Bellevue Hospital, Jamaica’s only public psychiatric healthcare facility, is appealing to the public to visit their loved ones at the institution, especially as the holiday season approaches. 

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Jessica Tyghter-Shaw, senior social worker at the institution. “Our acute and sub-acute patients are more likely to have visitors because they are usually newly admitted, but our patients who have been here for a long time – our chronically ill patients – many of them have not had a visitor in years,” she continued.

Tyghter-Shaw noted that these chronically ill persons make up about 80 per cent of the Bellevue Hospital population. She said that while there were slightly more visitors before the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve found that the numbers have fallen since normal visiting hours resumed in early 2022.

“There is a fear among relatives that if they come to visit someone at Bellevue, we will force them to take the person home, because truly, many of them have been discharged years ago. But that is not the case; you can just come to visit,” she explained.

Tyghter-Shaw acknowledged that while the hospital encourages persons to bring their loved ones home as soon as they are discharged, they know not all families have the social or financial support in place to do so.

“That is why the social work department is here,” she said. “We work with families to explore all the available options for caring for their mentally ill relatives, whether they are inside or outside of Bellevue. So if, for right now, all you can offer to your relative is a visit, that’s OK, because it will still mean so much to them.”

Bellevue’s visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day, and visitors are encouraged to call ahead to ensure the patient knows they are coming, especially if they have not visited in a long while. The hospital can be reached at 876-928-1380-7.

Tyghter-Shaw also invited relatives to attend the ‘Family Togetherness Day’ that will be held at Bellevue’s Oo Park on November 23, beginning at 10 a.m.

CEO Suzette Buchanan added that while Jamaicans have a culture of visiting their relatives in other hospitals, they tend to shy away from visiting those that are admitted at Bellevue Hospital because of the stigma that is attached to mental illnesses.

“It’s very easy for us to imagine that our loved ones can heal from a broken arm or leg, but we don’t extend that compassion and understanding to illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder,” she said.

“And it’s very unfortunate because mental illnesses also respond to treatment, and a big part of that treatment is love and support, yet we deny this to our relatives and friends who need it most,” she continued.

Buchanan urged persons to not let this year end without reaching out to their relatives or friends who they know are at Bellevue.

“Just come,” she urged. “The holidays are for celebrating with family, and you shouldn’t let fear stop you from seeing your family member yet another year. I promise that the persons that you will come to see is in a much better mental state than when you last saw them, and your presence will be more appreciated than you can ever imagine.”