In the wake of two Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital governing board resignations – and the resignation and tentative reinstatement of Chief Executive Officer Kendall Griffith this week – Gov. John deJongh Jr. said Wednesday he is looking for some good citizens to step up for the hospital board.
In a statement Wednesday evening, deJongh said he has asked the territorial hospital board chairwoman, Lynn Millin-Maduro, to meet with Griffith this week "for a frank assessment of the most critical challenges confronting the hospital’s day to day operations."
Millin-Maduro also serves as the commissioner of the Department of Property and Procurement.
"It is important for our community to realize that the recent decisions made by board members and the hospital leadership will not impact the quality of care provided by the Luis Hospital or, in fact, leave the hospital without a clear direction going forward,” deJongh said.
He added that in his meeting with members of the Senate earlier this week, “we established a path forward that included increased oversight by the territorial hospital board, a planned meeting with the acting chair of the district board and the interim chief executive officer as we assess the immediate financial needs of the hospital.”
“At the same time, my administration’s efforts will continue to identify new board members so as to fully outfit the district board,” the governor said.
“The biggest obstacle to filling vacancies on this and other critical boards and commissions in government is convincing persons to commit the time and effort required to fulfill the requirements. That is our biggest challenge as, over time, the Legislature’s confirmation process has been streamlined,” he added.
