VI Health Care Facilities

The U.S. Virgin Islands is committed to providing its residents with the modern, advanced healthcare they need. The USVI offers an array of options for accessible reliable care, served by two main full-service hospitals and a wide variety of clinics, specialty healthcare centers, and non-profit organizations.  The territory has an organized primary/preventative and public health system.  The main hospitals are located on the islands of St. Thomas, Roy Lester Schneider Regional Medical Center (SRMC) and St. Croix, Juan F. Luis Medical center (JFL). The Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center located on the island of St. John serves the St. John residents.

Roy Lester Schneider Regional Medical Hospital (RLS)

Roy Lester Schneider Regional Medical Center (SRMC) is a Joint Commission accredited facility, that is committed to maintaining a superior standard of performance in all areas. Staff education and training are continuous, and an organization-wide focus on coordinated customer service is maintained. Among its goals is the preservation of an ideal environment for healing in comfort and safety, as well as for rewarding employment.

The Roy Lester Schneider Hospital is a 169-bed acute care facility located on St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. The hospital is a popular provider of choice for the USVI community, and, given the services now offered, it is the convenient option for many patients from throughout the Eastern Caribbean region who are referred here for treatment.

Since 1982, it has served the residents of St. Thomas and nearby St. John, St. Croix residents who have required its services, as well as 1.2 million visitors who arrive by air and cruise ships each year.  Meeting the health care needs of its community has required constant expansion of medical services, and recruitment of highly qualified and board-certified medical professionals.

The Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center is a comprehensive primary healthcare facility located on St. John, For residents and the thousands who visit each year, the center provides 24-hour emergency services and outpatient clinics Monday through Friday.  Myrah Keating Smith Community offers high-risk OB/GYN, well woman examinations including PAP smears, complete pelvic exams, pre and post-natal care. The facility is staffed to provide many other services, including adult medicine, pediatrics, radiology, ophthalmology, laboratory, and nutrition counselling.

Myrah Keating Smith Health Center was rendered inoperable after it sustained storm damages in 2017 when Hurricanes Irma and Maria Devastated the territory. A temporary structure constructed in 2018 now sits adjacent to the abandoned building and is used to provide services to the islands’ residents.

The Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute also remains shuttered after the storms in 2017, making rebuilding critical as there is no other location providing oncology services in the territory.

Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center (JFL)

The Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical center (JFL) is composed of the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital, the only hospital on the island of St. Croix, and the Virgin Islands cardiac center.  JFL offers general inpatient and emergency care, behavioral assessment and outpatient diagnostic services (laboratory, radiology).  The Interventional Cardiology services are no longer available.

In 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the territory. Water intrusion and wind damages caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria resulted in multiple damaged components severely impacting the operating capacity at each of the territory’s hospitals.

In 2018 Juan Luis hospital was operating at 50 percent capacity. In 2019, JFL capacity increased to 52 and will increase to 80 by the summer of 2020. In December of 2019 JFL began accepting dialysis patients credited to the new modular dialysis trailers the hospital received.   JFL received the full modular hospital which includes a four modular operating room. 

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)

The Territory has two Federally Qualified Health Center, St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corporation, Inc. (STEEMCC) in the STT/STJ district and Frederiksted Health Center (FHC) in the St. Croix.

STEEMCC provides comprehensive primary health care service on the Eastern end of the island on St. Thomas.  They offer primary health care services in behavioral health, family planning, women’s health, men’s health, obstetrics, pediatrics, senior care, adult and pediatric dental care and nutrition services.  Screenings are also provided for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, TB and breast, cervical and prostate cancer.

Frederiksted Health Center operates five sites on the island of St. Croix.  Three sites offer comprehensive primary care services, Ingerborg Nesbitt Clinic, the first service site, on Strand Street, Frederiksted; North Shore site in La Grande Princess; Christiansted; and one mid-island at Sion Farm Shopping.  One satellite clinic is based at the St. Croix Educational Complex, a public high school and the fifth site offers.  Services provided at primary care clinics include medical, behavioral health and dental care, and serve all ages, from prenatal to the elderly.

It is extremely important that the FQHCs are strategically located and accessible by public transportation and focus on providing primary care to low-income families who fall below the federal poverty level and reside in medically underserved communities.  USVI vulnerable population benefit from the wide range of payment options offered by the FQHC’s, including offering a sliding fee scale and accepting patients covered through private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and self-payment. 

Virgin Islands Department of Health (VIDOH)

The Department of Health functions as both the state regulatory agency and the territorial public health agency for the U.S. Virgin Islands.  As set forth by the Virgin Islands Code, Title 3 and 19, the Department of Health (DOH) has direct responsibility for conducting programs of preventative medicine, including special programs in Maternal Child Health, Family Planning, Environmental Sanitation, Mental Health and Drug and Substance Abuse Prevention. Many services and programs provided by the VIDOH through their public health clinics are used by families and children in the territory. The VIDOH clinical services offered to the USVI community include Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Community Health, HIV/STD, and the Women Infant and Children program (WIC). DOH is also responsible for health promotion and protection, regulation of health care providers and facilities, and policy development and planning, as well as maintaining the vital statistics for the population.

In 2019, a modular version of Department of Health’s Charles Harwood Complex (CHC) opened.   Due to major damages cause by the 2017 hurricanes, the complex closed in 2018.

Risk to Public Health in the USVI

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been other major risk factors to public safety that has greatly affected healthcare in the territory.  The Governor of the USVI have implemented mass healthcare reforms to help many people of the territory in several areas, since 2020. Specifically, Governor Bryan and the government addressed long-term problems with healthcare for the region’s people such as emergency medical service regulations, access to healthcare for people of any race or income level, aiding individuals with disabilities and hospital facilities.

Ongoing Healthcare issues

Access to healthcare in the USVI have been a major challenge, prior to the onset of Covid-19. Three elements can describe issues the territory has had in providing good healthcare plans to its people: quality, cost and accessibility. Environmental concerns, , have also impacted peoples’ health negatively. Additionally, homicides have been a big issue as well.

Since March 2020, USVI has had three times as many deaths due to gun violence compared to deaths due to COVID-19. All these factors have put pressure on medical facilities and the resources to help those in need.

COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is the most recent and well-known risk factor to public health and safety of the territory. The U.S. Virgin Islands is reinforcing critical public health messaging like symptom monitoring infection prevention and ways to avoid the spread of disease into our territory.  By following the health department’s guidance, Virgin Islands residence can keep themselves and families safe if they encounter someone with Covid-19 or other viral respiratory pathogens like the flu.

As of August 3, 2022, there have been 21, 869 positive cases and 121 reported deaths

Healthier Horizons

Positive plans have been put in place that will improve healthcare in the territory. Governor Bryan and the USVI government have called the healthcare plan “Healthier Horizons.”