AARP Leads Movement for Affordable Health Care - Health Action Now!

Virgin Islands residents throughout the territory were brought onboard last year as AARP began its work to address the serious issue of health care reform. Our efforts included getting VI residents to support candidates who committed to find solutions to the territory’s health and financial security issues. AARP is now concentrating our focus on health care reform, and wants you to be a part of the new movement to find affordable healthcare choices for all Americans, including Virgin Islanders. This new movement is ‘Health Action Now!’.
 
Governor John de Jongh (D) is using the VI’s share of economic stimulus funds to begin this process, and VI legislators are working to fulfill their pledge of support and direct their attention to reforming the broken health care system.

The current growth in the territory’s health care expenditures is unsustainable and cost-containment efforts are critical to achieving meaningful health care reforms that will last.

The list below identifies the initial economic stimulus funds that have been directed to health care and home based services.

Health and Human Services
(Amount, Agency/Non-Profit Partner, Purpose)
$4,500,000, Department of Health, Medicaid Programs
$81,000, Department of Health, HRSA
$377,190, Department of Health, HRSA
$162,500, Department of Human Services, Meals for the elderly
$80,000, Department of Human Services, Home delivered meals
$13,200,000, Department of Human Services, 1.63% increase in client checks under SNAP (food Stamps)
$160,000, Frederiksted Health Clinic, STX, Health Services
$131,185, East End Clinic, STT, Health Services

Additional Medicaid dollars, clinic services and nutritional assistance will help to address the health care needs of the low income population. This may lead to patients taking preventative health measures, instead of waiting until the last minute and rushing to emergency rooms for what could have been a preventable condition.

This could also potentially lower the uncompensated care delivered at hospitals. Virgin Islands hospitals need those dollars to keep their facilities at the highest standard.

And addressing health care issues has not stopped there. Governor deJongh is preparing to solicit bids for a vendor that will implement a Health Information Technology/Electronic Medical Records System, keeping the VI on par with all other jurisdictions working to meet this 2010 Federal mandate.

This new system will contribute to patients having ready access to the information they need to effectively manage their healthcare. A secure electronic health information infrastructure will not only transform care delivery, but also enable us to effectively measure and improve quality, better manage chronic conditions, monitor safety and public health threats, and help us better understand which treatments work best for specific diseases and conditions. And, the VI is moving in the direction to get this done on a timely basis.

So, the VI is truly on the road to Health Action Now! As more information on the Health Action Now! movement transpires, we will keep you informed here on our website. Please come back and stay up-to-date on this important issue or visit www.healthactionnow.org.