St. Croix, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — The Virgin Islands Department of Health will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16, marking the official start of construction on the Donna M. Christian Christensen, MD, Health Center, formerly known as the Charles Harwood Memorial Complex, at Estate Richmond.

“This ceremony represents a significant milestone in the Territory’s long-term recovery efforts following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and in the rebuilding of our public health infrastructure,” said Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion. “It signals a new era of modern and community-centered public health services on St. Croix.”

The construction of the Health Center is being led by the Consigli/Benton Joint Venture, a partnership that brings together national expertise, local experience, and a shared commitment to building resilient public-health infrastructure for the Virgin Islands.

“This facility is a lifeline for community health and wellness, and we are committed to building a state-of-the-art facility that the people of this Territory deserve,” said James Benton, Principal-in-Charge of Consigli/Benton Joint Venture. “Our team is proud to help bring this vision to life and to once again deliver another quality facility for the Virgin Islands Department of Health.”

In 2023, J. Benton Construction also completed the rebuild of the department’s new Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Building on St. Thomas.

The new Health Center will replace the former Charles Harwood Memorial Complex, which sustained catastrophic damage during the 2017 hurricanes and was deemed beyond repair by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2022, federal funding was obligated for the full demolition and replacement of the complex. Between 2023 and 2024, demolition of the former facility occurred in phased operations.