USVI-On-Line

Hi Gang,

I am going to STJ in Dec. with extended family. 2nd trip for 1/2 of us.

My father-in-law has gotten sick since we booked our trip in April and may or may not be able to go. I have been asked to look into how the St. Thomas hospital is in case he needs to be hospitalized while on island.

Any experince with the St. Thomas hospital? Good or bad?

We really want to see him make this trip, and he really needs this for his spirits, but we want to be safe and smart with the decision.

Thanks
mel

Barring a true life or death situation I would try to get to Puerto Rico.

It depends on what type of care he will need. The Clinic on STJ is very good and can handle most medical emergencies.
I do not recommend the hospital in STT at all. I have 2 very horrible experiences that I will not get into, but I would not send anyone there.

When we lived there I think we only had to go one time - and the experience was amazingly good. I hear what Xislandgirl is saying - but I think the Admin. at the hospital has really improved in the last 5 years. Then again - it is the USVI - it isn't big city, metropolitan USA.

Buy medical evacuation insurance before you go. That should give you lots of peace of mind.

sapphirecat wrote:Buy medical evacuation insurance before you go. That should give you lots of peace of mind.

I totally agree!

I don't know, Anthony. You understandably always want a positive image projected here, but a STJ resident/ good friend of mine fell off a ladder, broke a rib, punctured a lung and ended up going from the clinic to the STT hospital a little over a year ago.They were not impressed, to put it mildly.
Melmd, I hope he can make the trip and enjoy the magical powers of STJ without incident!

JT wrote:I don't know, Anthony. You understandably always want a positive image projected here

I don't pipe up on a lot of these issues just for this reason (being accused of painting too rosy a picture) - but I was not trying to "sell" the hospital. My daughter cracked her head open on a concrete window sill, and we got great care and attention in the emergency room - that was all I was saying. The second half of my comment pretty much says it is what it is. Plenty of seriously ill or injured people need to go off island for care - no doubt.

I do think that people can confuse the issue though and make it a VI thing (not just about the quality of the hospital but on a lot of issues facing the territory) but I think it is important to remember that the USVI is basically just the size of township in the US. No one goes to a "town" to get great medical care - they go to a big city or university hospital - where they have all the latest gadgets, conduct research, teach, etc. That just is never going to happen in the VI - it is simply economies of scale... that is why people go to PR or Miami, etc. for the most part - they need care that they can't get on St. Thomas.

Not to mention that I have had terrible things done to me in NJ by "doctors" that I wouldn't want to have happen to anyone!

Okay - end of rant. Sorry, but it has been a long week and my wife is actually in the hospital here for a second day (BTW - the main hospital in Florence is about 800 years old!). Nothing major - just a bunch of tests and x-rays trying to get to the bottom of a nagging cough so please nobody worry -

Have a great weekend -

When you mention "NJCare" having just done some serious navigating in/around the local "University" hospital makes me wince - but the docs were great! Anyone here heads to NYC or Philly if its serious - can we get "evacation insurance?"

That aside, anyone traveling with a chronic health problem should take with them a recent EKG or other test results that might help with care away from home. You might also want to discuss with your FIL's physician any concerns you may have about travel effects that might cause any acute flareups, challenges or problems. It is sometimes reassuring knowing that his md is just a phone call or fax consultation away but for more serious problems and illnesses, many choose to head to Miami or other stateside treatment centers.

Anthony, hope your bride is quickly back on her feet and on the way to recovery!

CShell1019 wrote:Anthony, hope your bride is quickly back on her feet and on the way to recovery!

Thanks - she just got home a little while ago! She had been in there since Thursday afternoon. The kid are very excited to say the least.

Xislandgirl wrote:The Clinic on STJ is very good and can handle most medical emergencies.

Where can I find the clinic on STJ if needed?

Used the lab at Stt hospital quite a bit when my wife was going thru chemo we would go over and have blood work done they would fax it to her doc at home and he would call the villa with changes in meds.
Worked out great.

Thank you for all of the input. He just had a change of condition and is now on a donor list, so it is really hard to say if he'll make this trip. We are praying his health is good enough for travel when the time comes.

Unfortunatly the sickness is pre-exisiting, and snuck up on him at a time travel insurance was not available (we were to late).

Again, thank you.

mel

Hey Anthony
Glad to hear that your wife is OK – hope they found out what was ailing her and I hope it’s nothing serious. 800 year old hospital – they still use leaches and blood-letting to treat people. Just kidding, I’m sure they’re a fine hospital.