A commitment of $928.7 million to demolish and replace Roy Lester Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas marks a milestone in FEMA’s collaboration with the territory to rebuild the healthcare infrastructure across the U.S. Virgin Islands damaged during hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the agency announced.
The prudent replacement of Schneider Hospital, made possible under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, clears a path for the demolition of the five-story tall, 254,270-square-foot concrete masonry building and the construction of a new 439,910-square-foot hospital on the existing site in Sugar Estate, according to the release.
FEMA has now committed over $976,520,000 to replace Schneider Hospital and repair Charlotte Kimmelman Cancer Institute on St. Thomas. The project to repair Kimmelman Cancer Institute includes the demolition of the facility’s interior and $170,791 in hazard mitigation measures to make the facility more resilient to withstand future hurricanes better, the press release stated.
Focus will continue with the V.I. government and the V.I. Office of Disaster Recovery to repair and replace hurricane-damaged facilities, paving a path for healthcare facilities to deliver medical care in an equitable manner for all Virgin Islanders, the release stated.
“I am proud our FEMA team in the U.S. Virgin Islands has put in the hard work with our partners in the territory to replace the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas,” said Kristen A. Hodge, the director for FEMA’s Recovery Office in the USVI.
“Our resolve to work with our partners in the U.S. Virgin Islands to repair and rebuild medical facilities damaged from Irma and Maria remains strong. Our commitment with the territory is to ensure facilities such as Schneider Hospital are repaired and rebuilt to provide healthcare to Virgin Islanders for years to come,” she said.
