WRHA and StJMC join hands to expand St James Infirmary

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) have forged a partnership to expand the St James Infirmary, with the aim of accommodating 58 social patients now being housed at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay.

Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said the initiative is being pursued as hospitals and infirmaries struggle to accommodate the growing number of patients who have nowhere to go after receiving medical treatment.

“In terms of social cases, there has been a call for the infirmaries to make room for these cases since no family member is coming forward,” he said.

The social cases are patients who have been medically discharged but remain in hospital because they have no family members available to take responsibility for them or no suitable place to go.

Vernon said the expansion would provide additional capacity for patients who are ready to leave the hospital but require continued care and have no family members available to take responsibility for them.

“We are partnering with the Western Regional Health Authority to look at the expansion of the infirmary, and we are waiting now on the Board of Supervision to do the final approvals so that we can move forward with the development,” he said.

Vernon said the expansion is expected to add 58 spaces, which would allow the patients at Cornwall Regional Hospital to be relocated to the St James Infirmary.

He said the partnership would also provide ongoing support for the patients once they are transferred.

“This is a robust partnership, and they will be providing support over the next three years at least to ensure that these residents are covered in terms of care, medication, and so on and so forth,” Vernon said.

The initiative comes against the background of a longstanding social-case concern in western Jamaica, where medically discharged patients have occupied beds at hospitals because relatives have been unable or unwilling to take them home.

‘CHALLENGING SITUATION’

In July, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton described social cases as a “real challenging situation”, noting that the WRHA had 97 such cases across its facilities, with 62 at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, 27 at the Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital, and four each at the Falmouth and Noel Holmes hospitals.

The social-cases situation has placed additional pressure on the hospitals, especially Cornwall Regional, which is the region’s only Type A hospital and is needed to provide the most critical healthcare in the region.

Health officials have warned that social cases occupying hospital beds can delay the admission of patients who require acute medical care. In August, the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported 239 social cases in public hospitals islandwide, with Cornwall Regional having the highest number, 65, at the time.

Vernon said the current initiative is particularly important as the municipality continues to deal with a growing number of social cases requiring accommodation and care.

He noted that the infirmary has a defined admission process, including medical assessments, to ensure that prospective residents can be safely accommodated.

“It is a robust process before you enter the infirmary because we have to ensure that we protect our residents once they are in our care,” Vernon said.

He said the proposed expansion would help to ease pressure on both the hospital and the municipal infirmary while providing a more appropriate setting for vulnerable patients who no longer require hospital treatment but cannot safely return home.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com