Virgin Islands military veterans joined government officials and administrators at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning of a new St. Thomas facility. The U.S. Virgin Islands Vet Center in Estate Thomas is the latest in a network of 302 centers providing counseling and mental health services across the United States.
The center serves military veterans and their families as part of the V.I. Office of Veterans Affairs. Jaime Marrero, interim executive director of the Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System, described it as “a place where our veterans can feel safe, supported — connected.”
“Veterans are the backbone of our nation, having made immense sacrifices for our freedom and security. Those in the Virgin Islands often confront unique challenges that necessitate specialized support,” Marrero said. “The partnership between the vet center and our health care system is designed that we provide comprehensive and holistic care for our veterans.”
Available services include family and couples counseling, grief and bereavement counseling, mental health care, military sexual abuse counseling, and help for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The new facility also offers its services with help from a mobile van. Contractor Randolph Bennett said the van can provide testing and treatment for up to 72 veterans a day.
Former Army clerk and driver LaVerne Cannonier-Hill spoke Thursday about how those services changed her life. Hill said she was urged to seek help by family members who noticed a change in her demeanor when she came home after six years of service.
“I continued on this path for three years — depressed, not knowing where the next meal is coming from — and my children said, ‘Mommy, you need help; you need to talk to somebody,” she said.
At first, she reluctantly decided to seek help and began visiting the informal network of vet centers that existed on St. Thomas. There, she met a counselor who invited her to speak with her.
“And I have not regretted one day when I have been to the Vet Center,” Hill said. “They help you with so many different things.”
The speaker also urged fellow veterans sitting in the audience to do the same.
Center Director Muria Nisbett teared up while describing the effort of those who helped make the center a reality. “Let this vet center be a place where we lift veterans, where we rise together and where the legacy of their service is honored for generations.”
About 50 guests, including Veterans Affairs Director Patrick Farrell and former Director Harry Daniel, came to witness the ribbon cutting and to hear from guest speaker Lloyd Jackson. Jackson serves as a district director for the federal agency overseeing Veterans Affairs.
Senate President Milton Potter and several members of the 36th Legislature attended the dedication ceremony. Health, Hospitals, and Human Services Committee Chair Ray Fonseca noted that a veterans clinic is across the street from the center.
“It’s so nice to see progress for our veterans,” the lawmaker said.
