This spring, the Board of Directors of both the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John Chambers of Commerce announced their full support for the University of the Virgin Islands School of Medicine (SOM). The St. Croix Chamber of Commerce announced their support in April, while the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce unanimously voted to support the SOM in May 2016.
Construction for the UVI SOM has begun on the St. Thomas Campus, with construction on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix expected to begin shortly. The SOM is expected to enroll its first medical students in Fall 2017. The annual economic impact of the fully operational UVI School of Medicine’s Simulation Center, which will be constructed on the Sheen Campus, will be approximately $30 million, according to a May 2015 SOM Economic Impact Study. The SOM Classroom Building, which will be housed on the St. Thomas Campus, will have an economic impact of an estimated $30 million.
“The St. Croix Chamber of Commerce applauds this forward-thinking vision that will not only train the next generation of physicians for the territory and the wider Caribbean, but will also elevate the level of care for the people of the Virgin Islands while growing the economy of St. Croix,” according to a St. Croix Chamber of Commerce statement. “We look forward to it becoming a reality and encourage the support of the community of this endeavor.” More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website –http://www.uvi.edu - and from this direct link.