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Can someone please advise me on the reputation of the hospital on St. John? Hoping we won't need to frequent it while we are traveling but have a certain situation that may arise and would like to be prepared. Would appreciate your feedback. Thanks much. We leave next Friday. This vacation is very much needed.
There is no hospital on STJ, but there's a clinic. If you really need a hospital you've got to go to STT.
Here is the website for http://www.srmedicalcenter.org/. You will see that Myra Keating Smith Clinic is a part of the Schneider Regional system. The system is JCAHO accredited. And dnt- you have GOT to stop smoking those stogies.! 😛
A few years ago while on STJ one of our group developed a nasty ear problem and our villa book recommended Dr. James Clayton. There was a 24 hr phone line, his office contacted us that evening to determine the nature of the problem (whether it was an emergency, etc.), offered some home remedy suggestionsour guy could try to maybe have a more restful night and then Dr. Clayton saw our friend the first thing next morning. He was very thorough and extremely personable. Dr. Clayton is in Cruz Bay. Looked up some current info and found this:
Dr. James P. Clayton, 340/776 6789e-Mail: [email protected]
Just a suggestion: In the interest of being prepared, you might want to make contact with a doctor on the island early next week before you travel - just to discuss potential issues with him/her so they are prepared and know you in case you need to contact them. That way, if problems do arise, things may go smoother and no time will be wasted getting the doc up to speed. The doctor can also tell you if you need to being certain records with you and you will have a few days to get that together. For me, that would be a safety net well worth the little bit of time it would take to set up. Not sure if the doc would charge for this - maybe a low fee for a phone consult, maybe nothing.
Have a wonderful time!
Just found this additional STJ medical care info on another site:
Emergency 911
Morris F. DeCastro Clinic ~ Cruz Bay, next to park
Cruz Bay Family Practice (340) 776-6789
James P Clayton, 776-6789. Medical Care 24 hr
Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center: (340) 693-8900, Centerline Rd at Gift Hill. 24 hr emergency, outpatient medical facility. Appts: 8 AM - 8 PM, Walk-ins accepted.
Hospital, St. Thomas: 160 beds, decompression chamber, 24 hr emergency (340) 776-8311
Thank you Margy for all the information. I will call the doctor to bring him up to speed with our situation. Thanks again for taking the time with the information you provided. You were extremely helpful. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope our trip goes smoothly.
Dr Clayton does not have hospital privileges, if it is something that may need hospitalization. On St Thomas, their practice (Red Hook Family Practice) does house calls - cash ($250) only, not sure if that extends to St John.
The DeCastro Clinic is part of the Community Health system, not for emergency medicine.
The Myra Keating Smith Clinic on St. John is very good. The staff is very qualified and do a wonderful job during an emergency visit. I can attest to this having had to go there more then once. If necessary they stabilize and then transport to the hospital on St. Thomas. Rest easy you'll be in good hands if you find yourself there. Have a great vacation.
