Gov’t House mum on payments owed ambulance company assisting territory since 2017 storms

The Trump Administration has ordered U.S. Department of Health and Human Services employees not to speak publicly or share information without approval from a presidential employee, and locally Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s administration is making similar moves.

Acting HHS Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink issued a memo to federal employees Tuesday that included directives to refrain from issuing any document or communication “until it has been reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee.” The order, which Fink said will be temporary, is already causing alarm and confusion for public health experts, according to national media reports about the directive.

Meanwhile, Bryan’s administration has ordered the V.I. Health Department not to respond to questions from the media about how much money is still owed to Pafford Medical Services, which initially came to the Virgin Islands following the 2017 hurricanes to assist post-storm. V.I. Health Department spokeswoman Christine Lett was contacted last week about how much money the government still owes Pafford, and asked why the company has not been paid.