PNP councillor presses for Bellevue Hospital expansion as wards fill up

People’s National Party councillor Jesse James Clark is urging the government to enlarge Bellevue Hospital, arguing Jamaica’s principal psychiatric institution can no longer meet rising demand for mental health care.

Clark, who represents the Trafalgar Division, said the hospital now holds roughly 400 patients in 23 wards and is struggling to keep up with the need for services. His appeal lands as officials continue work to improve the wider health system and expand access to mental health support.

Drawing on time spent in El Paso, Texas, Clark said police there lengthened training so officers could respond better to people with mental illness, and he wants a similar approach at home.

"Based on my experience in El Paso, Texas, where they extended the training time for their police officers to ensure that they are able to deal with mental health persons suffering from any type of mental health condition. That's something that I would want to see happen locally where we extend the training time for our police officers to ensure that not just some of them, but all of them have extensive training in dealing with um mentally ill personnel," he said.

He is also pressing the Jamaica Constabulary Force to deepen specialised preparation for officers who answer mental health calls, and to field a joint unit that pairs police with clinical staff.

"So, what I want one is to have a in a team, a special team that integrates both police officers and the mental health team so they can coordinate and work together as one. And also, I don't want all officers to be trained in um dealing with persons with mental health because just being on the road day-to-day, you're going to encounter persons whether diagnosed or undiagnosed with particular mental health issues. So, I think that is something that um should be done for their training," Clark said.

Beyond policing, he argued mental health response teams need more people and vehicles. Collecting a single person in crisis can take hours, he said, and after-hours overtime leaves staff hard-pressed to reach everyone who needs help. He also wants a rolling caseload rather than a system that resets each morning when a pickup cannot be completed the same day.

"I know that they need way more support than they have because it's a strain on the persons working on the mental health team in terms of they need more staffing. They also need more transportation because just to put it into context, just to collect one one person who's in crisis can sometimes takes can take hours just for one person. So, when you have a team that is working overtime after regular work hours, it's very difficult for them to to collect all the persons that they need out to serve the population in an effective manner. And um something else that I'd love to see change at the mental health unit is when you report somebody who's in crisis, if they're not able to collect the person on that particular day, they basically start over with a fresh list the new day. So, you have to report the person again or make the report again. So, I'd love for them to have a continuous list," he said.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has repeatedly said the government’s plan is not to grow Bellevue simply by adding beds. The stated priority is to remake the institution while building up community-based care so fewer people depend on long-term hospital stays.