Ground Broken For New Hanover Parish Infirmary

Ground was broken Thursday (October 7) for the construction of a new Infirmary in the parish of Hanover.
The new facility, to be built at a cost of approximately $27 million, will provide accommodation for about 40 persons and will replace the current facilities. The Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund will provide $20 million, while the department of Local Government will provide the rest.
Construction will begin immediately and is scheduled to be completed in six months. But, according to the contractors, Free Form Factory Limited, they are making every effort to complete it in four months and within budget.
Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, in an address at the groundbreaking ceremony, was very appreciative of the contribution of the CHASE Fund to the project, describing it as an investment in the aged of the society.
“Most corporate donors do not spend a lot of money on the aged and, therefore, when the CHASE Fund can put up $20 million out of the $27 million for this project, we have to big them up,” he stated.
Custos of Hanover, Hon. David Stair, said that the groundbreaking was long overdue, and expressed the hope that the construction of the facility will be a reminder to the parish that senior citizens deserve respect.
“As a society we have not, in general, been kind to those who have been unable to care for themselves. We have not treated them with the love and respect that they are due,” he stated.
The Custos went on to suggest a name change for the Hanover infirmary to the “Hanover Geriatric Care Facility” which, he claimed, was more in keeping with what takes place there, and would remove the stigma associated with names attached to such institutions in the past.
Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Lloyd Hill, expressed the view that the groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of the process of changing the facility from an infirmary to a comfortable institution of residence.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CHASE Fund, William Heaven, pointed out that the Fund has approved a total of $85 million to upgrade infirmaries and construct new ones, in Westmoreland, St. James, Hanover and St. Thomas.
He said that the administrators of the Fund did not hesitate in approving financing for the infirmary, because they are aware that “a nation is measured by how it treats its vulnerable, the old, the young and the unfortunate in the society”.
He explained that the CHASE Fund is involved in several other projects in Hanover, including arts, culture and education.