Bellevue Hospital Expansion Urged Amid Mental Health Overcrowding

Pressure is mounting for Bellevue Hospital to grow urgently, as Jamaica’s mental health network struggles with too many patients and too little space.

Close to 400 people classed as long-term social cases are still housed at the hospital even though doctors have cleared them for release, leaving fewer beds for those who need acute care.

Authorities argue that sturdier community support networks and halfway houses would relieve the bottleneck. Separately, campaigners want police given more training in mental health emergencies so officers can respond more effectively when vulnerable people are in crisis.