Masserae Sprauve-Webster, chief executive officer of Frederiksted Health Care, confirmed Monday that the new satellite clinic located outside downtown Christiansted in Estate LaGrande Princesse on North Shore Road will open to the public and start seeing patients March 3.
The nonprofit primary health care facility, which provides a range of services from dental care to OB/GYN and pediatrics on the island’s west end, had been waiting on receiving a certificate of need, the equivalent of a business license, from the V.I. Department of Health.
Sprauve-Webster said the clinic had now received that certificate of need.
In January, the Source published a story wondering when the new clinic would open. It had been advertising that it would be “Coming Soon.” 
At the time, Sprauve-Webster said she thought the hold-up had to do with issues concerning the new clinic possibly providing competing services already offered by the V.I. Department of Health in Christiansted.
Sprauve-Webster said any worry of competition that may have existed was no longer an issue.
“I think we’ve all come to the agreement that there are so many people in the community that are underserved that it should not pose as a competition,” she said. “There are so many people that need to be brought into care and that’s where our focus is, to bring those into care who are not into care already and not to take away patients already in care.”
She said that besides a few more logistical things to tend to – like getting the phones turned on and the generator and computers set up – the new clinic was ready to open because they’d already hired additional staff, which has since been working at the Ingeborg Nesbitt site in Frederiksted. She said they are still looking for primary care providers due to some resignations since Jan. 1, but remained optimistic they can handle tending to the new clinic until those new persons are brought onboard.
“We still have enough as it is to open this site and we’re not going to let that hinder us,” she said. “Our preferences are for family physicians but, if not, then internists. Where our gaps are concerns adult providers and not child care.”
Jason Henry, a program coordinator at Frederiksted Health Care, said all the employees were truly excited to be opening the new clinic to help better “comprehensively” serve the island’s eastern end.
“Having this additional site is going to help reduce redundancy and reduce the time people have to wait for care,” Henry said. “We want to become the medical home for all the clients.”