Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration Executive Director Gabriella Boffelli By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón welcomed a new push from Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to correct long‑standing disparities in Medicare Advantage (MA) funding that have left Puerto Rico at a structural disadvantage compared with the states and other territories. In a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F

Rep. Domingo Torres García Torres García tells PRASA he’ll go to court over withholding of public info amid water crisis By THE STAR STAFF Rep. Víctor Parés Otero demanded on Wednesday that the Financial Oversight and Management Board declare a water emergency in Puerto Rico in support of the efforts of Gov. Jenniffer González Colón to address the unprecedented drought and rebuild the island’s stormwater infrastructure. The chairman of the Government Committee in the island H

By THE STAR STAFF Health Services Administrators Association of Puerto Rico (CASS by its acronym in Spanish) President Tania Conde Sterling gave assurances on Wednesday that hospitals and other health facilities are prepared to respond to a possible drought declaration and that, as part of their preparedness protocols, they have activated their emergency and operational continuity plans to ensure that medical services continue to be offered safely and uninterruptedly. Conde n

The island Family Department announced that it will coordinate with municipalities and partner organizations to deliver potable water to older adults and licensed care homes impacted by the scheduled service interruptions beginning Friday. By THE STAR STAFF The Family Department announced Wednesday that it will coordinate with municipalities and partner organizations to deliver potable water to older adults and licensed care homes affected by the scheduled service interruptio

By THE STAR STAFF Energy Czar Josué Colón Ortiz urged the public on Wednesday to reduce electricity consumption between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., as two units at the Costa Sur power plant in Peñuelas remain out of service. “Although the expectation is that both Costa Sur #5 and Costa Sur #6 will come online later this afternoon, while these two units remain out of service, the system will lack the necessary reserves to meet today’s peak demand,” Colón Ortiz said in a written statem

Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority Executive President Luis R. González Delgado (Facebook San Juan, Ciudad Capital) By THE STAR STAFF Facing rapidly declining water levels at the Carraízo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced on Wednesday the activation of the first phase of Puerto Rico’s Scheduled Interruption Plan, a sweeping measure that will rotate water service across seven municipalities beginning Friday at 6 a.m. The plan introduces

Puerto Rico Minority Supplier Development Council President & CEO Francisco Cabrera (prmsdc.org) By THE STAR STAFF With hurricane seasons growing more intense and costly for Puerto Rico’s business community, the Puerto Rico Minority Supplier Development Council (PRMSDC) will convene a group of specialists in architecture, maintenance and logistics to help companies strengthen their facilities and safeguard operations ahead of major storms. The educational forum, scheduled for

Dr. Gloria del C. Amador, president & CEO of Integrated Mountain Health By THE STAR STAFF After a rigorous validation and accreditation process, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) informed Integrated Mountain Health (SIM by its acronym in Spanish) on Tuesday that it has awarded it the five performance distinctions it grants to 330 Primary Health Centers in the United States, an achievement that the organization has achieved for the 13th consecutive y

New Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Julie O. Gómez (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón) By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón confirmed Tuesday that she accepted the resignation of former Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) Secretary Francisco Quiñones Rivera last Friday, with the resignation becoming effective today. She added that Quiñones Rivera remaining in the position had become “unsustainable” given the number of complaints filed against him. The

As community residents took to the streets on Tuesday demanding sustainable solutions to the current water crisis, a citizens group is placing direct responsibility for the crisis on the Financial Oversight and Management Board, arguing that a decade of austerity measures has hollowed out the island water authority and left critical infrastructure in disrepair. (Facebook via ACLU PR) By THE STAR STAFF A mid mounting water service failures across the San Juan metropolitan regi