PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Monday the Minister of VSA Pamela Gordon-Carty, accompanied by her Secretary General (SG) Joy Arnell and her Executive Assistant Brenda Anthony, visited the facilities of the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) where she met with the director Ms. Eileen Hailey and board member Mr. Jimmy Challenger. The minister and her team got a tour of the facility during which the ongoing grievances and challenges the foundation faces were communicated.
Management of MHF 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 permit 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.
Minister Gordon-Carty requested the meeting with the institution to see for herself what conditions the facilities are in and to hear from the management what obstacles the institution faces.
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.
