Unanimous Senate Endorsement for Chronic Disease Registry Bill

The Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance demonstrated unanimous support for a transformative bill, championed by Senator Ray Fonseca, aimed at establishing a comprehensive registry for monitoring chronic kidney disease and diabetes within the Virgin Islands. Senator Fonseca, while presenting the already Committee on Health, Hospitals, and Human Services-approved draft bill, highlighted the alarming statistics that nearly 15% of the Virgin Islands’ residents are battling diabetes, with an additional 9,000 individuals on the brink of the disease. He underscored the critical health implications of diabetes, including heightened risks of severe eye issues, foot complications leading to amputation, kidney disease, nerve damage, and increased chances of heart attacks and strokes.

The registry, necessitating an initial investment of $250,000, seeks to meticulously gather data on the occurrence, risk factors, and outcomes of chronic kidney disease and diabetes. This crucial data repository would enable public health officials to deeply understand and effectively combat these significant health challenges.

Shanisa Emmanuel, serving as the Office of Management and Budget’s Acting Associate Director, voiced the OMB’s endorsement of the registry’s objectives. However, she raised concerns about the sourcing of funds without a detailed financial plan amidst the government’s existing fiscal limitations. She advocated for the exploration of alternative funding avenues, such as federal grants or public-private partnerships, to ensure the registry’s sustainable operation, reflecting the position of OMB Director Jenifer O’Neal.

Contrary to the OMB’s suggestion, Senator Frett-Gregory clarified the legislative body’s stance, emphasizing the executive branch’s role in identifying innovative financing solutions for the registry, deemed vital for the community’s welfare.

The Senate’s collective stance was firm on the indispensability of the registry for the territory, dismissing the OMB’s funding apprehensions. Senator Novelle Francis poignantly questioned, “What is the cost of life?” advocating for the legislation’s expansion to encompass stroke data collection, highlighting the minor nature of the $250,000 investment compared to its potential life-saving impacts.

Echoing this sentiment, Senator Franklin Johnson criticized the juxtaposition of significant expenditures on cultural festivities against the hesitancy to allocate funds for critical health initiatives, labeling it as unacceptable.

In a constructive response to OMB’s funding concerns, Ms. Frett-Gregory proposed amendments to the legislation, including a structured $50,000 annual appropriation to address the financial sustainability of the registry. This proposal aligned with the need for fiscal responsibility and addressing the territory’s structural deficit.

As the discussion concluded, Senator Fonseca announced his plan to request an adjusted annual appropriation of $75,000 in the upcoming Committee on Rules and Judiciary deliberation. Following Senator Francis’s amendment for stroke tracking inclusion, the bill received the committee’s unanimous endorsement, marking a significant step towards combating chronic diseases in the Virgin Islands with comprehensive data-driven strategies.