CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) is pleased to announce the availability of a new CFVI scholarship — the Estelle Parrott Scholarship — which will be available for the first time for the 2019-2020 academic year.
This scholarship will be funded annually through the Estelle Parrott Scholarship Fund, which was established at CFVI to honor the memory of Estelle Christian Parrott.
Parrott was known as a very generous woman who cared deeply for the community and particularly for the young people of the U. S. Virgin Islands, which had been her home. Estelle believed in the importance of doing one’s best and working hard to improve and to continue to learn.
Her commitment to “education as the backbone to any society” and to “helping others move forward and not stay in one place,” are reflected in the scholarship, which will provide a grant of $1,000 to be used to pay for education-related expenses of a young Virgin Islander who is experiencing financial challenges.
The recipient of the Estelle Parrott Scholarship will be a student enrolled in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of study at the University of the Virgin Islands and will be selected from the pool of all CFVI scholarship applicants as part of the annual CFVI scholarship committee review.
Students may submit a CFVI scholarship application through April 15, 2019, using the following online portal: http://bit.ly/CFVIscholarship-grant-portal.
All applicants (new and returning) must create an account with Foundant before they begin the application process. Applicants will then receive a confirmation email once the account has been established.
For any questions or technical assistance, contact CFVI Grants and Programs Manager, Khadija de Lagarde, at kdelagarde@cfvi.net or 340-774-6031.
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands – May 19th, 2020 – Schneider Regional Medical Center (SRMC) announced today it is lifting the temporary restrictions placed on elective surgeries and outpatient procedures. As the nation is reopening and moving back to normal operations, SRMC is prepared to begin scheduling non-high risk patients for outpatient and electives procedures. The Virgin Islands Territory has experienced relatively low and stable incidences of COVID-19, that have allowed SRMC the flexibility to resume these services for patients needing nonemergent or non-COVID-19 related care.
“This is great news for patients who have placed their care plans on hold due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Luis Amaro, Interim CEO of SRMC. “Our team is ready to deliver safe, quality healthcare services to all patients. We will continue to follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the VI Department of Health guidelines” said Dr. Amaro.
Patient and employee safety remains our top priority at SRMC. As such, our visitation and screening processes will continue throughout this first phase of the reopening. Our community will have access to the following services: SRMC Heart & Lung Laboratory Services (including testing for food handler’s cards) Rehabilitation Services (Physical, Occupational, Speech, and Cardiopulmonary Therapy) Dietary and Nutrition Consultations Mastectomy & Medical Compression Garment Fittings Limited Elective Surgical Procedures
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SRMC’s safety protocols for resuming services include, but are not limited to: All individuals entering Schneider Regional Medical Center facilities, including all staff members, will continue to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms. All individuals entering Schneider Regional Medical Center facilities will be asked to wear a mask or cloth face covering. Visitors will still be prohibited. A support person will be allowed for surgical patients, delivering OB mothers; children under the age of 18; patients with confusion, altered mental status or developmental delays; and end-of-life patients. All outpatient services, tests, and procedures are done by appointment only. All individuals are required to practice social distancing of six feet in all public areas and waiting rooms. Extra cleaning and disinfection of high-touch, public surface areas will continue. Infectious patients will continue to be cared for in isolation, away from non-infectious patients. All care team members who provide direct patient care will continue to follow our policies for wearing surgical masks, protective eyewear, as well as other necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.
In addition to the safety protocols we have in place, our health system remains prepared to respond if a surge of COVID-19 develops in our Territory. We can quickly cease all elective and non-essential cases and return to more restrictive policies and protocols. SRMC also maintains an adequate supply of PPEs and other resources. We have reserved at least 50 percent of our hospital bed capacity, by opening a new COVID-19 wing that is designed to care for our most critical patients. We continue to collaborate with the Virgin Islands Government, the Department of Health, and emergency response officials to evaluate incidences and trends of COVID-19 cases.
“Until a vaccine is found, SRMC will remain prepared at all times to respond to COVID-19 and to care for our community,” said Dr. Amaro.
Patients who wish to schedule their elective surgery or outpatient procedure should call our Patient Access and Scheduling Department at (340) 776-833 extensions 2157, 2168, 2171, and 2211.
