Aug. 26, 2002 – The V.I. Education Department's Child Nutrition Program will distribute U.S. Agriculture Department commodities on St. Croix Saturday, said Education Department spokeswoman Juel Anderson in a news release.
The items will be distributed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Charles H. Emanuel School in Kingshill, Juanita Gardine School in Richmond and Claude O. Markoe School in Mars Hill, Frederiksted.
People should bring strong boxes or bags to hold their commodities.
Eligible persons include Food Stamp recipients, people on medical assistance programs and tenants of subsidized housing. Additionally, people who are not in those programs must have family incomes that do not exceed 185 percent of income eligibility guidelines for 2002/2003.
To meet the income eligibility guidelines, one person can make $16,391 a year. Add $5,698 for each additional person in the family.
People must bring their Food Stamp or medical assistance card. If they are self-certifying, they must bring proof of income.
Ginny Dargan of the Education Department's public information office said that commodity distributions are made several times a year.
According to the Agriculture Department Website, agencies pick what foods they will distribute from a list that includes include fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, meats, dry and canned beans, vegetable shortening and vegetable oils, peanut products, rice, cheese, pasta products, flour, and other grain products.
What's on the list depends on what surplus products are available.
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RULES SIGNS OFF ON BUDGET, ADDING $2.7 MILLION
Aug. 26, 2002 – The Senate Rules Committee finished its work on the Fiscal Year 2003 budget on Monday, approving the executive branch budget with an addition of $1.3 million for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor; passing its own budget; and approving the Omnibus Act of 2003, tacking on another $1.4 in amendments to the already burgeoning $20 million measure.
The extra $1.3 million approved for the office of Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II was almost the entire amount the Finance Committee had taken away earlier this month from the administration's requested funding.
The Rules Committee voted unanimously to reinstate the funds on an amendment by Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Carlton Dowe. The largest part of the increase, $771,076, was earmarked for personnel services, for the hiring of extra staff to collect taxes that James says contribute about $80 million annually to the government coffers.
Noting the Legislature had been overlooked as raises were handed out by the executive branch, Sen. President Almando "Rocky" Liburd recommended a FY 2003 budget of $16.5 million, an increase of $700,000 from this year. Liburd said the "slight increase" will pay Senate staff members who have not had a raise in two years. He praised the staff, saying 85 percent have now been trained in a computer program.
"We have to bring our employees up to the executive branch," Liburd said, adding, "The governor, the lieutenant governor and the senators are the only ones with no raises."
Liburd said some of the funds set aside for capital outlay will go to renovating the Legislature's Post Audit Division offices in the old District Court building. "We may have to move out of the building because of its deterioration," he said, adding that he has asked the Office of Management and Budget to take a serious look at the facility.
The Rules meeting got under way at 1 p.m., and Sen. Adelbert Bryan took up where he had left off last Thursday as the budget hearing, verbally attacking Post Auditor Terry Drake and challenging bills before the committee, demanding more information.
It was because Bryan attended no Finance Committee budget hearings that he was not as conversant with the bills as other Rules Committee members, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel pointed out last week. She made the point again Monday as Bryan continued complaining.
Referring to the Finance Committee, Pickard-Samuel said to Bryan, "We put in a lot of work, working long hours and dotting every I. What contribution have you made? Is complaining your only contribution?"
Bryan offered several amendments to the Omnibus Act; the only one which passed would require real estate developers to install and connect the infrastructure for electrical, telephone and cable service, but exempt landowners who subdivide their property to family members.
The senators also added minor upward adjustments in the executive budget to the Public Works and the Property and Procurement Departments.
Dowe, the Rules Committee chair, lauded the voluminous Omnibus bill, saying, "While this document might not be perfect, there are things in there that affect the people that really need it." He added, "There are initiatives for housing, public safety and health. These are provisions that will benefit our hard-working people."
Liburd submitted a 32-page amendment to the Omnibus bill, adding another 30 sections to the bill's original 54. Among them are provisions to:
– Eliminate the original bill's creation of a Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands, in favor of establishing an appellate court to be funded by $2 million in excess of $50 million in
the Insurance Guaranty Fund, and $500,000 from the Industrial Development fund.
– Elaborate on the proposed new Department of Youth Affairs, Sports and Recreation, which would put under one umbrella activities now under the Housing Parks and Recreation, Planning and Natural Resources, and Human Services Departments.
– Increase unemployment compensation benefits by $200 a week for four months following enactment of the bill.
– Appropriate some $1.3 million for infrastructure, sports, tourism and other projects and activities.
