Catherine Hall Health Centre to Reopen in Two Weeks
By: , April 12, 2026
Photo: Okoye Henry
Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (second from left), makes a point to Medical Officer of Health for St. James, Dr. Tanique Bailey-Small (second right), during a tour of the Catherine Hall Health Centre in St. James on Friday (April 10), to get a firsthand look at repair works at the facility. Sharing in the conversation are Acting Regional Director, Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Deveta McLaren (left) and Parish Manager for the St. James Health Department, Lennox Wallace.
Photo: Okoye Henry
Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (left), speaks with Parish Manager for the St. James Health Department, Lennox Wallace (centre) and Medical Officer of Health for the parish, Dr. Tanique Bailey-Small, during a tour of the Glendevon Health Centre on Friday (April 10).The Full Story
The Catherine Hall Health Centre in St. James, which sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Melissa, is set to reopen in two weeks, restoring access to essential services for the community.
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure during a tour of the facility on Friday (April 10) to get a firsthand look at the progress of the repairs.
“We’ve been working towards getting the furniture in and completing the necessary restoration within two weeks,” he said.
He also visited the Green Pond and Glendevon health centres where remedial works are underway.
At the Green Pond Health Centre, Dr. Tufton said that maternal and child health services have resumed, signaling a steady return to normal operations.
The Minister reported that 19 of the 22 health centres in the parish are now functional.
He noted that there has been a noticeable increase in patient visits to facilities, with usage climbing to over 90 per cent of pre-hurricane levels following an initial decline in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
He urged residents to continue visiting primary healthcare facilities, especially for the management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension to reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments.
He said that with phase one restoration in the parish almost complete, with the resumption of health services under the roofs of the existing facilities, focus will now shift to phase two, which will involve more substantial structural repairs to the most severely impacted facilities.
As it relates to health care staff, Dr. Tufton informed that the process is underway to replace a Cuban nurse who was attached to a primary care facility.
“The Cuban healthcare workers were not as widespread in the parish of St. James at the primary care level as in other parishes,” he pointed out.
“So, in the primary care, there was only one, so not much effect there and we continue to provide the service,” he added.
