More than 15 key officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) met Tuesday with members of a V.I. Health Care Reform Task Force to discuss upcoming changes and challenges regarding Medicare, according to a release from Government House.
The officials—including recently appointed DHHS Regional Director Jaime Torres and officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—are in the territory for the third annual Medicare symposium being held at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa on St. Thomas.
It is an opportunity for Medicare beneficiaries, health care providers and vendors to learn about any changes impacting Medicare services and to discuss challenges that they are encountering as participants in the Medicare system, according to Government House.
Torres, a native of Puerto Rico, said at Tuesday’s meeting he would make the territory’s needs a priority. “I understand living on an island with limited health care providers,” he said. “I hope to bring that sensitivity to my new position.”
Delegate Donna Christensen flew back to St. Thomas to attend the meeting, according to a statement from her office. She hailed the visit as an important opportunity for Torres and the others to gain firsthand insight from top officials of local government agencies, which provide services funded by DHHS programs, such as the V.I. SHIP/Medicare Office, the territory’s hospitals, community health centers, the V.I. departments of Health and Human Services and other social service agencies.
Torres also heard from consumers, senior citizens and community volunteers.
“This visit demonstrates the commitment on behalf of DHHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius … [and] Torres to making sure programs and funding are extended to the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Christensen in a statement. “It also shows that they are listening to us and our concerns in an effort to better serve us.”
Christensen returned to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
At the meeting, Health Commissioner Julia Sheen presented an in-depth analysis of the territory’s health care delivery systems and noted a disparity between the St. Thomas–St. John district and St. Croix in the number of health care providers, according to Government House.
Because implementation of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require a significant expansion of the territory’s health care infrastructure, a priority of the task force is to explore partnerships to help develop the territory’s health care workforce.
The symposium continues until Friday.