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LESS, Garfield “Gless”
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Jamaica
General Practice, USVI
1974
2018
Biography
I have been living in St Thomas US Virgin Islands for the last forty years after leaving Jamaica in 1979. For the first ten years I worked in the emergency department of the only hospital on the island, the last six years as head of that department. After leaving the hospital, I opened an urgent care private practice in response to the seeing the critical need for such a service. I still operate the practice.
The US Virgin Islands offers a unique practice environment for physicians. This is due to the formation of a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) in 1989 in which all physicians of the US Virgin Islands are participants/owners. This PPO essentially blocked managed care which made for a more rewarding and less stressful practice environment.
As a self-employed physician I was fortunate to be able to find the time, over the years, to fulfill my passion for travel and to spend time with my grandchildren.
I have had the privilege of giving back to the community in many areas which include offering my services to the local schools as their sports team doctor and as a mentor to many students both here in the Virgin Islands and in Jamaica.
