Minister can’t say when mental health facility will open
(CNS): Answering a parliamentary question on Wednesday, Health Minister Sabrina Turner was unable to say when the new residential mental health centre will open because the decision lies with the Public Works Department and building inspectors. The facility, which will be called Poinciana, is now well behind schedule as the completion date has been put back time and time again. It should have opened to patients last summer but the project has been plagued with what the minister described as a plethora of problems since work began on it in 2019.
Responding to a question from opposition member Barbara Conolly (GTS) about plans to get patients currently in overseas institutions repatriated to Cayman, Turner admitted that she was unable to give a date. She told the MPs and the listening public that three of the buildings had received certificates of special permission occupancy, which “was a step in the right direction”, but the opening date was beyond her control and that of her ministry because of the inspection process.
Nevertheless, the minister attempted to remain optimistic, saying that getting the special certificate was “one step closer to opening our doors”.
Turner said the certificates covered the cafeteria, administration building and activity centre, which meant that the 22 current employees would now be able to begin working at the facility in East End, including making the preparation to receive patients. To date, those workers, who are being paid their full salaries, have been working on policy development and procurement, among other things, but they could now move on to work at the actual site.
She said that the management team will be able to begin preparations for the facility to receive the residents. The second phase will be the actual repatriation of the residents, and staff will accompany most of those patients on their return to Cayman to ensure a safe transition.
The minister noted that the current administration had inherited the project and its “plethora of problems” that had led to the failure to secure the necessary occupancy certificates years after work started. While the pandemic has been blamed for some of the delays, the real problems relate to the electrical work, which led to significant safety concerns.
The much-needed facility has been designed to provide long-term care to people with severe mental health challenges, who will be housed in nine cottages alongside the three buildings that have now been given special clearance. Originally expected to cost around CI$15 million, costs have already escalated to almost $22 million.
Frustrated by the minister’s inability to give any idea when Poinciana will open, Conolly persisted, saying that she must have some idea of the timeline. “We have waited far too long for this facility to be opened,” she said, noting that nearly all MPs had constituents who will be residents, and they needed to know when it will open, as she called for a sense of urgency.
But Turner said she really could not offer a timeline as it was in the hands of PWD, and the issues must be addressed before patients can be safely admitted.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Health, Mental Health
What caught my attention was her almost hostile response to the questioning. It was almost as if she was trying to say stop asking me xxxx questions all ah unnah.
I wish I didn’t have to say this but respectfully it is almost a year when the new opening date was given and we still haven’t seen anything. Government has more authority for more headways not to have been made. The facility could have likely been demolished and rebuilt maybe even for the same amount in all this time, we just do not know. The reasons and answers are not making sense. Respectfully, new parks are going up in some districts, lands being purchased in some districts, monies allocated for new schools, helping out overseas allies, opening new offices locally and overseas, a new facility gor the refugres has been earmarked and much other things happening but this desperately needed facility is still not resolved. I am not fowncasting none of these projects and know Government cannot do everything all at once. However priority for a project such as this must be made. there is probably more money being spent to hose these patients overseas are wherever their housed and what it would take to get this project completed. It is heartbreaking. I cannot understand why anything to do with social issues is always seemingly pushed to the back by Administrations. This is a human rights concern for these patients and our residents. Family members need to get pushing behind this.
They have no clue how or who to staff it with tbh
Please make sure they reserve 19 beds for the MP’s as they suffer from not on time, not on budget and nothing ever gets accomplished. 🤡🤡🤡
HM Prison Honourable Ministry of Criminality
Rookie government strikes again. Anything that is good for Cayman and Caymanians is completely F*ed up. I hear that the warranty on everything in this place expired 2 years ago, staff have been hired and are being paid to sit in Jamaica doing nothing until it opens.
Can someone please give me one accomplishment of this government.
Julie is already starting to distance herself from them (Good luck Andre) because she sees the writing on the wall. VOTE em OUT and don’t be so fool to elect another bunch of ‘so-called’ independents. Don’t be bought by big talk people!
Which government? This fiasco started several regimes ago…
Wasn’t Jon-Jon in charge of the health ministry when this project started? What qualified AAA Construction for a project of this magnitude?
Votes.
Now you talking about the right low bar Donkey!