For more information about Schneider Regional Medical Center, visit our website at https://srmedicalcenter.org
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS— In accordance with Governor Albert Bryan Jr. phased reopening of the territory, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will be implementing phased reopening protocols from Monday, May 18, 2020. Director McIntosh and the staff of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles are implementing the following procedures to safeguard the community and the employees:
- The BMV will resume all services beginning Monday, May 18, 2020 with restrictions. Customers who wish to renew vehicle registrations, obtain moving permits, permits to ship vehicles off-island, title transfers of new and used vehicles and duplicate documents, must drop off the required documents to a designated drop box at any bureau office, in a sealed envelope. Customers are required to provide pertinent contact information, such as phone number and email address. The bureau will then schedule an appointment for each customer to pick up their documents and pay for the service. Applications and a list of the required documents are available on our website at bmv.vi.gov.
- Director McIntosh is still encouraging the community to take advantage of the bureau’s online vehicle registration process. During the period from March 18, 2020 to May 31, 2020, the bureau will waive the requirement for inspection for any customer who renews their vehicle registration online. If customers need assistance in setting up an account or for technical assistance, please email the bureau at info@bmv.vi.gov.
- For driver’s license and disabled placards related services, customers are required to make an appointment. To make an appointment, please call (340) 713-4268 on St. Croix, (340) 774-4268 on St. Thomas, and (340) 776-6262 on St. John.
- All road tests and written test for the learner’s permit are cancelled until further notice.
Director McIntosh thanks the community for their understanding during this public health emergency. As the bureau receives additional information, Director McIntosh will update the protocols as necessary. For more information, please feel to contact the BMV at (340) 713-4268 on St. Croix, (340) 774-4268 on St. Thomas, and (340) 776-6262 on St. John.
For up to date information on COVID-19, the new strain of coronavirus, please visit the Virgin Islands Department of Health’s website at: doh.vi.gov/coronavirus or text COVID19USVI to 88877. #COVID19USVI
The governing board of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority has given its nod of approval for the hiring of outside assistance to complete the restoration of the utility’s Automated Metering Infrastructure. Once completed, WAPA will be in position to ensure accurate and timely billing.
The board’s action came in a Friday morning emergency meeting.
To complete system restoration, WAPA is returning to a contactor and the principal engineer who originally designed and implemented the automated metering system which was decimated in the 2017 hurricanes.
The board authorized entering into contract with Black & Veatch International Company for the first stage of system restoration at a cost of $371,140. The work by Black & Veatch will be completed in 16-18 weeks, and all field work will be finalized by the end of 2020. Executive Director Lawrence J. Kupfer told board members that since the hurricanes WAPA has been working on system restoration with internal resources. “The Authority is now seeking outside assistance to complete the restoration. Complete rehabilitation of the system will improve meter communications, synchronize data management systems, and improve meter data management functionality.”
He added that the completion of system restoration is directly linked to the Authority’s ability to bill timelier and ensure accuracy.
Chief Operating Officer of Electric Systems Clinton T. Hedrington Jr. said Black & Veatch was selected, and the firm is best suited to execute a corrective plan they designed. “B&V has the capacity to immediately begin work on this project, and engineer Rick Schmidt’s intimate knowledge of the system design and functionality is of great value to WAPA.”
In other action, the board authorized Director Kupfer to enter into contract with Wartsila LLC for engineering services and engine reservation fees. This contract is associated with the purchase and installation of two, four-megawatt emergency generators for St. John, which had previously been approved by the board in September 2018. The cost for engineering services and reservation fees total $3 million. Once the design work is completed and a final cost negotiated, the governing board must approve the contract terms.
Once installed and commissioned, the generators, that will be located in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay, will provide electrical service to St. John during service interruptions on St. Thomas. “With these units, St. John can be independently restored while the outage issues on St. Thomas are resolved,” Kupfer told board members. The battery system will provide grid stabilization as determined by a power system study. Once negotiations are completed, the governing board must approve the final contract cost. The project will be funded on a 90-10 match by FEMA.
Hedrington said at today’s meeting that the project was originally approved in 2018 however it underwent additional review by FEMA to determine its qualification for federal funding. The project is categorized by WAPA as one of several hazard mitigation undertakings to create a more resilient, efficient, and reliable electric system in the territory.
The board also approved a loan contract amendment with Rural Utility Services and a new deposit control agreement to replace the former Cushion of Credit Account. The changes were required by RUS which provided a $13 million loan to WAPA to initially develop and implement the automated metering infrastructure and associated systems.
Board members in attendance included: Chairman Anthony D. Thomas, Vice Chair Noel Loftus, Secretary Juanita Young, Directors Kyle Fleming and Joel Lee, and Cheryl Boynes Jackson. Elizabeth Armstrong, Jed JohnHope, and Hubert Turnbull were excused.