Plaza 2nd Floor and are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

In other business news, Pinpoint Guam Real Estate LLC and the University of Guam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an internship partnership. According to Pinpoint, “The agreement is designed to give students real world exposure to data and technology while helping ensure Guam remains an active participant in an increasingly data-driven world.”

From Fall this year, the range of disciplines in internship opportunities will include marketing, communications, public administration, business, computer science and decision science. Pinpoint has previously welcomed interns from UOG and other local educational institutions, the company said. 

Founded in 2022, Pinpoint Guam started as a title search and abstraction company and is evolving into a full data intelligence company that aggregates, validates and analyzes information for public and private sources to serve clients in Guam’s real estate, finance and other commercial sectors as well as in local government. Its flagship platform, REALFacts, is a comprehensive and actively maintained real property database, updated daily from the Guam Department of Land Management, Pinpoint said. 

itsBarbieJane LLC hosted a five-day Teen Life Skills bootcamp in June for teenagers aged 12 to 15 to build confidence through “real-life practice.”

The program was created to address a growing need among young people for practical life skills. These skills included making phone calls, introducing themselves, communicating respectfully with adults, understanding money choices, filling out applications and navigating difficult conversations, itsBarbieJane said. 

For more information, contact Barbie Jane Agahan at 671-977-0831, or at [email protected] 

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce will host its 17th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on July 25 at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort. Registration will close July 20, with early bird registration until July 13. The tournament was postponed due to Typhoon Sinlaku. For further details contact [email protected]. mbj

— Maureen N. Maratita contributed to this story.