The concept for a long-term mental health facility to care for Caymanian people with serious conditions in a therapeutic setting in their own country has been discussed for decades.
The current plan was put into action by the Progressives government shortly after the 2013 election.
After almost a decade of planning and almost five years of construction, it is still not clear when the Poinciana Rehabilitation Centre, as it is now known, will finally open to patients.
Here we look at some of the key milestones on the rocky road towards completion of the project.
June 2015: Plans for long-term facility announced
Cabinet announces its broad plans, releasing a strategic outline case that highlights the urgent need for an on-island, long-term mental health facility, saying Cayman “continues to spend large amounts of money for overseas care of these patients”.
June 2016: $16 million facility planned
An outline business case compiled by consultants KPMG identifies a $16 million facility with residential cottages and on-site therapeutic care and counselling as the best solution.
February 2017: Details of plan for prison farm site
Officials reveal the facility will comprise nine cottages, each with six beds and administrative buildings, on the former Northward prison farm site on 15 acres in East End. Construction is projected to begin that year and an early 2019 opening is targeted.
September 2019: Contractors selected
Citing complications with the bid process, attributed in part to a construction boom occupying the time and manpower of major contractors, government confirms the project has been parcelled out and rebid, and a number of smaller contractors are selected to begin the job.
October 2019: Groundbreaking ceremony as construction begins
A host of politicians get out the golden shovels for a photo-op as construction gets under way.
March 2020: COVID shuts down Cayman
Work stops on all major projects as COVID shuts down the Cayman Islands economy. Construction is the first sector up and running again by June.
May 2021: New government commits to finishing job
Following the election, a new government is sworn in and new Health Minister Sabrina Turner indicates plans to continue with the project. Dr. Marc Lockhart, then chairman of the Mental Health Commission, targets a grand opening by the end of the year.
May 2022: Shifting priorities push back opening
Citing shifting priorities in the aftermath of the pandemic, Lockhart indicates a delay in opening and now targets March 2023.
January 2023: Lockhart steps down
Frustrated at ongoing delays and what he describes as “the slow pace of progress in addressing a mental health crisis”, Lockhart steps down from the Mental Health Commission.
April 2023: Turner claims ‘finish line’ is near
Government releases a video of Turner and her staff touring the facilities, which appear to be substantially complete. In a follow-up speech in April, she indicates the facility will be completed by June, saying, “We will finally bring this over the finish line.”
June 2023: Director announced amid new delay
Marcia Amoy Mullings-Thompson, the former head of Jamaica’s Bellevue Hospital, is appointed director of the new facility, but the opening is pushed back again.
December 2023: No occupancy licence for premises
Turner acknowledges that the centre has not yet received an occupancy licence and is still undergoing inspections by the Building Control Unit. She indicates construction was completed in September 2023.
February 2024: More delays
The minister acknowledges that the facility may now not open until the second quarter of 2024, saying, “The opening date of Poinciana is contingent on the handover date of the facility to the ministry.”
July 2024: Minister acknowledges ‘plethora of problems’
Pressed in Parliament for a new timeline for the opening of the facility, the minister says she cannot give one. She highlights a plethora of problems, including mechanical engineering and plumbing inspections, and indicates any opening date is contingent on the handover of the facility to her ministry from planning.
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Has the government seek legal action against the contractors that got paid and did not deliver? Did anyone from government who was project managing got reprimanded or held accountable? Is the construction company still have a business license? The people would like to know.