Amid praise for the quick attention given those who come to the Myrah Keating Smith Health Clinic in need of emergency care, participants in a town meeting Monday evening said for too many emergency patients, the ordeal begins once they leave the clinic.
About 20 people, many of them clinic employees and members of the clinic advisory board, turned out for the two-hour town meeting at the Julius E. Sprauve School in Cruz Bay.
A range of topics came under discussion, including problems in emergency care. Once a St. John resident needs hospitalization or is so sick or injured that they need surgery or intensive care, they must be transferred to Schneider Hospital. Responsibility then shifts to the Emergency Medical Service.
Administrator Julien Harley said in some instances, patients have had to wait for pick up after being transported from St. John by ambulance boat to the Red Hook dock. Others at the meeting told of patients who had to endure the three-part journey from ambulance to boat to ambulance – only to be sent home on arrival at Schneider Hospital.
Hospital chief executive officer Eugene Woods said he would raise the subject of communication between the clinic and the EMS on Wednesday when he meets with officials from the Department of Health who oversee the ambulance service.
Dr. Elizabeth Barot, senior physician at the clinic, said she would like improve communication with her counterparts on St. Thomas. "Over here, we're limited. I'm the only physician here," she said.
Some emergency cases need laboratory services which the clinic does not have, Barot said. While she said she would like to hold patients for observation, there are times when it's not the best thing to do.
"Patients' symptoms change, so I'd rather be on the safe side than to put the patient in danger," Barot said.
When doctors at Schneider Hospital decide a St. John patient can go back home they notify Barot and she keeps tabs on them once they return.
Participants at the meeting praised administrator Erica McDonald for the discipline and purpose she has brought to the clinic staff since taking over in March. They also expressed appreciation for the cleanliness of the facility and the friendliness of the staff in meeting the needs of patients.
Woods echoed those comments and said he has seen many improvements in the clinic's operation since McDonald began her duties in March.
There are still more improvements on the way, he said, but they would come slowly because the hospital corporation, which includes clinic funding, is facing a $3 million budget cut for the coming fiscal year.
Meeting participants also told Woods and his administrators they would like to see expanded services for the elderly, more laboratory staff, more road signs to the clinic and greater compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The clinic building and bathrooms are accessible to the disabled, said McDonald, but members of the advisory board have asked for further improvements.
Mc Donald also said she would like to quickly develop a prompt and simplified billing system.
At the end of the meeting, Woods and McDonald said they were disappointed more members of the public did not attend, but Woods expressed gratitude for the volunteers on the clinic's advisory board and staff members who took the time to come.
McDonald added, "They have been very instrumental in keeping me and Mr. Woods on point, which is what we want. We don't have to worry about who's on the board or what their agenda is. Their agenda is St. John."
