Minister of Health Leads PAHO Delegation on Tour of the New Mental Health Facility

The Honourable Sir Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Social Transformation met with a visiting delegation from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) following a successful mental health side event held as part of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, currently underway in Antigua and Barbuda.

The meeting took place at the Kingdom Hall facility, which is being repurposed to serve as Antigua and Barbuda’s new mental health facility. While the facility will not be formally named as a psychiatric hospital, it is expected to play a central role in reshaping the delivery of mental health services across the nation. The visit included a tour of the facility and discussions on its proposed use to support more modern, community-based models of care.

Leading the PAHO delegation was Dr. Amalia Del Riego, PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries. She was joined by Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health; Dr. Renato Oliveira, Unit Chief for Mental Health and Substance Use; Ms. Brenda Lashley, Communications and Visibility Specialist; Ms. Charlotte McDowell, Advisor on External Relations; Ms. Maria Mercedes Migliora, Communications Specialist within the Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health Department; Ms. Felicia Carter, Acting Country Program Specialist for Antigua and Barbuda; and Ms. Rhea Ireland, Administrative Assistant for the Antigua and Barbuda Country Office.

Also present for the engagement were Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kamaria DeCastro, Chief Psychiatrist, Dr. Griffin Benjamin, and members of the clinical and administrative team from Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital, who contributed insight into the existing mental health landscape and offered perspectives on the significance of transitioning to a more rehabilitative and recovery-focused model of care.

Minister Joseph expressed gratitude for PAHO’s continued support and emphasized the Government’s unwavering commitment to improving access to quality mental health care. He noted that the development of the new facility is a critical step in delivering more inclusive, compassionate, and stigma-free services to those in need.

The meeting served as a timely follow-up to the mental health side event hosted under the framework of the OAS Assembly, reaffirming the collective commitment to advancing mental health reform across the region.