During a St. Thomas town meeting held Tuesday, Delegate Donna Christensen covered everything from health care reform to her recent visit to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
However, what generated the most discussion among the handful of residents attending–mostly representatives from various community groups and government agencies–was a presentation from local economist Frank Mills on the upcoming 2010 census, which he said will be rolled out over the next few months.
The main objective of the census is to get an accurate count of how many people are living throughout the three islands, which will in turn determine how much federal funding the territory receives over the next 10 years, Mills explained.
"It’s important that we don’t miss anyone," he said, adding that the U.S. Virgin Islands is competing with the other states and territories for a piece of a $4 billion pie. "The more people we miss in the count, the fewer funds we receive."
While there was some discussion on how the census forms could be tailored to reflect the unique ethnic makeup of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the conversation hit a head when one census worker, who recently manned a census booth at the St. Croix Agricultural Fair, said many residents were hesitant to fill out the forms because they heard Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were raiding the offices.
While Christensen said the raids are also being conducted through the mainland, she added that her office and local census officials have talked to the head of the U.S. agency and asked him to "calm it down" while the data is being collected.
Mills also assured residents that information collected during the census in confidential — in fact, once the data is collected, it does not become public information for the next 72 years.
Census offices have been open in both districts since November, and will remain open until the end of the summer. The first phase is going to begin next month, when data collectors will begin counting what Mills described as "group quarters," meaning places such as jails, hotels and marinas, where residents collectively dwell.
Census questionnaires will be sent out twice — the second time at the end of March, and residents are being asked to hold on to them until a data collector comes to physically pick them up. Addresses and sometimes phone numbers need to be verified so census officials can ensure that the questionnaire reaches everyone the next time around, Mills explained.
By late July or early August, the governor will appoint what Mills said is a "count committee," made up of individuals familiar with local neighborhoods and communities. Those individuals can help verify whether the data collected is correct, or needs to be revised, he added.
"We had a very good response the last time we did this, and we expect an even better one this time," Mills said.
The questionnaires are also available in Spanish.
While Christensen’s talking points also included an update on federal health care reform efforts, most of the audience’s questions centered on local Medicare coverage, and what’s being done to streamline the coverage for senior citizens — particularly when it comes to prescription drug coverage, otherwise known as Medicare Part D.
Christensen said one of the most common complaints is that Medicare Part D only covers certain drugs, and efforts are being made on Capitol Hill to make it all-encompassing without taking away any benefits or increasing premiums.
Meanwhile, efforts are being made locally to streamline the payment process, which should smooth out the wrinkles for doctors and providers currently not willing to accept Medicare patients, she added.