– Appropriate $5 million from GARVEE (federal grant anticipation revenue) bonds for the Water and Power Authority to build gasoline storage tanks.
– Appropriate $1.5 million from real property taxes to the Public Finance Authority for infrastructure funding, construction of homes and land acquisition in all districts.
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen's amendment to appropriate $56,224 to the Human Services Department to pay prior years' obligations to O 'Reilly's Plumbing and Construction was passed. It was offered by another committee member in Hansen's absence.
The committee also established a Deficit Reduction Fund to pay a part of retroactive wages owed unionized government employees. It is to be funded by 50 percent of all property taxes derived from the Hovensa coker unit, from federal grants and from 10 percent of all lottery and casino gambling proceeds. The measure allows the Public Finance Authority to utilize money in the fund to finance the issuance of bonds to pay up to 30 percent of the retroactive wages owed.
Left untouched was a section in the Omnibus bill making it illegal for employers to require potential employees to sign an agreement to have labor-management disputes resolved by binding arbitration. Hovensa and one of its subcontractors, Wyatt Inc., now require such a dispute resolution agreement of candidates for employment in positions not governed by union contracts; a District Court ruling rejected V.I. government arguments that requiring such an agreement is illegal.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the full Senate is scheduled to act on the budget bills, then send them to Government House, action that apparently will occur this year well ahead of the end of FY 2002 on Sept. 30.
Rules Committee members attending Monday's meeting were Sens. Bryan, Cole, Dowe, Liburd, Pickard-Samuel and Celestino A. White Sr. Absent were Sens. Alicia Hansen and Norman Jn Baptiste. Also attending was Sen. Emmett Hansen II, who is not a member of the committee.
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The extra $1.3 million approved for the office of Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II was almost the entire amount the Finance Committee had taken away earlier this month from the administration's requested funding.
The Rules Committee voted unanimously to reinstate the funds on an amendment by Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Carlton Dowe. The largest part of the increase, $771,076, was earmarked for personnel services, for the hiring of extra staff to collect taxes that James says contribute about $80 million annually to the government coffers.
Noting the Legislature had been overlooked as raises were handed out by the executive branch, Sen. President Almando "Rocky" Liburd recommended a FY 2003 budget of $16.5 million, an increase of $700,000 from this year. Liburd said the "slight increase" will pay Senate staff members who have not had a raise in two years. He praised the staff, saying 85 percent have now been trained in a computer program.
"We have to bring our employees up to the executive branch," Liburd said, adding, "The governor, the lieutenant governor and the senators are the only ones with no raises."
Liburd said some of the funds set aside for capital outlay will go to renovating the Legislature's Post Audit Division offices in the old District Court building. "We may have to move out of the building because of its deterioration," he said, adding that he has asked the Office of Management and Budget to take a serious look at the facility.
The Rules meeting got under way at 1 p.m., and Sen. Adelbert Bryan took up where he had left off last Thursday as the budget hearing, verbally attacking Post Auditor Terry Drake and challenging bills before the committee, demanding more information.
It was because Bryan attended no Finance Committee budget hearings that he was not as conversant with the bills as other Rules Committee members, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel pointed out last week. She made the point again Monday as Bryan continued complaining.
Referring to the Finance Committee, Pickard-Samuel said to Bryan, "We put in a lot of work, working long hours and dotting every I. What contribution have you made? Is complaining your only contribution?"
Bryan offered several amendments to the Omnibus Act; the only one which passed would require real estate developers to install and connect the infrastructure for electrical, telephone and cable service, but exempt landowners who subdivide their property to family members.
The senators also added minor upward adjustments in the executive budget to the Public Works and the Property and Procurement Departments.
Dowe, the Rules Committee chair, lauded the voluminous Omnibus bill, saying, "While this document might not be perfect, there are things in there that affect the people that really need it." He added, "There are initiatives for housing, public safety and health. These are provisions that will benefit our hard-working people."
Liburd submitted a 32-page amendment to the Omnibus bill, adding another 30 sections to the bill's original 54. Among them are provisions to:
– Eliminate the original bill's creation of a Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands, in favor of establishing an appellate court to be funded by $2 million in excess of $50 million in
the Insurance Guaranty Fund, and $500,000 from the Industrial Development fund.
– Elaborate on the proposed new Department of Youth Affairs, Sports and Recreation, which would put under one umbrella activities now under the Housing Parks and Recreation, Planning and Natural Resources, and Human Services Departments.
– Increase unemployment compensation benefits by $200 a week for four months following enactment of the bill.
