Health

Air Ambulance Firm Says DOH Inaction Risks Leaving Patients Without Nighttime Evacuations During Airport Closure

A medical services company has taken the V.I. Department of Health to court, claiming that the agency has been unduly ignoring a certificate application required for them to conduct business.  Title 19 of the Virgin Islands Code deals with health in the territory. According to Section 223 of Chapter 15, no person or entity can “establish, construct, or expand a health facility or health service, or incur capital expenditure on behalf of a health facility or health service, or acquire major medical equipment in the Virgin Islands without applying for and receiving a certificate of need.”  TAG Interests USVI 2, LLC is an “air ambulance, ground ambulance and mobile integrated healthcare provider,” according to their civil complaint, and thus requires a certificate of need to operate. The company submitted the requisite applications on January 5 this year, and “again on October 17, 2025, after nearly twelve months of total agency silence,” the lawsuit claims.  The Department of Health's...