Mental health facility project delayed again
(CNS): The opening of the much anticipated long-term residential mental health facility in East End has been delayed by another three months. Despite stating less than two months ago the project would be finished in June, Health Minister Sabrina Turner has now said the facility will not be open until September.
However, the health ministry has finally recruited a director for the Poinciana Residential Mental Health Facility on a 15-acre site at High Rock. According to a press release, the recruitment process for other staff for the facility is also underway.
In January of this year, local psychiatrist Dr Marc Lockhart resigned as chair of the Mental Health Commission due to delays on the project and what he described as the inertia of the ministry in getting the facility ready and operational. Despite his public and detailed criticisms outlining the issues that needed to be addressed, the ministry continues to experience delays.
In April, Turner told the audience at a political meeting in George Town that she had received confirmation of the completion date from the project manager. “We will finally bring this over the finish line,” she declared, saying the opening date would be in June. But almost four years after the project broke ground, the delays continue.
In a recent ministry update, officials said that Marcia Amoy Mullings-Thompson will be heading up Poinciana starting next Monday, 10 July. When she was recruited, Mullings-Thompson was the CEO of Bellevue Hospital in Jamaica, the largest psychiatric institution in the Caribbean.
She held the post of regional mental health officer for the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) in Jamaica from May 2005 until she transitioned briefly into Jamaica’s Ministry of Health to act as the National Mental Health Coordinator, responsible for assisting with monitoring and auditing, policy development, and legislative reviews. However, she was seconded for two years to Bellevue, where she had overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the hospital, which has over 500 patients and 600 staff members.
Along with her advanced degree, Mullings-Thompson is a trainer of trainers in several areas, including disaster-related psychological trauma, mental health support and crisis intervention, psychosocial support and psychological first aid, human rights and ethical issues in mental health, PAHO/WHO mhGap intervention, PAHO/WHO Problem Management Plus intervention.
Ministry of Health and Wellness Chief Officer Nellie Pouchie said she was aware of the interest in the status of the facility. “The recruitment process for this post was rigorous, and we are confident that, based on Mrs Mullings-Thompson’s diverse and rich experience and qualifications, she is suitably poised to assume the director role and lead the management and administration of the Poinciana Residential Mental Health Facility. We look forward to working with her as we seek to bring the facility on board and to fill the mental health needs in our community.”
Mullings-Thompson said will take the responsibility of being accountable to the ministry and the residents very seriously.
“This facility is not intended to stand alone, but rather to help enhance the full suite of mental health services that already exist on-island,” she said. “I am looking forward to developing strong and meaningful relationships with not only these providers but also the advocates and civil society organisations that have their finger on the pulse of the community.”
Advertisements for the clinical manager, facility manager, finance and business manager, human resources manager and programme manager are now on the Cayman Islands Government’s job vacancy website.
“With the director in post and directly involved in assembling the senior management team, the care services, programming, processes and overall management of the facility, the ministry’s focus on the commissioning and occupancy of the facility continues,” Pouchie said.
Minister Turner said, “Mental health and wellness continue to be a priority for my ministry, not only as it pertains to this facility but holistically in strengthening and enhancing the national capacity for and access to mental health services, promotion and prevention.
“While the completion of the facility remains under the remit of the Public Works Department, our ministry team continues to work diligently to mitigate against delays relating to the staffing, forthcoming handover, and upcoming occupancy of the facility. It has been a long road, but we continue to take positive steps forward, and I am confident that the finish line is fast approaching in getting the facility ready to receive its first residents,” Turner added.
According to the PWD project management team for Poinciana, the main facilities, including the administration, workshop and cafeteria building, are now in the final building inspection phase, but some items are not yet being cleared. The cottages and perimeter security system are nearing completion, and the expected handover will be in September.
Officials said that they will continue to keep the public apprised as to the status of the ongoing inspections and handover of the facility.
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Category: Health, Mental Health
Wendy – is there an update on this? Is supposed to have opened 30 Sept – 6 weeks ago.
Doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results is normal for the Cayman Islands. Just call everything CIG a mental health facility already and be done with it.
Just like everything else they try to do. Soon come. 🙄
Meanwhile Caymanians committing suicide because they can’t get the proper mental health resources they need.
Unnah is pure wutlessness!!!
No wonder this place is a walking asylum. 🤬
The lunatics are running the …
Parliament
Oh that poor lady. Someone should warn her.
Marcia Amoy Mullings-Thompson – stay away. The stress you will be under from working with our government and civil servants is not worth it.
Spend too long here and you may end up a resident in your own facility.
She going end up in Bellvue by the time they done with her.
She’s going to be in good company.
All the important posts in Cayman are headed by Jamaicans who left their failed country to bless us with their “expertise” …. God help us.
Why hire another highly paid person already if facility not ready. Also why does the Health Ministry/HSA only hire from one place? I never heard of Bellevue being run so well.
Morons in charge! That’s why Dr. Lockhart quit. The asylum is run by the inmates! CIG!
another fine disasterpiece….brought to you by cig.
Cayman has a long tradition of ignoring mental health problems and hoping they go away on their own, damned what the consequences may be. Cant say I’m surprised that the facility meant to deal with it is being treated with the same level of apathy.
I fear it will only truly be reckoned with when we run out of space in the graveyards.
Cayman has a long tradition of ignoring mental health problems
That statement is easily refuted by the number of them we have elected to Parliament and appointed to high positions.
That’s “support”, not refute.
Actually … electing them is proof that Cayman ignores the problem.
ha!…another glorious day for cig civil service…..zzzzzz
shambolic at every level….
any comment Mrs governor?
I’d like to make a reservation, asking for a friend.
All spoken for since outline case in 2015. The whole idea is that we are going to repatriate the serious Caymanian case files that were long ago shipping off-island.
All this is because of the real smart decision to just split the job up and getting favorite contractors who never had done large complex health facilities. But old Jon Jon in his wisdom thought this was the best way and would save us all some money. Well looks like the donkey is strolling into the moonlight! Reminds me of the turtle farm fiasco.
Don’t forget Alden was the head man so he gave the OK for Jon Jon to do this
put politicians in deh! lol
Maybe just maybe, the public works department shouldn’t oversee new construction projects?
Totally mental!!!
6.23 on comment.
They are civil servants ,which means…
Time is not a concern.
Budget is not a problem.
Accountability non existent.
Hours are spent in taking minutes.
Experience and qualifications of “Architects “ and support staff questionable.
Senior appointments based on birthplace not competence.
How long has this project taken, and at what cost..?
Outline business case was in 2015, eight years ago. Budgeted at KYD$15mln when it broke ground 4 years ago. It will house just 54 Caymanians with serious mental cases that were sent overseas. No vacancy in the day it opens, whenever that is.
This is crazy!
That’s just crazy
#worldclass
Great news for the 54 permanent guests. How much will this $15mln project cost us?
Ask Jon Jon as he did it on the cheap!
$37.6 million
Don’t hold your breath on a full addiction assistance program, drug treatment facility, or reintegration trade school. CIG can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
What a shame.
The whole goverment both past and present are a crying shame. Just blowing hot air and collecting fat paychecks!
Isn’t it all? Mental health domestic abuse, traffic, the dump, cost of living, the schools, crime, etc, etc
Spiraling out of control, it is.