MEDICAL WASTE PILING UP: Senator finds torn bags of needles, blood at St. Croix hospital

ST. CROIX: Senate Vice President Kenneth L. Gittens has called for urgent measures to address a medical waste disposal crisis at Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital after discovering torn bags overflowing with needles, blood vials, bandages and other discarded materials on the hospital grounds.

Gittens visited the area on October 5 after an anonymous source alerted him to the problem. "What I saw was alarming: torn bags on the ground overflowing with medical waste including needles and blood collection materials, blood vials and bandages," he said in a statement. "My concern is for public health and the real risk this poses to the hospital employees and patients in particular."

When Gittens met with Chief Operating Officer Adeline Williams-Connor, he was told that a private contractor handles the hospital's medical waste disposal, but the facility is facing difficulties getting waste transported off-island. Hospital officials indicated that an additional storage trailer would not be available until the following week.

Gittens urged hospital leadership to find an immediate temporary solution and noted that some cleanup occurred after his visit, though he said the underlying problem remained unresolved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends storing regulated medical waste in labeled, leak-proof, puncture-resistant containers and disposing of it regularly to prevent buildup.

The senator, who serves on the Legislature's Committee on Health, Hospitals and Human Services, has asked committee chairman Ray Fonseca and hospital board chairman Dr. Jerry Smith to address the issue immediately. He has also proposed that the hospital evaluate on-island treatment options, including exploring the cost and feasibility of installing medical waste sterilization equipment such as an autoclave or an incinerator, subject to regulatory and environmental requirements.

Gittens emphasized that raising the issue was meant to prompt necessary corrections rather than alarm the public. "We have a responsibility to support our hospitals, but supporting our hospitals also means holding those responsible for its operations accountable," he said.

The territory's reliance on off-island medical waste disposal has drawn legislative scrutiny before. In December 2024, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. approved legislation sponsored by then-Senator Donna Frett-Gregory requiring a territorial medical waste management plan and regulations.