Health

Senator Fonseca Unveils 11-Step Plan to Fix USVI Hospitals in Formal Call for State of Emergency Declaration

Just over two weeks after he initially floated the idea of a state of emergency in the territory over healthcare, Senator Ray Fonseca has written formally to Governor Albert Bryan Jr. requesting such a declaration.  In an open letter to the governor, dated January 31, Mr. Fonseca outlined 11 actions he says can be taken during a hospital-related state of emergency to put the territory's public healthcare facilities on more solid footing. These include renegotiating insurance agreements, mandating zero co-payments for members of the government's health plans, renegotiating reimbursement rates to ensure territorial hospitals receive higher reimbursements than other healthcare facilities, and providing emergency support to the East End Medical Center.  The senator also wants the governor to utilize emergency funding to hire staff, replace non-functional equipment, and pay down outstanding invoices from vendors. Under his plan, the governor would also be prioritizing healthcare facility ...