This is an Open Letter to Human Services Commissioner Finch:

Once again the government of the Virgin Islands Human Services Department has reared its ugly head in its treatment of its senior citizens.

As a child growing up in Savan, I was taught to be respectful to teachers, nurses, doctors, police officers and older folks.

Needless to say, I was also told to walk in front of the law and not behind. 

Those teachings have kept me in good stead and I have tried to instill the same philosophy in my children.

At 4 p.m., I stopped at my mother's home in Estate Nadir only to, once again, find that she had no electricity. Upon calling WAPA, since I was unable to reach anyone at the Human Services Department, I must say, to his credit, Mr. Hugo Hodge Jr. was reachable. 

I was told by the line department that I would have to pay $172.65, which included the reconnect fee.

I live on St. John, but it was necessary for me to await the WAPA personnel who would do the reconnection and pay the $172.65, as my 89-year-old mother, who has difficulty hearing, would not have been able to handle the situation. 

This delay caused me to miss the 5 p.m. ferry and to be late for a 5:30 p.m. appointment, but I could not in good conscience go to St. John not knowing how the situation was resolved.

This is not the first time for such gross neglect and I hope this does not recur. A community is known by the way it treats its dead (cemeteries) and senior citizens.  In the case of the senior citizens, I would give the Human Services Department an F. 

In this age of technology, if the DHS is unable to provide funds for ECAP persons, would it not make more sense to contact those persons, have them pay the amount due, and be reimbursed later, than to have their services disconnected? 

Also, couldn't the DHS flag those seniors on the ECAP Program so that WAPA will know that those seniors should not be disconnected? Something has to be done expeditiously.

- Alecia Wells lives on St. John.