– Appropriate some $1.3 million for infrastructure, sports, tourism and other projects and activities.
– Appropriate $5 million from GARVEE (federal grant anticipation revenue) bonds for the Water and Power Authority to build gasoline storage tanks.
– Appropriate $1.5 million from real property taxes to the Public Finance Authority for infrastructure funding, construction of homes and land acquisition in all districts.
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen's amendment to appropriate $56,224 to the Human Services Department to pay prior years' obligations to O 'Reilly's Plumbing and Construction was passed. It was offered by another committee member in Hansen's absence.
The committee also established a Deficit Reduction Fund to pay a part of retroactive wages owed unionized government employees. It is to be funded by 50 percent of all property taxes derived from the Hovensa coker unit, from federal grants and from 10 percent of all lottery and casino gambling proceeds. The measure allows the Public Finance Authority to utilize money in the fund to finance the issuance of bonds to pay up to 30 percent of the retroactive wages owed.
Left untouched was a section in the Omnibus bill making it illegal for employers to require potential employees to sign an agreement to have labor-management disputes resolved by binding arbitration. Hovensa and one of its subcontractors, Wyatt Inc., now require such a dispute resolution agreement of candidates for employment in positions not governed by union contracts; a District Court ruling rejected V.I. government arguments that requiring such an agreement is illegal.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the full Senate is scheduled to act on the budget bills, then send them to Government House, action that apparently will occur this year well ahead of the end of FY 2002 on Sept. 30.
Rules Committee members attending Monday's meeting were Sens. Bryan, Cole, Dowe, Liburd, Pickard-Samuel and Celestino A. White Sr. Absent were Sens. Alicia Hansen and Norman Jn Baptiste. Also attending was Sen. Emmett Hansen II, who is not a member of the committee.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
V.I.-EPA DEAL ALLOWS 20% MORE RUM PRODUCTION
Aug. 26, 2002 –- It's official. Gov. Charles Turnbull announced last week that he signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that allows 20 percent more rum production on St. Croix.
The governor had announced the deal in late July. The estimated $13 to $15 million a year in rum tax generated by the increase will go to pay for upgrading the territory's sewage treatment facilities.
"The revenue derived from the increased rum production will be used to guarantee financing of the improvements to the territory's wastewater treatment systems," Turnbull said in a news release.
The agreement was the result of negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department and the EPA. It gives the government until Feb 28, 2006, to bring St. Croix into compliance with a U.S. District Court consent decree and until Feb. 28, 2007, to achieve compliance in St. Thomas. Preliminary work on both islands is slated to begin by Oct. 1.
St. John's new sewage treatment plant went on line last year, so that island's sewage treatment system is not in need of a major overhaul. And St. Thomas has a new sewage treatment plant at the Mangrove Lagoon.
Under a consent decree originally issued by U.S. District Court in 1984 and amended in 1996, the government was slated to bring its sewage treatment system up to snuff by 2004. This was not physically or financially possible.
The governor said that V.I. Rum Industries Ltd., St. Croix's only rum producer, had applied to the Planning and Natural Resources Department to renew its pollutant discharge elimination system permit required to discharge waste while producing rum. The request asks for an increase in allowable discharge by 20 percent from 115,000 gallons a day to 138,000 gallons a day.
The signing of the memorandum took place Aug. 21 at the Battery in St. John.
Jane M. Kenny, Region II administrator for the EPA, signed on behalf of the U.S. Interior Department.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The governor had announced the deal in late July. The estimated $13 to $15 million a year in rum tax generated by the increase will go to pay for upgrading the territory's sewage treatment facilities.
"The revenue derived from the increased rum production will be used to guarantee financing of the improvements to the territory's wastewater treatment systems," Turnbull said in a news release.
The agreement was the result of negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department and the EPA. It gives the government until Feb 28, 2006, to bring St. Croix into compliance with a U.S. District Court consent decree and until Feb. 28, 2007, to achieve compliance in St. Thomas. Preliminary work on both islands is slated to begin by Oct. 1.
St. John's new sewage treatment plant went on line last year, so that island's sewage treatment system is not in need of a major overhaul. And St. Thomas has a new sewage treatment plant at the Mangrove Lagoon.
Under a consent decree originally issued by U.S. District Court in 1984 and amended in 1996, the government was slated to bring its sewage treatment system up to snuff by 2004. This was not physically or financially possible.
