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The Department of Health’s Special Needs Shelter (SpNS) will be opened at 8 a.m. Saturday at locations territory-wide for persons needing medical assistance during emergency evacuation.
The SpNS is located at the Charles Harwood Medical Complex and at the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John. On St. Thomas, the Department is partnering with the Department of Human Services to serve residents with special needs.
Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Marc A. Jerome said that residents accustomed to going to our Community Health Clinic at the Schneider Hospital should instead report to the Human Services Head Start in Sugar Estate on St. Thomas.
Special needs are independent individuals with special medical support equipment needs or receive care in the home from a family member.
“The intent of the SpNS is to provide, to the extent possible under emergency conditions, an environment in which the current level of health of persons with special needs is sustained within the capability of available resources,” Dr. Jerome said. “Those eligible for the SpNS have a physical or mental condition that require medical/nursing oversight that cannot be accommodated or provided for in a general population shelter.”
Special Needs persons should bring medical equipment, such as oxygen tanks, if necessary and all medication and dietary supplies. Further, when a person requiring special needs care is ordered to evacuate, he or she should bring a caregiver with them to the shelter, who will be expected to remain with the Special Needs person, Dr. Jerome said.
The following are some of the criteria for Special Needs.
- People with minor health/medical conditions that require professional observation, assessment and maintenance
- People with contagious health conditions that require precautions or isolation which cannot be handled in a general population shelter
- People with chronic conditions that require assistance with activities of daily living but do not require hospitalization
- People with regular need for medications and/or regular vital sign readings and who are unable to do so without professional assistance
Department of Health nurses are assigned to staff the SpNS to assist individuals and their caregivers as needed for basic support services. The nursing staff provides support within their scope of practice based on their training and qualifications and are not expected to provide total care beyond their professional level of expertise. A DOH physician will supervise the nurses. |
