Cayman has opened its first adolescent-specific mental health hub, Alex’s Place, in memory of teenager Alex Panton.
“It is hoped that the young person being treated here will respond easier to mental health treatment without fear of being judged or stigmatised for the reason that they have been brought here,” a tearful Jane Panton, founder of the Alex Panton Foundation, said as she marked the milestone of the creation of the hub.
“Alex would be very happy with the culmination of our efforts,” she said at the event, held at the old General Practice building at the Health Services Authority, which was characterised by both heartache and hope for those in attendance.
Government has allocated annual operating funds of $840,000 for the delivery of the service at the hub, the HSA told the Cayman Compass, adding that “actual expenditures will be known following the first full year of operations.”
Helping end the stigma
Panton thanked those who stood with her and worked to form the foundation in the “12 years, two months and 19 days” since her family lost their “most awesome, vivacious Alex,” who had struggled with the effects of severe depression.
“I’m deeply honoured to be a part of the team and profoundly grateful to all involved who have worked so hard to make this dream become a reality. The next step in this process is to facilitate inpatient treatment with an inpatient adolescent mental health unit. I am hoping this can be achieved in the next year or two,” she said.
Together, she said, they have created a much-needed facility to treat “our youth in a mental health crisis with the hope that the treatment received will reduce the likelihood of a recurring crisis for the patient”.
“Our vision of improved mental health for Cayman society as a whole is being illuminated here today,” she added.
The hub features private rooms and open spaces, accentuated by colourful murals and words of encouragement.
Through collaborative efforts with the HSA, along with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, she said, they were able to achieve their goal “which challenges the barriers that inhibit young people’s access to mental health treatment in emergency situations. Alex’s Place is designed to reduce the added anxiety of the emergency room posed by adults being triaged for various emergencies and traumas”.
Panton was joined by her husband Premier Wayne Panton and their son Cody as they cut the ribbon to open the hub.
Health Minister Sabrina Turner, speaking at the opening, said government is committed to the wellness of all in the community and the mental health care of those in need.
Crying out for a space
The need for a space for young people desperately seeking mental health support was emphasised by Dr. Marc Lockhart, former Mental Health Commission chairman, who shared a stark picture of struggling youth in Cayman.
He said suicide attempts among teens went up by 72%, or more than 100, between 2020 and 2021.
Looking back, he said, Alex, whom he knew, shared with him that he lost faith in a lot of things.
“Alex lost faith in our approaches and the ways we deal with things and he shared that with me. He would be proud of what we are seeing today,” Lockhart said.
Dr. Arline McGill, head of the HSA’s Behavioural Health Department, welcomed the hub, saying it will make a difference in both support and wait times for those seeking intervention.
Previously, she said, the crisis pathway for suicidal thoughts, deliberate self-harm and mental distress led only to the A&E department where physical and psychiatric assessments would be conducted.
“This resulted in wait times of two to four hours. The outpatient behavioural health clinic at the Smith Road Medical Centre would be hard pressed to provide intervention in less than two weeks. Today, we present a facility where the primary focus is the comfort and synchrony with mindset and needs of the modern adolescent,” she said.
Alex’s Place, she said, aims to create an atmosphere which is welcoming to the adolescent age group and has seven offices designed for assessment and different therapy modalities including family therapy, hypnotherapy, activity-based therapy and group therapy.
“The highly trained service providers include a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, social worker, community psychiatric nurse practitioner, soon, an activity therapist and family therapy specialist. Mobile services will also be available where clients can be reached in their community setting,” she said.
The mobile bus was generously donated by Maples law firm, to whom Panton expressed gratitude, as well as the R3 Foundation that donated furniture to outfit the area.
Doctor recommended referrals
Alex’s Place is an outpatient service, McGill said, though the goal longer term is an extended hours service.
It will initially operate between 10am and 6pm.
Outside of these hours, she said, individuals will need to seek assistance through the Accident & Emergency Department or the urgent care clinic at the hospital.
“As the adolescent service expands into phase two, these hours will be extended,” she said.
Initially, in phase one, she said, all young persons must be referred by a medical/mental health professional who should bear in mind that Alex’s Place will provide urgent, but not emergency, care.
Severe disturbances will still be attended to by the A&E; if the A&E team considers a case appropriate for Alex’s Place, that young person will be directed there.
The service will be completely voluntary, which means that the adolescent will be invited to be involved in the process, she explained.
Young people seeking urgent mental health care outside of the context of severe mental disturbance, she said, can now be referred to Alex’s Place for an informed risk assessment.
The hub, she said, is not suitable for “forensic cases or for people under the Mental Health [Act]”.
Crisis exacerbated by COVID-19
HSA board chairman Osbourne Bodden welcomed the opening of a “long-awaited and much-needed service”.
“The roots of these issues existed long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has most likely both exacerbated and highlighted the scope of the challenges in addressing this issue. The time is right and the need has never been more apparent to discuss and provide innovative solutions, and I can proudly say that Alex’s Place is among those solutions,” he said.
HSA CEO Lizzette Yearwood said the hub is a result of a true private-public collaboration between the Alex Panton Foundation, the HSA and the Ministry of Health & Wellness.
“This is only the beginning of many other initiatives to come,” she said. “There will be ongoing efforts to increase mental health support and education to children and adolescents through awareness campaigns and collaboration with schools and after-school care programmes as well as for parents, family, care facilities, the RCIPS, (Department of Children and Family Services) and other professionals and community organisations responsible for children.”
Related Videos