The governor said that V.I. Rum Industries Ltd., St. Croix's only rum producer, had applied to the Planning and Natural Resources Department to renew its pollutant discharge elimination system permit required to discharge waste while producing rum. The request asks for an increase in allowable discharge by 20 percent from 115,000 gallons a day to 138,000 gallons a day.
The signing of the memorandum took place Aug. 21 at the Battery in St. John.
Jane M. Kenny, Region II administrator for the EPA, signed on behalf of the U.S. Interior Department.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
V.I.-EPA DEAL ALLOWS 20% MORE RUM PRODUCTION
Aug. 26, 2002 –- It's official. Gov. Charles Turnbull announced last week that he signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that allows 20 percent more rum production on St. Croix.
The governor had announced the deal in late July. The estimated $13 to $15 million a year in rum tax generated by the increase will go to pay for upgrading the territory's sewage treatment facilities.
"The revenue derived from the increased rum production will be used to guarantee financing of the improvements to the territory's wastewater treatment systems," Turnbull said in a news release.
The agreement was the result of negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department and the EPA. It gives the government until Feb 28, 2006, to bring St. Croix into compliance with a U.S. District Court consent decree and until Feb. 28, 2007, to achieve compliance in St. Thomas. Preliminary work on both islands is slated to begin by Oct. 1.
St. John's new sewage treatment plant went on line last year, so that island's sewage treatment system is not in need of a major overhaul. And St. Thomas has a new sewage treatment plant at the Mangrove Lagoon.
Under a consent decree originally issued by U.S. District Court in 1984 and amended in 1996, the government was slated to bring its sewage treatment system up to snuff by 2004. This was not physically or financially possible.
The governor said that V.I. Rum Industries Ltd., St. Croix's only rum producer, had applied to the Planning and Natural Resources Department to renew its pollutant discharge elimination system permit required to discharge waste while producing rum. The request asks for an increase in allowable discharge by 20 percent from 115,000 gallons a day to 138,000 gallons a day.
The signing of the memorandum took place Aug. 21 at the Battery in St. John.
Jane M. Kenny, Region II administrator for the EPA, signed on behalf of the U.S. Interior Department.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The governor had announced the deal in late July. The estimated $13 to $15 million a year in rum tax generated by the increase will go to pay for upgrading the territory's sewage treatment facilities.
"The revenue derived from the increased rum production will be used to guarantee financing of the improvements to the territory's wastewater treatment systems," Turnbull said in a news release.
The agreement was the result of negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department and the EPA. It gives the government until Feb 28, 2006, to bring St. Croix into compliance with a U.S. District Court consent decree and until Feb. 28, 2007, to achieve compliance in St. Thomas. Preliminary work on both islands is slated to begin by Oct. 1.
St. John's new sewage treatment plant went on line last year, so that island's sewage treatment system is not in need of a major overhaul. And St. Thomas has a new sewage treatment plant at the Mangrove Lagoon.
Under a consent decree originally issued by U.S. District Court in 1984 and amended in 1996, the government was slated to bring its sewage treatment system up to snuff by 2004. This was not physically or financially possible.
The governor said that V.I. Rum Industries Ltd., St. Croix's only rum producer, had applied to the Planning and Natural Resources Department to renew its pollutant discharge elimination system permit required to discharge waste while producing rum. The request asks for an increase in allowable discharge by 20 percent from 115,000 gallons a day to 138,000 gallons a day.
The signing of the memorandum took place Aug. 21 at the Battery in St. John.
Jane M. Kenny, Region II administrator for the EPA, signed on behalf of the U.S. Interior Department.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL TO GET TRAINING
Aug. 27, 2002 – Police Department personnel as well as law-enforcement officers from other government agencies will receive training from the Florida-based U.S. Police Instructor Teams, according to a Government House release. Training was conducted on St. Croix Monday and Tuesday, and on St. Thomas Wednesday and Thursday.
The training is needed "because our men and women in law enforcement are being asked to do more and more to protect our community," Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in the release. Instruction will include team building, ethics, dynamics of a gunfight, approach techniques and verbalization.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the training is part of an overall effort to upgrade the department.
"It's something we need to continue growth," Ron Hatcher, the department's director of training, said. He said about 100 officers in each district are expected to participate.
Hatcher was not clear on the funding source for the program but said the money is not coming from the Police Department budget. Efforts to identify the funding source were unsuccessful.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The training is needed "because our men and women in law enforcement are being asked to do more and more to protect our community," Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in the release. Instruction will include team building, ethics, dynamics of a gunfight, approach techniques and verbalization.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the training is part of an overall effort to upgrade the department.
