Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center. By. ERNICE GILBERT FOR VI CONSORTIUM
The Territorial Hospital Board on Tuesday approved the architecture and engineering designs for the territory’s primary health care facilities, Luis Hospital on St. Croix; Schneider Regional Medical Center and the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute on St. Thomas and the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John, Government House made known via release.
The board voted unanimously to award design contracts to three different firms for the four projects. The design phase for these four projects could take anywhere from 6 to 18 months, according to Schneider Hospital’s Vice President of Facilities Management Darryl Smalls, who was named by the board to oversee the process.
The board approved:
- $12,948,272 for Flad & Associates to design Luis Hospital
- $5,870,000 for EYP Architects to design Schneider Hospital
- $936,000 for EYP Architects and Engineers to design the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute
- $1,529,770 for SMITHGROUP to design the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering 90 percent of the cost, with a 10 percent local match that will be paid for with Community Development Block Grant funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a result of the 2017 hurricanes, Government House said.
“The unanimous vote by the Territorial Board of the Hospitals in conjunction with the direct collaboration with the Executive Branch of the Government of the Virgin Islands, exemplifies the commitment to the citizens of this Territory that Healthcare is paramount,” Mr. Smalls said. “As the person designated to lead this effort, it is indeed an honor and a privilege. I pledge my commitment to the citizens of this territory that my Team and I will be fiscally responsible in designing and constructing resilient, state of the art Hospitals and Medical Facilities which will serve our community for many years to come.”
According to JFL Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dyma Williams, the JFL Project Team began collaborating in October 2019 with healthcare architectural and engineering experts to draft a technically sound RFP for the design of the new hospital, inclusive of healthcare innovations and industry standards.
“We look forward to working with Flad and culturally competent local talent to engage our community and move the healthcare needs of the community forward, as we ‘Rebuild Today for a Healthier Tomorrow,’” she said.
