SOURCE: POINTE XPRESS NEWSPAPER Government to purchase property to house mental patients
The government and the owners of the property — Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall — near Sea View Farm, have agreed to a purchase price where it intends to move patients now housed at Clarevue Hospital.
However, according to well-placed government sources, the new facility will not be called Clarevue hospital, but a Wellness Centre where the focus will be on both mental health and wellness.
The building sits on 6 acres of land and it was used as the worship centre.
The sources say both parties have agreed on a price of US$3 million but it is anticipated that it will require additional funding to refit the building to accommodate patients and others who may seek specialized care there.
According to the sources, there is a strong desire on the part of the government to initiate a fresh start with the new facility on how people view mental health care and a new focus on wellness.
There have been complaints about the conditions under which patients at the Clarevue hospital have had to live and the purchase of the Jehovah’s Witness property is a positive step to have them move into an aesthetically more pleasing and modern facility.