"It's something we need to continue growth," Ron Hatcher, the department's director of training, said. He said about 100 officers in each district are expected to participate.
Hatcher was not clear on the funding source for the program but said the money is not coming from the Police Department budget. Efforts to identify the funding source were unsuccessful.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL TO GET TRAINING
Aug. 27, 2002 – Police Department personnel as well as law-enforcement officers from other government agencies will receive training from the Florida-based U.S. Police Instructor Teams, according to a Government House release. Training was conducted on St. Croix Monday and Tuesday, and on St. Thomas Wednesday and Thursday.
The training is needed "because our men and women in law enforcement are being asked to do more and more to protect our community," Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in the release. Instruction will include team building, ethics, dynamics of a gunfight, approach techniques and verbalization.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the training is part of an overall effort to upgrade the department.
"It's something we need to continue growth," Ron Hatcher, the department's director of training, said. He said about 100 officers in each district are expected to participate.
Hatcher was not clear on the funding source for the program but said the money is not coming from the Police Department budget. Efforts to identify the funding source were unsuccessful.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The training is needed "because our men and women in law enforcement are being asked to do more and more to protect our community," Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in the release. Instruction will include team building, ethics, dynamics of a gunfight, approach techniques and verbalization.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the training is part of an overall effort to upgrade the department.
"It's something we need to continue growth," Ron Hatcher, the department's director of training, said. He said about 100 officers in each district are expected to participate.
Hatcher was not clear on the funding source for the program but said the money is not coming from the Police Department budget. Efforts to identify the funding source were unsuccessful.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
LAW-ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL TO GET TRAINING
Aug. 27, 2002 – Police Department personnel as well as law-enforcement officers from other government agencies will receive training from the Florida-based U.S. Police Instructor Teams, according to a Government House release. Training was conducted on St. Croix Monday and Tuesday, and on St. Thomas Wednesday and Thursday.
The training is needed "because our men and women in law enforcement are being asked to do more and more to protect our community," Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in the release. Instruction will include team building, ethics, dynamics of a gunfight, approach techniques and verbalization.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the training is part of an overall effort to upgrade the department.
"It's something we need to continue growth," Ron Hatcher, the department's director of training, said. He said about 100 officers in each district are expected to participate.
Hatcher was not clear on the funding source for the program but said the money is not coming from the Police Department budget. Efforts to identify the funding source were unsuccessful.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
The training is needed "because our men and women in law enforcement are being asked to do more and more to protect our community," Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in the release. Instruction will include team building, ethics, dynamics of a gunfight, approach techniques and verbalization.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the training is part of an overall effort to upgrade the department.
"It's something we need to continue growth," Ron Hatcher, the department's director of training, said. He said about 100 officers in each district are expected to participate.
Hatcher was not clear on the funding source for the program but said the money is not coming from the Police Department budget. Efforts to identify the funding source were unsuccessful.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CORAL BAY'S THE PLACE TO CELEBRATE LABOR DAY
Aug. 26, 2002 –- When it comes to parades, Coral Bay's Labor Day parade on Sept. 2 will be short on length but long on fun. And the party afterwards has live music, games for kids and adults and good food.
"It's the best on the island," organizer Jane Johannes said.
The parade kicks off at 11 a.m., but don't be surprised if it's more than a tad late getting underway. And it won't last more than about a half hour – if that – as it wends its way from near Pickles Deli on Route 107 to the Guy Benjamin School ball field.
Johannes said so far, she's heard from six or eight groups who want to participate in the parade. She didn't know their names. She said the party, billed as a craft and food fair, starts as soon as the parade ends and will run until 7 p.m.
Persons who'd like to set up at the ball field or participate in the parade asked to leave a message at the Tourism Department in St. John at 776-6450.
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"It's the best on the island," organizer Jane Johannes said.
The parade kicks off at 11 a.m., but don't be surprised if it's more than a tad late getting underway. And it won't last more than about a half hour – if that – as it wends its way from near Pickles Deli on Route 107 to the Guy Benjamin School ball field.
Johannes said so far, she's heard from six or eight groups who want to participate in the parade. She didn't know their names. She said the party, billed as a craft and food fair, starts as soon as the parade ends and will run until 7 p.m.
Persons who'd like to set up at the ball field or participate in the parade asked to leave a message at the Tourism Department in St. John at 776-6450.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
HOSPITAL CEO HAS GOALS HE SEES AS ACHIEVABLE
Aug. 26, 2002 – Roy L. Schneider Hospital is bleeding to the tune of $12 million a year in uncompensated care to the indigent and illegal immigrants, but Rodney Miller, new chief executive officer, plans to slow that hemorrhaging down.
