Virgin Islands Diabetes Center asks Legislature for $1.5 million to sustain and expand services

The Virgin Islands Diabetes Center of Excellence (VIDCO) asked the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance on April 15 for $1.5 million to sustain operations and expand clinical and community services across the territory.

VIDCO Executive Director Julia Sheen told senators that the nonprofit provided services to more than 2,301 diabetes patients in the past year through monthly outreach, chronic care management, nutrition and medication-management programs. Sheen said 77% of VIDCO patients have type 2 diabetes, 21% have prediabetes and 2% have type 1 diabetes. She said 63% of VIDCO patients are uninsured, underinsured, on Medicaid or on Medicare and that the center uses grant funding and billing to cover operations.

VIDCO’s request calls for $1,500,000 in local funding to “sustain current operations and expand critical services such as pediatric endocrinology, podiatry and community outreach,” Sheen said. She provided a rough breakdown in testimony: 50% for direct patient care, 43% for preventive programs and 7% for administrative and operational costs.

Why the request matters: Senators and VIDCO staff said stronger outpatient diabetes…