JFL Modular Hospital Delayed To 2020 Because Former CEO Withdrew From Contract To Procure Critical Furnishings, Fixtures And Equipment

ST. CROIX – When Juan F. Luis Hospital Acting Chief Executive Officer Dyma Williams, met with Governor Albert Bryan and members of his executive team on Wednesday, there were three main items on the agenda: the delay of the temporary modular hospital’s projected August 2019 completion date to May 2020, J.F.L.’s compromised infrastructure and repairs, and the September 2019 expiration of critical 100 percent Medicaid funding for the territory. 

Dr. Anne Treasure, acting chairwoman of J.F.L.’s governing board, stated that according to what the J.F.L. administration has relayed to the board, the temporary modular units which were set to be completed and fully supplied with furnishing, fixtures and equipment (F.F.E.) was supposed to be turnkey and available August of this year. “However, at the end of last year, shortly after J.F.L. previous chief executive officer, Wanda Reuben, left, we discovered that she had withdrawn the F.F.E. and the entire radiology department from the contract at the last minute,” Dr. Treasure explained. “The modular structures that are slated to be completed in August will most likely be ready on schedule, but will be shells devoid of furnishings, fixtures, and equipment, so the procurement process, which is very significant, begins all over again. It is not an overnight fix. It is a lengthy process that involves bidding, acquiring FEMA approval and congressional approval from the office of legislative affairs in Washington, D.C.”

Ms. Williams describes F.F.E. as more than just beds or ventilators. “It is the “stuffing” of a hospital facility. It includes lighting, fixtures, plugs, plumbing, the headwall where we have our oxygen and our suction (over the head of the hospital bed) and all the other equipment that it would require to run a general hospital. It takes a credentialed specialist that has experience and understands healthcare, in some cases a certified individual, to have the capacity to create the F.F.E. list necessary to outfit the temporary modular hospital.”

She added, “We now have to petition for FEMA and the contractors working on the project to be inclusive in the development of this F.F.E. list so they can have a better understanding of our needs.”

Ms. Williams explained that the process involves taking inventory of the current hospital’s equipment and determining what could not be salvaged, because FEMA, focused on replacing inventory, needed proof of the list of F.F.E. that was actually already there. The bidding and procurement process cannot move forward without the list so J.F.L. administration had to work in conjunction with FEMA and Witt O’Brien, described as a leader in crisis and emergency management, to generate it.

While the J.F.L. administration immediately took the necessary steps to begin the procurement process all over again, the delay has tentatively extended the projected completion date to May 2020. J.F.L. has reached out to Mr. Bryan to lend his assistance in utilizing the territory’s resources to expedite this process. 

The governor expressed his support for the hospital’s request, “We have to move to secure the best healthcare access we can as quickly as we can. We recognize the importance and value of supporting access to healthcare for all Virgin Islanders. We support ACEO Williams in stabilizing the infrastructure of the hospital and completing these projects as soon as possible,” Mr. Bryan said, according to a release the hospital issued.

Because congressional funding approval is also a major factor, Ms. Williams reached out to the Delegate to Congress, Stacey Plaskett, to obtain assistance. The delegate’s response was, “Whatever you need, let me know. I will do whatever I can to help.” Ms. Plaskett has made herself readily available to help expedite the process and get the ball rolling, Ms. Williams said.

The delays in getting the modular hospital online has made it increasingly necessary to execute temporary repairs on the existing hospital to enhance the quality of the patient care and employee experience. According to J.F.L.’s press release, the Bryan administration supports J.F.L.’s intention to utilize Public Finance Authority (P.F.A.) funding that the legislature allocated for capital improvements, to complete the necessary repairs that include temporary repairs or replacement of air handlers damaged in the storm, and repairs to the air handler room and the electrical motor control room, which were deferred initially in anticipation of the demolition of the hospital. 

“The continued collaboration and support of the administration is essential to the success of the hospital during this extended recovery period,” Ms. Dyma said. “We are working diligently to ensure that our current facility meets the healthcare needs of our community until we transfer to the temporary modular hospital.” 

The Bryan administration has also made the critical 100 percent Medicaid funding for the territory — which expires September 2019 — a top prior and is actively lobbying to address it, according to the J.F.L. release.