In a presentation to a luncheon meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Miller said 43 million Americans are currently uninsured, so the problem of uncompensated care is not exclusive to the Virgin Islands. But, he said, as the only hospital in the district, Schneider Hospital, along with its Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center on St. John, has an obligation to serve the entire community. Illegal immigrants and indigent people are not the only problem, he said. Uninsured dependents of government workers also end up coming to the emergency room and running up bills they can't or don't pay.
Miller said another part of the problem, which he is addressing with the help of Delegate Donna M. Christensen, is the federal Medicaid cap imposed on the territory. Getting the cap lifted, updating computer systems and improving collections by 20 percent are "key to elevating and expanding our services to the community," he said.
Despite ongoing challenges, the hospital can become a "world class" health care facility, in part because of the distinguished medical specialists who have been drawn to the islands, Miller said.
A big step toward that goal, he said, will be the opening of the hospital's cancer center, slated for groundbreaking this year. He announced that he had just cut a deal with Oncology Solutions, a nationally recognized organization specializing in the development of cancer centers, to work with the hospital administration to "establish the clinical infrastructure for a successful cancer center."
He also said negotiations are ongoing with Dr. Bert Petersen Jr. to spearhead the project. Petersen, a native Virgin Islander, is a New York City surgeon, cancer specialist and medical school professor. He has already begun working to establish academic affiliations "that would result in specialists, residents and interns being based at the center," he said at the 8th annual Bio-Medical Ethics Workshop in November. (See "Cancer center will bring more than care".)
Miller sees the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Treatment Center, as it will be called, as one big step toward keeping residents on island for their health care. More specialists will help further, he said, adding to revenues. But more important, he added, patients will be able to stay on island, thus alleviating the added stress involved in traveling long distances for care.
Miller said the availability of specialists locally is no longer the problem it used to be. For a community of its size, St. Thomas has an impressive number of highly trained physicians, he said. Infrastructure and technology, which cost money, are the areas that cry out for improvement and funding.
Miller said an investment in the hospital is really "reinvestment." "If you made a one-time investment in the hospital, you would get your ROI [return on investment] immediately." He also said if health care spending stayed on island, "it would change the face of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital overnight."
Among his other goals, Miller said, he hopes to:
– Obtain accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
– Increase federal grants and private endowments.
– Complete a certified audit for Fiscal Year 2002 to insure the hospital's financial solvency.
– Complete computer automation to improve billing and accountability.
He also is bent on improving morale both in the hospital and in the community.
He said when he arrived, staff morale was low. Employees "had been made promises, and those promises had been broken," he said. "They had lost hope in the hospital."
Miller said he is "big on promotion from within," but not without merit. "We don't promote just to promote. The ones that go above and beyond will be the ones to get recognition," he said.
Included in his plans to improve the hospital's prestige in the community is cleaning the facility up. He got that project started last weekend, attracting more than 200 volunteers to the hospital to clean, wash and wax floors, and paint.
He said he plans to have the outside of the hospital repainted, too. This also had been a goal, never achieved, of his predecessor, Eugene Woods, who referred to it as "painting away the blues."
Most important, Miller said, "It's my job to build trust" in the community. "I've got to prove that I can provide health care." But, he added, "It's going to take the community, too."
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice.. click here.
In a presentation to a luncheon meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Miller said 43 million Americans are currently uninsured, so the problem of uncompensated care is not exclusive to the Virgin Islands. But, he said, as the only hospital in the district, Schneider Hospital, along with its Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center on St. John, has an obligation to serve the entire community. Illegal immigrants and indigent people are not the only problem, he said. Uninsured dependents of government workers also end up coming to the emergency room and running up bills they can't or don't pay.
Miller said another part of the problem, which he is addressing with the help of Delegate Donna M. Christensen, is the federal Medicaid cap imposed on the territory. Getting the cap lifted, updating computer systems and improving collections by 20 percent are "key to elevating and expanding our services to the community," he said.
Despite ongoing challenges, the hospital can become a "world class" health care facility, in part because of the distinguished medical specialists who have been drawn to the islands, Miller said.
A big step toward that goal, he said, will be the opening of the hospital's cancer center, slated for groundbreaking this year. He announced that he had just cut a deal with Oncology Solutions, a nationally recognized organization specializing in the development of cancer centers, to work with the hospital administration to "establish the clinical infrastructure for a successful cancer center."
