The Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance, Chaired by Vice Chairman, Senator Novelle E. Francis, Jr, met in the Frits E. Lawaetz Legislative Conference Room. Lawmakers received testimony on the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget for the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center, and Frederiksted Health Care, Inc.
Hazel Philbert, Interim Chief Executive Director of the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center delivered its proposed FY 2025 Budget of $88,116,899. The Government of the Virgin Islands is expected to appropriate $31,250,000 for FY 2025, which is included in JFL’s FY 2025 operating budget. Salaries and wage expenses are budgeted at $35.6 Million, and fringe benefits are budgeted at $25.5 million. Services and charges, (which includes locum doctors, staffing agencies and etc.), are budgeted at $11.4 million. Supplies are budgeted at $10.7 Million. Utilities are budgeted at $4.9 Million. Accounts payable at JFL increased from $17.6 Million in May 2023 to $19.4M by the end of May 2024. However, accounts payable have decreased from $54 Million to $19.4 Million over the past 6 years, with an increase of $1.8 Million between FY 2023 and FY 2024. Projected revenues for FY 2024 were $88.1 Million, but it is anticipated that it will end the year with $74.5 Million. JFL has been concerned with challenges with Medicaid payments. Philbert voiced concern that 16,480 Virgin Islanders had lost Medicaid coverage and anticipated that there will be an increase in individuals seeking care from the facility. JFL has $47 Million in uncompensated care for Fiscal Year 2024. It forecasts that uncompensated care will increase by $7.9 Million for a total projected cost of $54.9 Million. There are 508 employees at Juan F. Luis Hospital. There are 276 clinical employees, and 232 non-clinical employees.
Masserae Sprauve-Webster, Chief Executive Officer of Frederiksted Health Care delivered its total proposed FY 2025 Budget request of $3,200,000 from the General Fund. There are 155 total employees. Of the general fund, fringe benefits accounts for $450,343. Supplies is budgeted at $150,000, other charges and services is $210,000, and public utilities, $250,000. There are 14 total vacancies. Frederiksted Health Care’s total budget is $17,227,000. Of the total budget, personnel services totals $11,188,472 from three sources. $2,139,657 comes from local sources, which fund 27 employees. $3,076,053 comes from federal sources, which funds 36 employees. $5,972,762 comes from Program Income, which funds 92 employees. Within the total operating budget, $3,227.000 comes from Federal Funding. $2.7 Million comes from local funding. $11,000,000 comes from program income. There is miscellaneous income of $300,000. The total payroll cost is $13,513,912. $11,188,472 is salaries, and $2,325,440 is Fringe Benefits. FHC served 6,320 patients with 22,311 visits from January to June 2024. Most of FHC’s patients had income at or below 200% of the poverty guidelines. 16% of the patients were uninsured. Sprauve-Webster stated that when it comes to dental services, the uninsured number rose to 37% because Medicare does not cover dental services. FHC provides primary care, obstetric, dental, psychiatric, behavioral health counseling, and enabling services at four locations on St. Croix.
Senators present at today’s committee hearing included Novelle E. Francis, Jr., Marvin A. Blyden, Angel L. Bolques, Jr., Diane T. Capehart, Dwayne M. DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Kenneth L. Gittens, and Marise C. James.
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