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East End Medical Center Faces Challenges

The St. Thomas East End Medical Health Center Corp. staff has to beg to get services for women with breast lumps, the center’s medical director, Dr. Debra Wright- Francis, told the Legislature’s Finance Committee during Wednesday’s budget hearing.

“It’s a huge gap in services,” Francis said.

She said that while St. Thomas Radiology provides two free mammograms a week for Health Center patients, those are intended for screenings. When a breast exam turns up a lump, diagnostic services are needed so the Health Center staff calls up and tries to get the patient the service.

When the lump is diagnosed as suspicious, it gets even more complicated. Francis said that again, the staff calls around and begs for a doctor to do a biopsy.

Roy L. Schneider Hospital also offers mammograms, but Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly said that that machine was a donation by St. Thomas Radiology and is not a more modern digital machine.

“I think it’s important that people understand the challenges with regard to breast health,” Rivera-O’Reilly said.

The Health Center management team was at the budget hearing to defend its request for a $1.6 million General Fund budget for fiscal year 2012. The Management and Budget Office suggested $1.1 million.

If the Health Center doesn’t get all the money it needs, it will be forced to not fill important vacancies like a certified nursing assistant and registered nurse.

“I don’t see fluff in terms of vacancies,” Sen. Carlton Dowe, who chaired the meeting, said.

The center sees 800 patients a month, Francis said. She said that figure is down from about 1,000 a month it was able to handle when it had additional staff.

Chief Financial Officer Carmencita Dorsett said it costs the center about $25 per patient for care.

Dowe brought up the issue of undocumented immigrants receiving care at the center, but Director Wilbur Smith said that the center addresses that issue by trying to collect up front, by offering a sliding scale for bills and providing a schedule of payments.

“Many of the patients are paying,” Smith said.

The Finance Committee also heard from the V.I. Labor Management Committee’s request for $165,000 for its 2012 budget. The Committee’s job is to facilitate relationships between labor and management.

Most of the discussion centered on Rivera-O’Reilly’s contention that the four V.I. Port Authority harbor pilots on St. Thomas and the two on St. Croix be cross trained to work at ports on both islands. She said her husband is a harbor pilot.

In addition to Dowe and Rivera-O’Reilly, Sen. Patrick Simeon Sprauve attended the meeting.

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