He also said negotiations are ongoing with Dr. Bert Petersen Jr. to spearhead the project. Petersen, a native Virgin Islander, is a New York City surgeon, cancer specialist and medical school professor. He has already begun working to establish academic affiliations "that would result in specialists, residents and interns being based at the center," he said at the 8th annual Bio-Medical Ethics Workshop in November. (See "Cancer center will bring more than care".)
Miller sees the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Treatment Center, as it will be called, as one big step toward keeping residents on island for their health care. More specialists will help further, he said, adding to revenues. But more important, he added, patients will be able to stay on island, thus alleviating the added stress involved in traveling long distances for care.
Miller said the availability of specialists locally is no longer the problem it used to be. For a community of its size, St. Thomas has an impressive number of highly trained physicians, he said. Infrastructure and technology, which cost money, are the areas that cry out for improvement and funding.
Miller said an investment in the hospital is really "reinvestment." "If you made a one-time investment in the hospital, you would get your ROI [return on investment] immediately." He also said if health care spending stayed on island, "it would change the face of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital overnight."
Among his other goals, Miller said, he hopes to:
– Obtain accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
– Increase federal grants and private endowments.
– Complete a certified audit for Fiscal Year 2002 to insure the hospital's financial solvency.
– Complete computer automation to improve billing and accountability.
He also is bent on improving morale both in the hospital and in the community.
He said when he arrived, staff morale was low. Employees "had been made promises, and those promises had been broken," he said. "They had lost hope in the hospital."
Miller said he is "big on promotion from within," but not without merit. "We don't promote just to promote. The ones that go above and beyond will be the ones to get recognition," he said.
Included in his plans to improve the hospital's prestige in the community is cleaning the facility up. He got that project started last weekend, attracting more than 200 volunteers to the hospital to clean, wash and wax floors, and paint.
He said he plans to have the outside of the hospital repainted, too. This also had been a goal, never achieved, of his predecessor, Eugene Woods, who referred to it as "painting away the blues."
Most important, Miller said, "It's my job to build trust" in the community. "I've got to prove that I can provide health care." But, he added, "It's going to take the community, too."
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice.. click here.
HOSPITAL CEO SETS GOALS HE SEES AS ACHIEVABLE
Aug. 26, 2002 – Roy L. Schneider Hospital is bleeding to the tune of $12 million a year in uncompensated care to the indigent and illegal immigrants, but Rodney Miller, new chief executive officer, plans to slow that hemorrhaging down.
In a presentation to a luncheon meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Miller said 43 million Americans are currently uninsured, so the problem of uncompensated care is not exclusive to the Virgin Islands. But, he said, as the only hospital in the district, Schneider Hospital, along with its Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center on St. John, has an obligation to serve the entire community. Illegal immigrants and indigent people are not the only problem, he said. Uninsured dependents of government workers also end up coming to the emergency room and running up bills they can't or don't pay.
Miller said another part of the problem, which he is addressing with the help of Delegate Donna M. Christensen, is the federal Medicaid cap imposed on the territory. Getting the cap lifted, updating computer systems and improving collections by 20 percent are "key to elevating and expanding our services to the community," he said.
Despite ongoing challenges, the hospital can become a "world class" health care facility, in part because of the distinguished medical specialists who have been drawn to the islands, Miller said.
A big step toward that goal, he said, will be the opening of the hospital's cancer center, slated for groundbreaking this year. He announced that he had just cut a deal with Oncology Solutions, a nationally recognized organization specializing in the development of cancer centers, to work with the hospital administration to "establish the clinical infrastructure for a successful cancer center."
He also said negotiations are ongoing with Dr. Bert Petersen Jr. to spearhead the project. Petersen, a native Virgin Islander, is a New York City surgeon, cancer specialist and medical school professor. He has already begun working to establish academic affiliations "that would result in specialists, residents and interns being based at the center," he said at the 8th annual Bio-Medical Ethics Workshop in November. (See "Cancer center will bring more than care".)
Miller sees the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Treatment Center, as it will be called, as one big step toward keeping residents on island for their health care. More specialists will help further, he said, adding to revenues. But more important, he added, patients will be able to stay on island, thus alleviating the added stress involved in traveling long distances for care.
Miller said the availability of specialists locally is no longer the problem it used to be. For a community of its size, St. Thomas has an impressive number of highly trained physicians, he said. Infrastructure and technology, which cost money, are the areas that cry out for improvement and funding.
