Darlene Baptiste will become the permanent chief executive officer of St. Croix’s Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center, effective Feb. 5, 2025, the V.I. Government Hospital and Health Facilities Corporation announced.
The Territorial Board selected Baptiste from a pool of 12 candidates chosen by the Kirby Bates search firm. “If we had 12 hospitals, we could have hired the CEO for each one from that initial group,” said Christopher Finch, Territorial Board chair, in a press release.
Finch added that the board was impressed with Baptiste’s “knowledge and experience, her ideas to help JFL move forward, and the passion she demonstrated to return home and lead the hospital to excellence.”
Baptiste, who signed a three-year contract, has extensive experience in health care. Her past roles include serving as the V.I. Commissioner of Health and CEO of the Health Advisory of Anguilla, BVI, and the BVI Health Services Authority, the press release stated.
The board thanked interim CEO Hazel Philbert for her service during the search, the release stated.
