ST. CROIX — The Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center says a specialized vendor will begin collecting medical waste on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as officials work to address a disposal problem they say has persisted for 12 years. The hospital has also stopped accepting medical waste from private and community providers until further notice.
The response follows The Consortium’s reporting on concerns raised by Senator Kenneth Gittens about exposed medical waste behind the hospital. JFL Chief Executive Officer Darlene Baptiste subsequently contacted the publication and supplied updated photographs showing a starkly different view of the area from the images Gittens provided earlier Monday. The newer photographs show a wooden-pallet barrier, yellow caution tape and a sign restricting access to authorized personnel.
In an interview with The Consortium, JFL Public Information Officer Aniah John said the hospital had already engaged a specialized vendor and that the assessment of the waste had been completed. Asked specifically when collection would start, John said, “The collection with the vendor will begin on Wednesday. ”
John also confirmed that the waste was being packaged and properly stored ahead of collection. The hospital described the removal process as one requiring careful preparation, with material packed in boxes and transported in a specific manner for shipment off-island. That process, John explained, takes time because of the handling and transportation involved. “It's been slow, but it's very methodical.”
According to John, the vendor arrangements were already in place before Monday’s reporting, and the hospital had communicated its plans to Gittens during his visit. The hospital’s position is that the scheduled collection forms part of an existing effort to address the waste-disposal problem.
JFL also clarified that the material it has handled includes medical waste from outside providers. John said the hospital had accepted waste from private and community medical providers in addition to waste generated by JFL itself. The PIO emphasized that the explanation was not intended to assign blame, but to describe the broader circumstances surrounding the disposal service.
That service has now been suspended. Private and community providers will no longer be able to bring medical waste to JFL until further notice, John said, while the hospital works through its disposal process and gets operations back on track. No date for resuming that service was provided in the interview.
Hospital officials described the current work as part of an effort to resolve a longstanding problem requiring cooperation among those involved in handling and transporting the waste. “We're trying to resolve a 12-year issue. It requires a lot of collaboration,” John said.
The response also comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been visiting JFL to check on the hospital’s operations.
Gittens had said he visited the site after receiving information from an anonymous source. In The Consortium’s earlier report, he described torn bags containing needles, blood vials and other discarded medical materials. He acknowledged that some cleanup had occurred after his visit but maintained that the underlying problem remained unresolved.
The senator also said hospital officials had described difficulties with off-island transportation. He called for contingency measures to prevent medical waste from accumulating when shipments are delayed, including evaluating additional storage and treatment options subject to applicable environmental and regulatory requirements.
John did not provide a date by which all collection and off-island transportation would be completed. The hospital’s stated goal is to address both the waste awaiting collection and the longer-running disposal difficulties that officials say have affected the facility for years.
