Meeting for the first time since holding elections for new officers, the governing board of Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital formally granted the new officers certifying authority while officially removing authority from several officers who have left the hospital or the board.
Valdemar Hill led the meeting, taking the metaphorical gavel for the first time since the board elected new officers Dec. 16, at its last regular meeting for the year.
The hospital’s governing board removed former Chief Executive Officer Gregory Calliste from the list of certifying officers, along with Dr. Olaf Hendricks and Dr. Michelle Berkeley.
Calliste resigned to take another job; Hendricks works in a different capacity and is no longer medical director, while Berkeley is not currently serving as physicians’ representative to the board.
In their stead, the board then authorized as certifying officers Dr. Robert Centeno, the hospital’s current medical director; Dr. Kendall Griffith, the executive director of the V.I. Cardiac Center; board treasurer Wallace Phaire; and Hill.
Voting yea were Hill, Rivera, Imelda Dizon, Joyce Heyliger, Kye Walker and Dr. Keri Biscoe. There were no dissenting votes or abstentions.
After the meeting’s business was concluded, Walker told the board that K. G. Cameron, the law firm where she works, had taken on a client’s medical malpractice suit against the hospital. By law, she was obligated to inform the board of any potential conflicts of interest, she said. The firm had taken measures to ensure she had no involvement in or information about the suit, Walker said.
Biscoe asked the board to schedule discussion of the government’s ongoing hiring freeze at its next meeting. There are 32 doctors and other senior staff approaching retirement, and with the freeze in place, the hospital has to request and receive a specific approval for each replacement hire, she said. She asked the board to consider requesting a blanket waiver of the exemption, to help the hospital more quickly and efficiently hire replacements for the retiring staff. The subject was placed on the next meeting’s agenda.