Miller said an investment in the hospital is really "reinvestment." "If you made a one-time investment in the hospital, you would get your ROI [return on investment] immediately." He also said if health care spending stayed on island, "it would change the face of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital overnight."
Among his other goals, Miller said, he hopes to:
– Obtain accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
– Increase federal grants and private endowments.
– Complete a certified audit for Fiscal Year 2002 to insure the hospital's financial solvency.
– Complete computer automation to improve billing and accountability.
He also is bent on improving morale both in the hospital and in the community.
He said when he arrived, staff morale was low. Employees "had been made promises, and those promises had been broken," he said. "They had lost hope in the hospital."
Miller said he is "big on promotion from within," but not without merit. "We don't promote just to promote. The ones that go above and beyond will be the ones to get recognition," he said.
Included in his plans to improve the hospital's prestige in the community is cleaning the facility up. He got that project started last weekend, attracting more than 200 volunteers to the hospital to clean, wash and wax floors, and paint.
He said he plans to have the outside of the hospital repainted, too. This also had been a goal, never achieved, of his predecessor, Eugene Woods, who referred to it as "painting away the blues."
Most important, Miller said, "It's my job to build trust" in the community. "I've got to prove that I can provide health care." But, he added, "It's going to take the community, too."
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice… click here.
In a presentation to a luncheon meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Miller said 43 million Americans are currently uninsured, so the problem of uncompensated care is not exclusive to the Virgin Islands. But, he said, as the only hospital in the district, Schneider Hospital, along with its Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center on St. John, has an obligation to serve the entire community. Illegal immigrants and indigent people are not the only problem, he said. Uninsured dependents of government workers also end up coming to the emergency room and running up bills they can't or don't pay.
Miller said another part of the problem, which he is addressing with the help of Delegate Donna M. Christensen, is the federal Medicaid cap imposed on the territory. Getting the cap lifted, updating computer systems and improving collections by 20 percent are "key to elevating and expanding our services to the community," he said.
Despite ongoing challenges, the hospital can become a "world class" health care facility, in part because of the distinguished medical specialists who have been drawn to the islands, Miller said.
A big step toward that goal, he said, will be the opening of the hospital's cancer center, slated for groundbreaking this year. He announced that he had just cut a deal with Oncology Solutions, a nationally recognized organization specializing in the development of cancer centers, to work with the hospital administration to "establish the clinical infrastructure for a successful cancer center."
He also said negotiations are ongoing with Dr. Bert Petersen Jr. to spearhead the project. Petersen, a native Virgin Islander, is a New York City surgeon, cancer specialist and medical school professor. He has already begun working to establish academic affiliations "that would result in specialists, residents and interns being based at the center," he said at the 8th annual Bio-Medical Ethics Workshop in November. (See "Cancer center will bring more than care".)
Miller sees the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Treatment Center, as it will be called, as one big step toward keeping residents on island for their health care. More specialists will help further, he said, adding to revenues. But more important, he added, patients will be able to stay on island, thus alleviating the added stress involved in traveling long distances for care.
Miller said the availability of specialists locally is no longer the problem it used to be. For a community of its size, St. Thomas has an impressive number of highly trained physicians, he said. Infrastructure and technology, which cost money, are the areas that cry out for improvement and funding.
Miller said an investment in the hospital is really "reinvestment." "If you made a one-time investment in the hospital, you would get your ROI [return on investment] immediately." He also said if health care spending stayed on island, "it would change the face of the Roy L. Schneider Hospital overnight."
Among his other goals, Miller said, he hopes to:
– Obtain accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
– Increase federal grants and private endowments.
– Complete a certified audit for Fiscal Year 2002 to insure the hospital's financial solvency.
– Complete computer automation to improve billing and accountability.
He also is bent on improving morale both in the hospital and in the community.
He said when he arrived, staff morale was low. Employees "had been made promises, and those promises had been broken," he said. "They had lost hope in the hospital."
Miller said he is "big on promotion from within," but not without merit. "We don't promote just to promote. The ones that go above and beyond will be the ones to get recognition," he said.
Included in his plans to improve the hospital's prestige in the community is cleaning the facility up. He got that project started last weekend, attracting more than 200 volunteers to the hospital to clean, wash and wax floors, and paint.
He said he plans to have the outside of the hospital repainted, too. This also had been a goal, never achieved, of his predecessor, Eugene Woods, who referred to it as "painting away the blues."
Most important, Miller said, "It's my job to build trust" in the community. "I've got to prove that I can provide health care." But, he added, "It's going to take the community, too."
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice… click here.
