New Wing for Mental Hospital

Details

Health News

Thursday, 17 January 2013 02:30

By Delana Isles

Antigua St. John's - The Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital has a new male ward, compliments of Digicel.

At the official unveiling, Digicel Chairman Denis O’Brien said this was not the last time the hospital would hear from Digicel, as they are more plans for the facility.

“I would like to say now, and I have said it to the prime minister, we would like to now go to the next step and work with Clarevue Hospital on what is our next phase of the project, because I would not like to think of us, that we are like the CEO coming in and landing and then disappearing... that is not what Digicel is; we are a long-term player,” he said. “When we partner with somebody, we partner for the long term, so we will be working on another project.”

He also lauded the work of the staff: “The work that you do is just fantastic and we are here to try and help you in any way possible to improve the situation, and the opening of this ward is a perfect example of this.”

According to O’Brien, Clarevue can be a shining example of mental health care throughout the Caribbean.

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Meanwhile, Superintendent of the facility Clarence Pilgrim said the new building is in tune with accepted patient care standards.

“We are also particularly interested in the next level of the project, and we are quite happy that Chairman O’Brien has gratefully offered us the opportunity to advance forward, so we are thankful for that as well,” Pilgrim said.

The new ward houses 15 beds, but has the capacity for 18.

Pilgrim said there are a number of other plans he is hoping the 2013 budget will bring to fruition.

These include a lunchroom for the staff, and expansion of the administration building to comfortably accommodate staff, hospital records, and the IT component.

“We are also looking at securing the maximum security ward; we are looking at creating conditions where it will be more secure so those patients who have more violent tendencies are more securely housed,” Pilgrim told Caribarena.

The renovation came after Digicel staff member Orville Mathurin visited the facility and decided to help as part of the company’s policy of involving its staff members in community-related affairs and giving back to the less fortunate through an internal competition. He won the US$50,000 contest, and his project proposal of renovating the ward was realised.

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