Acting Juan F. Luis Hospital CEO Dyma Williams on Thursday announced the completion and availability of a new, state-of-the-art mobile dialysis facility at the hospital.
Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, JFL was heavily damaged due to substantial water intrusion and physical damage to its facilities. This damage resulted in a significant reduction in the capacity of the organization to include a loss of outpatient Dialysis services, the hospital said. After the storms, an agreement was executed by Odulair and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the lease of dialysis trailer units and equipment. The contract with Odulair expired on September 28, 2019 and was not renewed. Prior to the expiration, JFL procured mobile dialysis units provided by Mobile Health Facilities.
JFL said dialysis patients report that the environment has already improved. Temperature is appropriately moderated, the environment is stable, new dialysis chairs and equipment meet patient needs and each station has a television for patient entertainment while receiving their dialysis treatment, according to the hospital.
“The JFL team is proud to stabilize and continue patient dialysis services in the community. We continue to do the work, everyday, to ensure that this transition is well managed,” said Ms. Williams in addressing the transition to the new modular dialysis units.
She added, “Without question, this new mobile dialysis complex is an upgrade and now provides for increased working space, patient comfort, better patient flow, improved patient safety and improved functionality for dialysis treatment.”
Kyle Affeldt, president and CEO of Mobile Health Facilities stated, “We are proud to partner with JFL to stabilize dialysis on the island of St. Croix. In procuring MHF, JFL wanted to exceed regulatory requirements and MHF delivered.”
According to JFL, MHF mobile dialysis facility complex consists of two mobile dialysis facilities that enable patient access to twelve new dialysis stations. These dialysis stations provide sustaining dialysis treatment for JFL’s patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and kidney failure patients. These treatments are required three times per week to clean the blood and flush wastes from the patient. This process is normally a bodily function performed by the kidneys. However, after a patient progresses through kidney failure, the body can no longer perform this critical function. When this occurs, there are only two treatments available to the patient: a kidney transplant (a compatible donor is needed to provide one); or dialysis treatment.
“As an executive team, our focus is to restore critical healthcare in the territory,” Ms. Williams said. “We are eager to begin the construction of the community’s new hospital and the creation of hundreds of healthcare jobs and positive economic development in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As we await the move into the temporary hospital, we have stabilized dialysis services, first. We ask for the support of the community as we stabilize the remainder of the JFL facility.”
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