That’s just nuts.
The ministry with L plates throughout 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
L plates too little to late ‘X’ rated!
Seriously you all really believed that the health minister has a clue about this or anything else. Just wait now until Minister of “wishing well” can’t open up his park for lack of water!
I see a clinic full of cynics
Who want to twist the peoples’ wrist
They’re watching every move we make
We’re all included on the list
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
No nuclear the cowboy told us
And who am i to disagree
‘Cos when the madman flips the switch
The nuclear will go for me
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
I’ve seen the faces of starvation
But i just can not see the points
‘Cos there’s so much food here today
That no one wants to take away
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum – take away my right to choose
The lunatics have taken over the asylum – take away my point of view
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum – take away my dignity,
Take these things away from me
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
The lunatics have taken over the asylum – take away my family,
Take away the right to speak
The lunatics have taken over the asylum take away my point of view,
Take away my right to choose
Can somebody please name a single achievement of note that this government has attained whilst in office?
Just one please?
Flying around and giving cash to whomever they wish. By the way, did they even ask for help?
…or the previous government.
In fairness, this is defective/incomplete infrastructure inherited from past regimes.
They got rid of Panton, that the only one I can think of!
I agree with everything 25/07/2024 11:55 AM said.
This is 100% unacceptable. What in the world are we paying the government to do? Every, and I mean every project the government undertakes is either overdue (Vehicle Tags) over budget, or under designed.
Perhaps it is time that Caymanians look to the Swiss system of government. It’s a System that works, and it’s high time we consider a change for the better.
I think the Swiss system , by my understanding, is very decentralized and it probably would not work within the more centralized Westminster system
Customary CIG project mismanagement. Not even put into use before being effectively abandoned and allowed to rot away.
To be fair, the CIG did not build this facility.
See this report extract from CNS in 2019: “The health ministry said Ron Wilson’s Equipment has secured the contract for the enabling works package, worth around CI$1.3M; the CI$5.8M main building work contract has been given to Phoenix and the largest contract of $7.9M for the cottages has gone to AAA Construction.” Likely it’s one or more of these contractors who didn’t do a good job?
And likely the Civil Service refused to listen to Dr. Marc Lockhart.
How many expats are we paying to be here and twiddle their thumbs while we send patients overseas. This is costing us many millions. It is beyond negligent. No accountability?
To be fair, when you are paying the bill you hold responsibility to ensure the employees (contractors) are doing the job you are paying them for. Nobody here takes responsibility. It’s always lame excuses and blame others.
Heard lots of questionable subcontractors there and shoddy work.
Wote buying. A mainstream version of corruption.
I heard a lot of Jamaican sub contractor “buy work permit” people were all up their having a good old time doing any crap they felt like. But that is the new building system for Cayman.
Therefore “project mismanagement”.
Yes, Eliza, but the Ministry ought to have put in place a Steering Committee with its and other government representatives on it, to carefully, repeat, carefully, and continually monitor the progress and, in particular, the expenditure on and quality controls associated with any new buildings of this sort.
If the Minister doesn’t know then the voters need to make a change. In fact change them all
Can we just keep Andre and Wayne please?
Another glorious day for the civil service……time for more awards franz!
why is anyone surprised at the shocking level of incompetence of the civil service???
excuse the political incorrectness…but civil service is a social welfare work placement programme for poorly educated locals who are unable to get real jobs in the private sector…
if we can’t face facts we will never find the solution.
The electrical work is shoddy? Why has this just emerged at inspection stage? What about stage sign offs? Where’s the architects and engineers overseeing the project? Why haven’t the problems been set out and a time frame for resolution decided?
All because politician bobo cowboy contractors involved.
Because for a change they don’t want to be the first to be signed in!
Private sector contractors strikes again. Now CIG has to clean up their shuddy work.
ha..joker.
its cig job …and another cig made mess.
private sector contractors milking the system alongside their political buddies you mean.
shoddy electrical work. the public should be aware of who this company is so they are black balled from any future public projects. we the stakeholders are always in the dark.
A guess, but I suspect the PWD Project Manager is ultimately to blame. Very rare this sort of major dispute in the private sector, although it does happen eg the Walkers Building air con system.
PWD should issue a statement so we can see who is blaming who.
