Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty in discussion with MHF Director Eileen Hailey (left) and MHF board member Jimmy Challenger (far right).
Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty (left) in discussion with MHF Director Eileen Hailey.
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Pamela Gordon-Carty, accompanied by her Secretary-General (SG) Joy Arnell and her Executive Assistant Brenda Anthony, visited the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) on Monday, December 16, for a tour of the organisation.
Gordon-Carty spoke with MHF Director Eileen Hailey and board member Jimmy Challenger during her visit. The minister and her team were given a tour of the facility during which the ongoing grievances and challenges the foundation faces were communicated, VSA said in a press release on Tuesday.
MHF management informed the Minister that the staff members are very dedicated, professional and hardworking, and that they are the ones who carry the facility forward in the right direction.
“Despite the lack of the required number of psychiatrists and the cumbersome and lengthy process to acquire working permits for the placement of temporary psychiatrists to guarantee proper functioning of the facility, the mental institution still manages to handle its affairs on a satisfactory level. Plans are in place to restructure the existing building, but the institution is awaiting the approval from the Ministry of VSA,” the release said.
Gordon-Carty requested the meeting with the institution to grasp for herself what are the current conditions of the facilities and to hear from management about the obstacles the institution faces, according to the release.
“Minister Gordon-Carty promised to verify how far the process is and to determine what might be holding back the progress of the institution’s requests. As soon as this information is known, the Minister will get back to the management and board of MHF with the information. The Minister commended the staff on executing an excellent job and encouraged them to continue the good work in helping one of our most vulnerable groups in our society,” the release concludes.
