hospitals, healthy transportation, and kids

There is one hospital on St Croix (Juan Luis) and one on St Thomas (Roy Schneider.) Both are owned by the territorial government. There are specialties that are not available on either island for which one would need to be med-evaced to Puerto Rico (usually) or Florida. Walking and bicycling is not common on either island.

EE is right on the money. If I ever get sick, or need medical attention, I go to Puerto Rico, as do many others. Our Hospitals here aren't quite up to par with America. They'll do in a pinch, or if you don't have the means for other care, but they aren't recommended by most.

And, as far as biking goes, if it has an engine, you'll be just fine! Haha! These roads are waaaaayyy to steep to be pedaling up (down is great, tho!).

As for the kids, private school is best, if you can afford it. But that shouldn't be a problem, being a Dr., right? haha! The public schools are less than stellar in regards to educating (or anything else, for that matter).

Marty: I believe you misunderstood me. I feel that we have good basic medical care. At Roy Schneider, however, we do not have a full-time neurosurgeon (we have one that comes from Florida on a part-time basis), nor do we have an endocrinologist, a pulmonologist, rheumatologist or cardiac surgeon. If one required emergency surgery that isn't available here, air evacuation is available, for a price.

JT: I would recommend that you speak with Ruth Watson, MD, chief of service at RLS. There are some special requirements for government physicians.

I would also suggest you contact Kendall Griffith, MD at Juan F. Luis Hospital regarding physician needs and opportunities. I am employed at the JFLH in the Strategic Planning department. As a recent "continental" (I have been here about six months) I can tell you that although the JFLH is somewhat "under resourced", it is not that much diferent from any community hospital in the states that serves a community of about 60,000 people. Both the RLS and JFL hospitals have relatively new CEO's that bring significant experience and education to the position. I can't pretend to speak about the CEO at RLS, but I can state that the leadership at JFLH has an excellent vision for the facility and is putting in place the team to realize tht vision. Both hospitals are in the midst of expansion with specialty care centers, a cancer center at RLS and JFL will break ground on a 25K square foot comprehensive cardiac center in february. Both facilities are accredited by the joint commission.

I think your best bet regarding health care and getting a profesional assessment of it would be to contact a peer here on island.

Regarding your other questions, Marty is right. I would hesitate to use a bicycle for transportation. here on St. Croix, the hills aren't so bad, but there are no shoulders on the roads, and the roads themselves re often in poor repair. Additionally, the driving public is not accustomed to seeing bicycles and sharing the road with them.

The public schools do have a number of issues, but there is no shortage of private schools, with a wide range of price and quality.

Riding a bicycle on STX is possible if you are in shape and an experienced cyclist. The hills are steep and the road conditions can be treacherous. I would NEVER ride a bike after dark here.

You will find a fair number of dedicated cyclists on STX. It is not the place for a casual tourist to rent a bike for just something to do or to see the sites.

I get a couple of thousand miles a year in on STX so it can be done. Most of my miles are on the east end loop and the south shore road.

On STT I don't think there are many roads to ride.

Jim

Cycling is not for the faint of heart here on St Croix. We have a couple of quite good Private schools, but the Public School System at present is really only for those who have no other option- and that is echoed by many transplants and Virgin Islanders alike.
I defer to the gentleman in Strategic Planning at Juan Luis as to the vision etc - but the current reality is a little strained. Rumour says that we seem to have a problem with an serious lack of ER docs. A staff body made up of a high percentage of travel nurses etc also leads to some friction and non-continuity.
Speak to people who actually work "in the trenches" there would be my advice.
That said, it could be the perfect environment for you and your family.

I recently used the services of the RLS Hospital on St. Thomas when I gave birth to my daughter. I was generally pleased, but EE is correct that certain specialties are lacking. For example, an epidural was not available to me b/c apparently there is not a dedicated anesthesiologist to provide the service.

There is also an effort afoot to open a private medical/surgical center. A certificate has been approved for the facility (although that is being appealed by the government), so they may be an option in the future.

I wouldn't disagree with the traveling nurse situation. I think nursing shortages are probably an issue everywhere, unfortunately using travelers is an expedient way to solve the shortage situation here as recruitment is pretty tough. Regarding the ER docs, again, I would agree, although I can say that JFL has made some strides there, I just met a potential new ER doc today (yay!). My comment regarding the vision of the JFL CEO was made so people are aware that the hospital has a pretty good idea of where it needs to go, and we are taking a number of steps to get there. We recognize that public opinion is one of our biggest obstacles.

Regarding the additional question of rearing kids on-island:

My husband and I have resolved to raise our daughter here for at least the first 5 years. After that, we shall see. The island (St. Thomas) seems great for the wee ones (lots of fun in the sun and sand), but may prove a bit limited beyond that. Lack of museums, circuses, and other cultural activities may prove too much for us and cause us to relocate to a big city. However, I believe that may be the same experience in any small town?

Also, your choices for schools lean towards expensive (Antilles), really far away (Montessori on the very east end of the island), parochial or impracticable (most of the public schools).

Teresa, a regular poster on the board, has three children of varying ages and should be able to provide more relevant info.

Hello All,

I have been battling viruses lately and haven't been on the board for a couple of weeks. I do have a few cents to add about schools on STT. You really have to do some homework (no pun intended) and check out both public and private schools. I liked a few of the private schools and we have kept them in mind in case we want a change. I homeschooled for a while, but found it overwhelming and my kids were falling behind. I then put my kids in public elementary school. They are doing well and I am always saying that I am pleasantly surprised with the quality of education my kids are receiving. The reason I am surprised is because of the reputation of the public school's and the reality that they are not as bad as I have heard.

Another thing to definitely be aware of. Many people, even on this board, with good intentions, repeat that the public schools are terrible and advise parents to only look at private. Unfortunately, many of the people speaking badly about public schools have no experience with the schools nor even have kids. I am guilty of speaking badly about public schools before I checked them out, but now I am glad I gave them a chance. For us, it has worked out really well.

Long story short, check them all out yourself to find the right fit for your family. There are also private schools that are not terribly expensive, so don't worry about price only. I hope this helps.

Teresa

Just for the record - we live on St X - St T may well be very different. I have one teenager - she spent a year in the Public School System. (they offered ROTC) It was pretty, er...interesting! Would I let her go there given hindsight? Absolutely not!

Jane,

I just want to apologize if my post came off as negative towards your post. I wasn't referring to you nor your post in any way.

My wish is that the public schools improve drastically and soon. Thankfully elementary is okay on STT, however many of us need to pull together for any changes to take place. Anyway, I hope no one stresses too much. There are many public and private schools and many options available. Good luck in your searches.

Teresa