Health

At JFL Townhall, Talk Of New Hospital, Transition To Mobile Units, And Reasons For Laying Off Employees

ST. CROIX -- Officials of the Juan F. Luis Hospital, including the facility's new CEO, Wanda M. Ruben, its acting board chairman, Troy deChabert-Schuster, along with Dept. of Health Commissioner Michelle Davis, spoke about a new direction for the beleaguered hospital, its compromised state following Hurricane Maria, and plans to transition to a mobile setup which is being called the "Western Shelter Systems". The townhall comes as the Mapp administration makes it argument to the federal government for funding not to repair the hospital, but to construct a new, smaller facility altogether, which Mr. deChabert-Schuster said would accommodate no more than 150 patients. The event, which was held at hospital's conference center room, was also part of the new CEO's effort to engage with the community, updating residents on the status of the facility and plans moving forward. Throughout the townhall, which lasted over an hour, officials spoke with certainty that funding would b...