April 11, 2002 – Frederiksted's Ingeborg Nesbitt Community Health Center continues its place at center stage in Senate jurisdictional committee disputes, with a third committee weighing in this week.
The Health and Hospitals Committee, chaired by Sen. Douglas Canton Jr., is meeting in an emergency hearing Friday morning on St. Croix to address complaints about the clinic's Medical Assistance Program services.
Government Operations Committee chair Sen. Emmet Hansen II announced Tuesday that testimony "by request" from center representatives will be heard in a May 2 meeting which Hansen rescheduled from April 18 because of scheduling conflicts.
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, Finance Committee chair, and Canton have been dueling over jurisdiction to hear the Medical Assistance Program testimony. Alicia Hansen claims it's a financial matter; Canton disagrees.
The end result is that center officials will have to appear twice to discuss the same issues — at Canton's 10 a.m. meeting on Friday and at the Finance Committee's meeting set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, both in the Legislature Building in Frederiksted. (See "Lack of quorum delays funds transfer action". )
An aide to Emmett Hansen II said his Government Operations Committee will take testimony involving the center's "corporate aspects," not the medical issues which the other two committees will hear. Hansen II was expected to return to the territory from off-island on Thursday and couldn't be reached for further comment.
Repeated telephone calls on Wednesday to Vivian I. Ebbesen-Fludd, Frederiksted Health Center/Ingeborg Nesbitt Clinic executive director, were not returned.

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