Safe places to live on St. Croix

OT. Glad you had your chuckle on my account 😀

You can question evolutionary anthropology all you want but even isolated communities change with time. Some things I like her is UVI with ambitions to expand and open medical school. It is a big leap forward no matter what the quality of the end product. Any education is better than no education.

Frankly, I am not sure why I am even posting all this nonsense. I do not have a single $ in the discussion. I am here for the weather, sunshine, ocean and sailing. All he noise of going to DMV, other gov offices I can replace or sub in a minute. I can do exactly the same lifestyle out of English harbour in Antigua. Or many other localities that recognize my needs.

The bottom line is don't ignore or dismiss descending opinions like midlife post. It is the savage island. Living her not much different than Somalia or Ivory Coast. Things are kept under the lead by influx of fed money. I think within 2 years fed will step in to oversite the local gov the same way they will do in PR. After all per capita dept her is higher than PR and VI is much smaller economy.

None of this what I mentioned should matter to mainland retirees that bring here Medicare and social security to live on. Your money is welcomed here. It will not get you far tho. You also have time to relax at DMV, bank, post,office or anywhere else you want to relax.

Many of you make reference to island life as an excuse. Sorry but that is a total BS for an excuse. Manhattan is an island. So is HK and Singapore. These are some of the best island to live. Thy run as a clockwork. Good gov makes a diffrence.

Happy 4th to all of you.

STTSailor makes some valid points and I agree that with time, change will come. Thats inevitably everywhere. I've often looked at the USVI in the same way, a place with incredible potential. There's an old saying that STX'S boat will come in someday, but right now it's moored just off shore (opinions of time off shore varies, some say it's been laying at anchor since the late 80's).
Fact of the matter is that most of us simply would be unable to afford to live here if things were completely squared away. It's a shame in a way, but I look at the mismanagement, the corruption, and the sham we call government here, as a saviour sometimes. Without it, we'd have solid civil infrastructure, a great health care system, and schools that surrounding islands would send their children to.
If we had all those things, taxes would quadruple, and the cost of basic services would go through the roof.
So don't knock the system in place to hard, be careful of what you wish for.

The only obvious dealbreaker I see on STX is the hospital. One doctor in the ER on a holiday where people tend to get hurt or sick, equipment that's unmaintained and/or broken and the response to it is a "soon come" shrug, well-paid administrators fighting like hyenas, maybe one ambulance that's working on a given day. Not to mention that the only available individual insurance is about to pull out of the market completely and there's no replacement in sight.

It's one thing if you're aware of chronic or ongoing medical conditions that you have to deal with -- you can make your own informed decision, or arrange to get treatment off-island. But people get sick or injured unexpectedly and your chances at getting timely and adequate medical care here appear to be disintegrating. I try to stay optimistic but this is really discouraging.

That hospital is a mess the ER is a joke. The only way you get in and out quick is if you are a prisoner or a criminal.

I got seven stitches in the STX ER on Sunday. Was admitted within half hour and was out in less than two hours. The staff was courteous, professional, and I didn't see any glaring issues with the facilities. Just my 2 cents.

All the people complaining about the VI, there are flights leaving daily. If you made the move down and don't like it here, why put yourself through so much agony.

The more places I go around the world, the more appreciation I have for the VI and especially STX. Sure we have our problems, but so does every place in the world. Decide what you want in life and do what you have to do to get it.

I've never been in the ER, but from the areas of the hospital I have been through, it's more impressive than what it sounds like here.

Had a friend go there Sunday night with his son and a large rash.
They told him there was only 1 doc and 18 people ahead of him.
Said it would be 6 hours before they could see him

That hospital is a mess the ER is a joke. The only way you get in and out quick is if you are a prisoner or a criminal.

Hmm, they fixed my shattered knee & I can walk again..

I've never had any serious issues there... Just picked a friend up from the ER on sunday, she was admitted with no issues

Had a friend go there Sunday night with his son and a large rash.
They told him there was only 1 doc and 18 people ahead of him.
Said it would be 6 hours before they could see him

Yea.. because it's a RASH.. and that's the EMERGENCY room...

people like your friend cause issues for those people that have actuaal emergencies.

Zika and dengue cause rashes.

That hospital is a mess the ER is a joke. The only way you get in and out quick is if you are a prisoner or a criminal.

Hmm, they fixed my shattered knee & I can walk again..

I've never had any serious issues there... Just picked a friend up from the ER on sunday, she was admitted with no issues

Had a friend go there Sunday night with his son and a large rash.
They told him there was only 1 doc and 18 people ahead of him.
Said it would be 6 hours before they could see him

Yea.. because it's a RASH.. and that's the EMERGENCY room...

people like your friend cause issues for those people that have actuaal emergencies.

The rash was accompanied by some breathing issues.and a fever. It was less a comment about what they were going in for than it was about having a single ER doc.....
Settle down
Though possibly various folks are conspiring to go to ERs to make sure those with REAL emergencies don't get treatment. Probably government involvement.

Having a very small child suddenly develop a spreading and painful rash, along with a fever spike and breathing issues, may not be an "actual emergency" to some folks but it is to most parents. (As another person pointed out, such symptoms can be caused by dengue and zika).