Sabrina has been a grave disappointment. Long on talk, short on action.
Not true! The obvious reality is that this is another failure of Minister Donkey Seymour. But what can we expect from a Donkey that cant find his way to work more than once or twice a week!
Ok, it’s time for an FOI on this one.
Who exactly designed this thing?
Who reviewed said drawings in BCU?
Who built it?
Is it built to the drawings?
What is wrong with the electrical that’s so bad that it cannot be passed?
CNS or Compass needs to do a deep dive into what’s going on at BCU. From all accounts within industry, the behavior of their staff and the passing or failing of drawings and inspections is, at this point, criminally negligent.
You can have two inspectors review the same building and one will pass it, the other will fail it. A third will fail it but for different reasons. Then you fix whatever was wrong, call them back, and they fail it for something else.
I have tremendous respect for Haroon and what he deals with. However, everyone below him in BCU (not so much the planning side) has to go. People are wildly unqualified for the jobs they’re doing. The lack of professionalism and accountability is astounding.
Go on the planning.ky staff directory and start calling the numbers…see if a single person answers the phone. Then try the same with an email.
Time to fully restaff the whole department.
Why don’t you do it? FOI requests may be made by anyone. The press isn’t here to jump whenever some idle busybody tells them to do so.
Who says they’re idle busy bodies. And yeah anyone can do an FOI but not everyone has the resources to dig into what’s going on and put all the pieces together. Most people call that investigative journalism.
Tell me you work for BCU without telling me you work for BCU (and suck at your job)
you must work in BCU
I was with you until you said you had tremendous respect for Haroon. In my book, he is a HUUUGE part of the problem.
He’s only a problem due to the raw materials the guy is stuck working with. He doesn’t have the budget to hire the right people and the people he’s got under him (on the BCU side specifically) are not only the wrong people but they foster an environment of nepotism and toxicity that drives anyone good away.
Let me put it to you this way: if you were a GOOD electrician…you would never want to be an electrical inspector. The inspectors earn half of what they would in the field as a private sparky. And furthermore most of the electrical inspectors and supervisors are former electricians that nobody in the private side would hire. Ask around.
So that’s what Haroon is stuck working with. You could not pay me a penny under $500k to even interview for his job.
God help us if he leaves and gets replaced with the wrong village idiot.
I reckon he is 95% of the problem
It sounds as if you are a developer or builder that has had bad work done that inspectors have written up. My experience has been good with them. The inspectors found issues that my builder should have known that was wrong.
Builders like that are why we need inspectors.
There’s nothing wrong with inspectors keeping builders in check and it’s 100% necessary.
That’s very different from the inspectors not playing by the same rules or not answering their phones. Or being flat out wrong about building code and not held to account for it.
I’ve built a lot of homes in this country and one day a house will pass and the next day, an identical house will not because of a different inspector.
Then you have to get someone at BCU to decide who is right and who’s wrong and which way is best to fix the home (if at all) and that process can take weeks or months depending on the nature of the issue.
Yes there are times when everything goes smooth and there’s zero issues. There’s other times when it’s a nightmare.
I had one inspector tell me that the design of our staircase was not to code and had to be reconfigured to be passed. So we reconfigured a dozen staircase designs, rebuilt them in the field and spent thousands of dollars to do so. Then a new inspector comes and passes it and asks why we changed them from the old design. We explain…he pulls up the code and says “your stairs were perfect before”. Brought this to the attention of the higher ups and nobody would agree or disagree with the staircase design. Finally, alllll the way to the top to be told both designs were acceptable.
When asked who pays for the fact that the first inspector ordered us to change them so we could pass: silence.
Minister can’t say when mental health facility will open
That’s Crazy!
I thought the LA resumed sitting earlier this week?
Senior staffing chaos can’t help. Importantly, this facility doesn’t relieve the heavy mental health load of resident patients in the Cayman Islands. Poinciana was built to repatriate Caymanians with serious observation needs that had to go off-island to get that care. Every bed was filled before the golden groundbreaking shovels hit the dirt. Its existence or non-existence, doesn’t address the mounting every day mental health load already resident. Even with an overcrowded prison, and early release of public danger career recidivists, there doesn’t seem to be a plan to fit reality.