“It is the position that one holds that will determine whether one is exempted or not at the Commonwealth Health Center,” he said.
But the contract of the pharmacy technician is not affected, he added.
Villagomez said it was determined that the inpatient pharmacy can function well with its manager, a pharmacist, a pharmacy specialist as well as seven other full-time employees.
He said all direct patient care workers were included on the “essential” list signed by the governor on Sept. 30.
The Bureau of Environmental Health was also included ensure that sanitation issues are addressed immediately, he added.
He said CHC remains “very busy” and has not encountered significant problems attributed to the government shutdown.
“Most of the issues revolve around non-direct patient care like the issuing of birth certificate, death certificate, immunization records, Medicaid eligibility cards,” he said.
If the Legislature fails to come up with a balanced budget this week, Villagomez said he is hoping that some of the positions handling the abovementioned services will be included on the list not only because of the needs of the community but also because they generate revenue.