It's fortunate that "Matt" could have his trivial laceration tended to rapidly, probably because the ER was not busy, but it's also fortunate that he didn't have a heart attack, need a working ambulance, and need a cardiac catheterization. I made no comment on the professionalism of the caregivers. I did make a comment on the lack of adequate ER coverage on a predictably busy day, problems with timely equipment maintenance, and the lack of other options for care. As I am not a shrugging fatalist, I think these problems can be addressed, but the wheels just seem to keep spinning.

VI Consortium has had multiple articles on the problems of the medical care on STX. Here's one that directly addresses my points: http://viconsortium.com/featured/j-f-l-responds-lack-e-r-physicians-suspends-heart-catheterization-service-due-equipment-failure/

On STT I've had some good experiences and some very bad experiences where the hospital is concerned so overall I would rate it as "adequate". If you want to live somewhere warm and have a hospital or clinic within a few blocks then a busy Florida or other southern US township would be a good choice; if you have demanding, chronic medical issues which require specialized attention, the islands won't be a good choice for you. The hospitals here are overall no worse than in many stateside communities and that's been attested to by countless travel nurses over the years who've worked in medical facilities all across the US.

Zika and dengue cause rashes.

and the ER is going to do what for you?

Dengue:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference

Zika:
https://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/

chikungunya:
https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/symptoms/

Sure they'll take your money, but that's a bout it....

is self reliance completely lost these days?

Couldn't tell you.
I avoid going to the hospital if at all possible!

Couldn't tell you.
I avoid going to the hospital if at all possible!

That's always been my approach (no matter where I am), worked well so far!

OldTart's comments are irrelevant to the issue at hand. I said if one has chronic medical issues, one can make their own informed decision or arrange for treatment off-island. We are talking about emergency situations here.

For Liquid Flouride, the general approach when a patient presents in the emergency room is to: Assess the situation and inform the patient or guardians of status. Apply whatever supportive measures are necessary to sustain life and ameliorate symptoms or pain; advise on home care; undertake appropriate testing and report results to the CDC if zika or dengue is suspected. Any other questions?

i went to the hospital in january for a heart attack . the care i received was excellent. i was seen fast and i am not a criminal. everyone was kind and professional from the emergency room people to the person who wheeled me out to the car my last day.

now, my husband had to have a procedure done and while the people were friendly, he wasnt even awake from the surgery and they were dressing him and going to send him home without access to pain pills. no insurance at that time.

so we have had both good and bad

Actually I have had 2 surgeries in the hospital and was very pleased with the staff, the care and the process, it's the ER needs some help.

OldTart's comments are irrelevant to the issue at hand.

Not at all. The point is (as I thought was pretty clear but I'll try and reword for better clarification) that the hospitals here and the emergent care they provide are no different from most stateside hospitals. To opine as you did that, "your chances at getting timely and adequate medical care here appear to be disintegrating" is, based on my experiences over 30 years here, misleading at best.

OT is just expressing her experience on STT. Her individual experience does not indicate what others might experience in the ER on STX.

Therefore her comments are indeed irrelevant to the issue at hand, which is now a discussion about the ER on STX.

OldTart's comments are irrelevant to the issue at hand.

Not at all. The point is (as I thought was pretty clear but I'll try and reword for better clarification) that the hospitals here and the emergent care they provide are no different from most stateside hospitals. To opine as you did that, "your chances at getting timely and adequate medical care here appear to be disintegrating" is, based on my experiences over 30 years here, misleading at best.

Anyone been to a hospital back in the states recently? I didn't see an actual doc for 10 hrs for heart issues, which they misdiagnosed anyway, and 5 for a painfully broken knee, and my daughter didn't see one for 12 (5 of that in the waiting room puking her guts out), my husband for 4. They triage everywhere.

Husband had outpatient surgery at STX hospital 3 weeks ago, and I can't say enough good things about the staff and care (except for the surly security guard, who needs some sensitivity training and enunciation lessons). But that was scheduled.

That said, 1 doc on a holiday is woeful, as is the lack of normally standard, working emergency equipment.

Anyone been to a hospital back in the states recently?

I have been to the ER in the states . Twice in the last 2 months. Saw a doctor within 5 minutes both times.

OT is just expressing her experience on STT. Her individual experience does not indicate what others might experience in the ER on STX.

Therefore her comments are indeed irrelevant to the issue at hand, which is now a discussion about the ER on STX.

And it's patently obvious from responses on this thread that STX ER experiences are extremely diverse. Then again maybe those who are relating good experiences are just plain lying?

OT is just expressing her experience on STT. Her individual experience does not indicate what others might experience in the ER on STX.

Therefore her comments are indeed irrelevant to the issue at hand, which is now a discussion about the ER on STX.

And it's patently obvious from responses on this thread that STX ER experiences are extremely diverse. Then again maybe those who are relating good experiences are just plain lying?

You're pushing it.....

I have related my great experience with not only the ER but the Cardiac unit as well.

However, I have not bothered to detail the time I took my wife there and gave up.

From my experiences, it is all a matter of triage. Many in the waiting room have no idea what is going on in those back rooms.

good grief OT

I said nothing about lying.

I said that your individual experience does not indicate what others might experience in the ER on STX.

OT is just expressing her experience on STT. Her individual experience does not indicate what others might experience in the ER on STX.

Therefore her comments are indeed irrelevant to the issue at hand, which is now a discussion about the ER on STX.

And it's patently obvious from responses on this thread that STX ER experiences are extremely diverse. Then again maybe those who are relating good experiences are just plain lying?