Territorial Hospital Board Authorizes Consultant RFP as Consolidation Effort Advances

An emergency meeting of the Territorial Hospital Board executive committee resulted in a vote to issue a request for proposals seeking a consultant to assist with the ongoing integration of the territory’s hospitals into a unified system.

The move comes about a week after the announcement that former Juan F. Luis Hospital CEO Darlene Baptiste had been tipped to serve as the chief executive of both JFL and Schneider Regional Medical Center, bumping former SRMC CEO Tina Commissiong to an as-yet undisclosed alternative role in the hospital system.

Discussion about consolidation in the territory’s public healthcare system has been ongoing for months, as the two hospitals’ widely publicized operational and financial struggles frustrate the delivery of adequate healthcare to residents. It is believed that moving to a unified administration, procurement, and governance for the hospitals can help improve efficiency and reduce spending.

The consolidation effort comes amidst a wider push to improve the delivery of healthcare services to Virgin Islanders. The Public Finance Authority is set to meet on Friday to consider the approval of a major contract for the demolition and rebuild of the JFL Hospital on St. Croix.