The Virgin Islands Government Hospitals and Health Facilities Corporation has named Darlene Baptiste chief executive officer of the territory’s hospital system, a move that consolidates leadership and signals a push toward unified operations, stronger governance, and improved systemwide performance, members said Fridya.
Baptiste, who currently serves as CEO of Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix will now also take the helm of Schneider Regional Medical Center, a dual appointment that Board Chair Jerry Smith said is aimed at reducing fragmentation and aligning strategy across facilities on St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.
“Healthcare systems perform best when leadership is unified, strategy aligned and accountability is clear,” Smith said at a press conference called Friday morning for noon, while describing the appointment of a single CEO a “structural” change rather than a symbolic one.
Smith also announced the appointment of Adeline Williams-Connor as assistant chief operating officer. Her role will focus on system integration and translating strategy into operations across hospitals and clinics. The corporation is in the final stages of selecting an assistant chief financial officer, with two candidates expected to visit facilities within the next two weeks.
Smith said the remaining positions that will make up the Territorial Management Team will be outlined by Baptiste as part of a phased and deliberate integration process “ensuring continuity of care, operational stability and alignment with our strategic priorities.”
He also said the single‑CEO structure would help “reduce silos” and “standardize where appropriate.” In an interview with the Source, Baptiste said she has been doing similar work at JFL and described financial sustainability as her major operational focus. She said the system must address its indebtedness “not only to our staff, but also for, meds, supplies and our vendor payments.”
Baptiste said she plans to begin with information‑gathering and relationship building, including a visit to the St. John facility on Monday. She said she will return to St. Croix next week and that her responsibility is to ensure core leadership on both St. Croix and St. Thomas are empowered to address challenges. She also plans to schedule meetings with stakeholders to discuss existing team members and cross‑functional partnerships.
During the press conference, Smith confirmed that former CEO Tina M. Comissiong’s contract expired in March 2025 and said “there’s no contract to buy out.” Both Smith and Baptiste publicly acknowledged Comissiong’s prior service; Smith added that “leadership transitions are a natural part of organizational growth.”
Responding to a question about long-standing problems with patient billing and delayed invoicing, Smith said the corporation has already begun implementing changes to its revenue cycle, including contracting with FirstSource for revenue management and collections, and that the system has begun to show improvement.
Baptiste said she wants the community to remain “hopeful for the future,” noting recent challenges including broader issues and a cyberattack. She said building out the corporation’s C-suite will allow greater focus on nonclinical operations, streamlined processes, and aligning wages and benefits more closely with national standards.
Smith framed the integration of the hospital system as a way to improve economies of scale, saying the corporation believes “we are stronger together” and that integrating systems, rather than operating below capacity, is “the way to go.”
The corporation said it aims to provide safe, high-quality care while more responsibly managing public funds, with Smith stressing that the restructuring is intended to better serve “the people of this territory” over the long term.
