I noticed on a separate post about T&C that there is apparently no hospital on Provo? Is that correct?? My son has severe/life-threatening food allergies, so medical care is important when we travel.

We were just in Grand Cayman in April and had picked that destination partly because we'd been told they had a good-quality hospital there. But for our next trip I was thinking of either T&C or St. John. Can anyone comment on the medical care on those islands? Are there other places in the Caribbean with particularly good--or bad--medical care?
Thanks!
JS

If your son's food allergies are such that they might be life threatening, I would suggest that you travel with an "epi pen" (epinephrine), although maybe you already do.

brenandg: Thanks for your thoughts. We do already carry Epi-Pens (plural) when we travel, but if anything did happen, I'd want a hospital nearby.

Other thoughts and advice are appreciated!
JS

hi j, i know nothing about the timeliness of getting to the hospital in your situation, but there is no hospital on provo. in an emergency you would be flown to the hosp on grand turk or miami ir nassau. st. john has no hospital either, and while there are 2 on st.thomas (roy shcneider hosp and st.thomas hospital) you'd have to get to st.thomas by boat.

My son has life threatening allergies as well so I can appreciate your position. I would be hesitant to go to T & C for that reason.

We go to St. Croix annually and they have a medical center on island. We had friends whose son got hit by a flying golf club and needed stitches in his forehead. When they returned to Long Island, their physician told them that who sewed him up did a phenomenal job.

Dependent on which island/islands you visit there may or may not be adequate emergency care nearby. The quality of care has nothing to do with the physicians and other personnel available but the actual facilities. A friend of mine from SVG once told me if something life threatening happens which requires extensive emergency care chances are limited.

Boy, this changes my thinking about some of these places--at least if we travel with the kids. I can't imagine being on an island with no hospital and having to deal with a severe reaction. In most cases, of course, nothing would probably happen, as we're always careful about what my son eats, and we usually bring along some of our own food from home. But you never know... I have a friend whose son had to be airlifted off Nantucket because of a severe allergic reaction, and I just wouldn't want to have to worry about that.

What islands besides St. Thomas do have good medical care? How far a boat ride is it from St. John to St. Thomas?

Again, any help is appreciated! We had such a good time on GC, so I've got the bug to go back to the Caribbean.

Aruba has a large hospital.

Puerto Rico

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. Keep 'em coming!

ccrosner: Thanks for your understanding! The allergy issue does make travelling harder. Good to hear that St. Croix has good medical care. I don't read that much on this forum about St. Croix--much more about STJ and STT. Do you have any recommendations for places to stay on St. Croix? We usually like to have a place with a kitchen, so we can cook. Are there any kid-friendly activities? My son, who is 8, really loved the snorkeling and sealife on GC. We're not really looking for a place with a kids program, just things we can do together as a family. My daughter is 4 and loves the water, so easy beach access and a pool are key. Thanks!

Grenada has a medical school--I assume there is also a hospital there? Perhaps others can help on that one.

My husband's family chose Aruba and St. Maarten in the 1980s when traveling with children for similar reasons. Not sure if their facilities are as good today as they were 20 years ago, but it's a starting point for your research.

Actually there is emergency medical care available on Provo - check the following websites:
www.doctor.tc/emg.html
http://www.tcimall.tc/medical/index.htm

Emergency care is available on your larger islands the problem lies in the resources for advanced life support. No airlift, helipads etc in most instances. For instance Bequia has hospital facilities but small. Kingstown Hospital on St. Vincent is able to do surgery etc but I wouldn't want to be involved in a major traffic accident, or require emergency renal dialysis. Most often all expenses must be paid upfront and few US insurances if any are excepted.

It is something to keep in mind when we decide to visit the islands and realize the risks involved. I have some problems with hypertension and the possibility of complications does exist none the less it is a chance I'm willing to take. If it was my child I might think a bit differently.

Might be worth doing a web search of what is available medically on the islands you are considering. Good luck.

Dr. Menzies is an awesome doctor in T&C. If you Email him now with your concerns, he will actually email you back and tell you realistically what to expect. http://www.doctor.tc/menzies.html

We've had to use him for an emergency or 2 (Ear problems) and on a Friday night at 11 pm was willing to make a house call!

Blamona is right. I would email him. Dr M. used to be my Dr when I lived in the T & C and I had to use him for an emergency (for myself) once and he was great!

i can understand your worry as well, we have an asthmatic and ended up in a sub-par hospital in nassau. As a nurse I was shocked at the lacking of quality of health care in the island. I basically had to tell them the medications to order for him ( he had never had an attack before, but got a infection possibly from the plane) We do go to caymans because of their quality health care. My father had been taken off a cruise ship and received excellent cardiac care by a cardiologist their. Also their was a thread about a man that got sick on St John with a food reaction and almost died trying to get trasferred to St Thomas (might want to search for it), but if I were you, I would pick Grand Cayman, Aruba or Hawaii,
Susan

Thanks again for all your thoughtful responses!

vinceygirl: I appreciate your cautions. If we did have a problem with my son's food allergies, it would probably be because he had a severe reaction and would need pretty advanced care. So not sure that just a doctor in a small clinic could help. It is tough when you're talking about a child. If it were my own health, I might not be as cautious.

blamona and MIM04: Thanks for the tip on Dr. Menzies on T&C. It's worth taking a look, though as I mentioned above, if we ended up needing medical care, a local doctor might not be able to help. I live outside of Boston in a suburb with an excellent community hospital, and a friend of mine's son still had to be airlifted to Mass. General last fall because the local docs couldn't get his allergic reaction under control. They were fortunate we live in an area with so many wonderful hospitals!

I know I sound a bit paranoid about all this, but when you know so many children who've had severe food reactions, as I have, it makes you sit up and take notice.

It does sound like there are some places we can go. We'll definitely keep Aruba, Grenada, and St. Maarten in mind and will check into St. Croix/St. Thomas as well. Of course, we loved GC this past April, so we could always go back there, too.
Thanks!
JS

Sorry, Susan--meant to thank you as well. Good to hear about your positive experience with healthcare on GC. Also, it's very helpful to get your perspective as a nurse. My son, the one who has the allergies, is also asthmatic, though not severely. But that's yet another concern. It's tough being a parent sometimes!!
Thanks!

Well this was an interesting read. I did not know that about T&C.
You do not sound paranoid at all. You're just being a mother, like it should be.
I wish I could suggest something but since our son is healthy, researching hospitals is not something I do for a trip.
Good luck!

JS - no I totally agree with you, being cautious is the key here. An allergy like that is nothing to mess with. I could contact Dr menzies and if you are not comfortable, then there are other places you can go. The USVI are not really known for their hospitals. There are Drs in St John, but the hospital in St Thomas, well I would not exactly want to depend on that in an emergency. There are some great Drs in the USVI, but the facility itself leaves a lot to be desired. I lived in St Thomas too, and I had a good Dr in red hook, but I would not set foot in that hospital.

GL and let us know where you decide.

I know its not as exotic, but have you considered the Keys or Sanibel / Captiva? Some beautiful beaches and hospitals would certinally be easier to get to, if needed.