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We are primarily a hospital. Our mission is to provide comprehensive, quality healthcare to the residents of the US Virgin Islands and visitors of all ages, faiths and races in order to improve their health and wellness. Our mission is to be the healthcare provider of choice for the entire Caribbean region.
But there is more to us than mere healthcare objectives. In order to continually enhance the quality and scope of our services, we undertake focused research in certain areas associated with healthcare. Grants are offered for the same and details pertaining to these can be accessed from the Department of Grants and Philanthropy.
The following grants are offered:
The SANE program
is the first in a series of grant-funded initiatives to address the prevalence of sexual assault and rape in our community. RLSH staff members are working closely with the Law Enforcement Planning Commission to implement the highly successful SANE programs on STT and STJ in an effort to increase the prosecution
rates of sexual offenders on our islands.
Have recently been awarded a Department of Justice
grant to train emergency room personnel in areas of
forensic nursing not covered in most nursing programs.
Some of the topics included in the training are: police
procedure, Virgin Islands law, chain of custody issues,
rules of evidence, legal proceedings, and an introduction
to DNA evidence. Representatives from STT, STJ and STX
will also receive training to help them better understand
the psychological trauma experienced by victims.
Participants will also become familiar with the local
victims' support networks and other post-event care
providers. The training itself will be administered
by a highly qualified and certified training provider
and will include presentations from both federal and
local enforcement officials. We will also request the
services of a FBI profiler to offer insight into the
psychology of sexual offenders.
This training initiative will be followed by additional
grant applications to implement and sustain SANE programs
on the respective islands and also to provide training
specific for child victims of sexual assault.
Diabetes is a major health concern on the national
level, but this is especially true for the people of
the Virgin Islands. In addition to adversely affecting
the quality of life for our people, the high cost of
diabetes-related medical treatment also creates a financial
burden for our population and our health care system
in general. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that
diabetes is preventable.
In an effort to break this cycle of disease and dependence,
RLSH is teaming up with an expert diabetes educator
to test an education/prevention based program at the
Myrah Keating Smith Health Center on St. John.
Our collaborator, Dr. Michelle Magee of the Washington
Hospital Center's Medstar Diabetes Institute in Washington,
D.C., has previously developed an intervention strategy
and will work closely with members of our medical and
dietary staff to complete this much needed diabetes
intervention study.
This pilot study is funded by the American Association
of Diabetic Educators and will be followed by grant
funded implementation efforts on both St. Thomas and
St. John.
The following are some of the future Grant Initiatives that the RLS hospital hopes to implement:
Enhanced Cancer Related Services
This initiative will develop a cancer screening and
treatment center; increase/augment existing screening
programs; enhance on-site diagnostic capabilities; re-establish
telemedicine connections for consultation; re-establish
the tumor/cancer registry and promote early detection
through outreach and other educational programs. (Status: Future Initiative)
Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles
This initiative will promote healthier living I order
to cut the dependency on last-minute critical healthcare.
The initiative will include On-site recreational facilities;
grounds beautification and will also undertake employee
and public health fairs.(Status: Future Initiative)
As you have already seen on the page pertaining to
the Department of Grants and Philanthropy, we are continually
involved in not just providing quality healthcare, but
also in initiating, sustaining and implementing innovative
programs for betterment of existing services.
In this regard, your support towards the same will
actually go a long way in helping serve the people of
an under-served area. As the RLS hospital is a non-profit
facility that depends on insurance payments and government
subsidies, all the monetary help we can get is welcome.
You can help us in a number of ways to become the healthcare
provider of choice for the US Virgin Islands and the
Caribbean in a number of ways. Contact the following:
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