The government has allocated over $400,000 in staffing costs for the Poinciana Rehabilitation Centre, a long-term mental health facility in East End that has yet to open. This expenditure covers the first seven months of this year for the facility, which remains incomplete due to ongoing delays.
Despite being substantially finished, the Poinciana Rehabilitation Centre is facing a series of setbacks, described by health officials as a “plethora of problems” uncovered during planning inspections. Currently, 22 employees, including psychiatric nurses and assistants, are on staff, although the facility has not yet admitted any patients.
Meanwhile, individuals with mental health needs continue to be housed in group homes in Jamaica. Some of these residents have been waiting for over a decade to return to the Cayman Islands, expressing growing frustration with the delays.
The government has spent more on staffing the unoccupied East End facility than it has allocated for the care of patients in Jamaica. The Community Group Homes in Jamaica receive approximately $2,500 per patient per month, totaling around $150,000 for the first six months of this year for the 10 patients from the Cayman Islands.
In response to inquiries from the Compass, the Ministry of Health explained that a director and human resources manager were appointed in 2023, with the remaining 20 staff members starting between March and July of this year. As of July 31, a total of $402,307 had been spent on salaries and benefits.
The staff roles include five senior managers (director, HR manager, nurse manager, finance and business manager, and clinical manager), two mid-level managers (assistant facilities manager and IT lead), six registered psychiatric nurses, seven psychiatric nursing assistants, a cook, and a driver. According to a ministry spokeswoman, the staff has been engaged in preparatory work for the facility’s opening. This work encompasses developing the center’s strategic plan, policies, and operational documents; conducting mandatory training; procuring equipment and supplies; and assessing residents overseas.
The Poinciana Rehabilitation Centre cannot open until it receives a certificate of occupancy from the Public Works Department. Once this certification is granted, the facility is expected to be ready to accept its first residents within four weeks.
Health Minister Sabrina Turner, speaking in Parliament in July, did not provide an estimated opening date, citing the issue as beyond her ministry’s control. She noted that a “special permit to occupy” had been obtained for the administration building, cafeteria, and activity center, allowing staff to begin work on-site. However, final occupancy permits are still required for the main buildings and residential cottages, with ongoing issues related to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inspections.
As the ministry awaits these approvals, patients in Jamaica are expressing deepening frustration. One resident in a Kingston group home told the Compass, “The place is built and staffed. They need to open it and send for us. All of us Caymanians want to leave here. We want to come home.”
In a statement to the Compass, the Progressives criticized the prolonged delay and the minister’s inability to provide a definitive opening date. “If the UPM government were truly united and committed to this cause, we would already have a set opening date, with all hands on deck to make it happen,” the statement read.
Echoing concerns raised by MP Barbara Conolly in Parliament, the Progressives called for immediate action, urging the government to expedite the facility’s opening. “It’s time for the government to stop delaying and start delivering,” the statement concluded.
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