8/9/2018
Plessen Healthcare gets full support of Luis CEO | News | virginislandsdailynews.com
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ceo/article_16c63bb0­2251­5862­aed0­6968dfb56ed3.html
Plessen Healthcare gets full
support of Luis CEO
By SUZANNE CARLSON Daily News Staff   Aug 8, 2018
The CEO of Luis Hospital told the Economic Development Commission on Tuesday
it’s crucial for St. Croix-based Plessen Healthcare to receive tax bene㿠ꏖts and
continue operating a private surgical facility because the hospital’s operating
rooms are not functionally reliable.
The company has twice before applied for tax bene㿠ꏖts and received favorable
recommendations from the EDC. Those applications were vetoed by Gov. Kenneth
Mapp.
Now, the company is applying for a third time, and Luis Hospital CEO Wanda Ruben
made it clear that the public hospital is fully in support of the private company’s
application.
Ruben testi㿠ꏖed during a public hearing Tuesday that the hospital’s damage from
hurricanes Irma and Maria was so devastating they’ve been unable to reopen the
entire third 샙酨oor, leaving two operating rooms that are only being used for
emergency and urgent care.
“The JFL leadership team believe it is most important to support the Plessen
Healthcare in obtaining the EDC bene㿠ꏖts since Plessen has been the facility that
supported JFL after the hurricane and during our time of emergency. About three
8/9/2018
Plessen Healthcare gets full support of Luis CEO | News | virginislandsdailynews.com
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weeks ago, we su살⃅ered the closure of our OR due to more issues that came about,
and it is Plessen who we could count on to very rapidly assess these patients and
work with our physicians to continue care,” Ruben said.
She said Plessen’s facility has been “instrumental” in ensuring Virgin Islanders
have access to emergency medical care, and “most importantly, the Plessen
healthcare was selected by the previous administration as the facility to collaborate
with the Juan Luis Hospital as the alternate surgery center, in the event that our OR
su살⃅ers shutdowns, which they have.”
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, or CMS, which provides federal
oversight for hospitals, has included Plessen in part of a “plan of correction” for
Luis, Ruben said, and the hospital is working to obtain a memorandum of
understanding with the company in accordance with that plan.
Ruben urged EDC members to support the company’s bene㿠ꏖt application at a
subsequent meeting, and said Plessen is working in “collaboration and partnership
with JFL” to care for all Virgin Islanders.
Plessen Healthcare founder and president Dr. Jan Tawakol testi㿠ꏖed that he and his
wife have yet to pay themselves a salary, and they’re working to expand the
company’s capabilities and provide additional services for the community.
The bene㿠ꏖt application is not seeking tax breaks on physician income, and only
seeks bene㿠ꏖts on income from facility fees, Tawakol said.
He also emphasized that the company was founded under the name Plessen
Healthcare, a reference to Estate Plessen on St. Croix, and another company was
subsequently founded with the name Plessen Opthamology — but that business
has no connection to Plessen Healthcare.
The application was opposed in testimony submitted by representatives from
Sterling Optical and St. Croix Vision Center Inc., and both companies argued the
bene㿠ꏖts would be an unfair advantage not enjoyed by all medical facilities
8/9/2018
Plessen Healthcare gets full support of Luis CEO | News | virginislandsdailynews.com
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/plessen­healthcare­gets­full­support­of­luis­ceo/article_16c63bb0­2251­5862­aed0­6968dfb56ed3.html#tncms­sou… 3/3
Suzanne Carlson
providing various forms of patient care.
Trudy Fenster, attorney for Sterling Optical, said Plessen should be denied bene㿠ꏖts
as they’re in direct competition with Luis Hospital, and sco살⃅ed at suggestions that
the company’s bene㿠ꏖts would enable them to build an infrastructure for medical
tourism, in which individuals travel to areas where medical procedures are cheaper
but of similar quality to mainland care facilities.
Tawakol said the bene㿠ꏖts would be speci㿠ꏖc to the surgical center, the company is
already engaging in medical tourism, and physicians bring their patients to the
facility for surgery.
“We are open to all,” Tawakol said.
— Contact Suzanne Carlson at 340-714-9122 or email scarlson@dailynews.vi.