Health

VI Hospital & Health Facilities Corporation Calls For Sweeping Reform Ahead of Special Senate Session

In a letter sent to Senate President Milton Potter, chair of the Government Hospital & Health Facilities Corporation Dr. Jerry Smith laid out a plan that he believes will ensure the long-term stability of the territory's hospital system. The letter comes ahead of a special session of the 36th Legislature scheduled for today, convened after months of public discourse about the financial distress facing the Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix and Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas. Short-term stabilization support is urgently needed, Dr. Smith said, but argued that “it must be accompanied by structural changes to ensure stability and avoid the cyclical nature of emergency relief.” One of these changes should be the establishment of a “reliable funding source” by the Legislature, Dr. Smith suggested. This would support the issuance of bonds, “enabling the system to make vendors whole and responsibly manage future debt service obligations,” he wrote.  Given some breathing r...