Hanover’s inspector of poor wants Bellevue policy reassessed

WESTERN BUREAU:

The inspector of poor at the Hanover Municipal Corporation wants to see the Bellevue Hospital reconsider its approach to accepting patients as some families and communities are not equipped to deal with those sent home to be reintegrated into society.

In an interview with The Gleaner on Tuesday as her department observed World Homeless Day, Neika Edram said that it was far too difficult to get the Kingston-based hospital to accept new patients. Further, she suggested that some of those discharged from the facility are not fit to be sent home or their families are not able to adequately care for them.

“We are in a system now where we are thinking of reintegration, reintegrating them (the mentally ill) into society, but at the end of the day, is the community or the family members equipped to deal with them?” said Edram, who is also the head of the Poor Relief Department in Lucea.

“The truth is that if you are not equipped, if you are not knowledgeable how to deal with them, we are in big trouble,” she added.

TEAM EFFORT

Edram pointed to the fact that mental health professionals do not work alone, but instead carry out their duties in teams even though they are trained in the special ways to deal with the mentally challenged. On the other hand, she said that in some cases, family members are being left with the responsibility of dealing with their mentally challenged relatives, a situation for which they are not prepared.

While emphasising that not all homeless persons are mentally challenged, Edram was emphatic that those who are mentally challenged need to get the relevant and necessary treatment before being allowed to reintegrate.

Turning her attention to the matter of homelessness in Hanover, Edram appealed for more care and love to be shown to such persons.

“They are somebody, too. They are somebody’s children. They are somebody’s brother. They belong, and so we want the public to be aware that they can assist in improving their well-being,” she noted, revealing that there were 102 registered homeless people in Hanover.

Several events were staged to observe World Homeless Day in Hanover on Tuesday, including a march through the town of Lucea and a cultural concert on the grounds of the Poor Relief Department, with presentations done by some of the department’s clients.

World Homeless Day 2023 was observed under the theme ‘Do Better; Let’s End Violence Against the Homeless’.

bryan.miller@gleanerjm.com