By Azara Lavia
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has officially taken possession of a six-acre property in Sea View Farm, previously owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization. This was marked by the handover of numerous keys to access the building. With the transfer, the Government now assumes responsibility for the site, which will require daily security, maintenance personnel, groundskeepers and cleaning staff.
A special team has been tasked with selecting a name for the new “wellness“ center. While no consensus has been reached on the proposed names, Cabinet members will review the suggestions and announce the final choice soon.
Chief of Staff Lionel “Max” Hurst, shared details on the acquisition of the property. “We’ve taken control of the building now, and if it remains unused, it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money. We have no intentions of wasting taxpayers’ money, so we’re moving quickly. We now have three psychiatrists on board, and we intend to ensure that at least one is assigned to the new location, and we begin to address the kinds of issues that we see popping up from time to time.”
Hurst also mentioned that while the new site for the mental health institution is progressing smoothly, the timeline for its utilization is uncertain. “But you’re going to need beds and other equipment at that new site, and all those things have to be provided before we can actually begin utilizing it as a functioning institution within the mental health array of services. So it’s coming, but the timelines are difficult to identify at this time because so many other things must take place before we can actually move. And again, it’s only yesterday that we received the keys, which would have allowed us to enter onto the property.”
Plans for the facility include the renovation of Clarevue Hospital, followed by the subsequent relocation of patients with severe conditions to the St Johnston’s Village facility. The Sea View Farm location will focus on providing short-term care to patients who are in recovery, preparing to return to normal life.
