Chang expects MoBay’s new Child and Adolescent Wellness Centre to aid in crime reduction

Western Bureau:

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, who is also the member of Parliament for St James North West, says the newly opened Child and Adolescent Wellness Centre in St James is expected to play a primary role in crime reduction in the western parish.

“We recognise that the movement to rescue our young people from the gangs that are causing mayhem needs to be changed. We need much more funding, more activities, and a greater commitment, while also involving our non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector,” Chang said, while speaking during the opening of the St James Child and Adolescent Wellness Centre in Montego Bay last Thursday.

Jamaica, which is facing a perennial crime problem, ended 2024 with 1,139 murders, a reduction of 265 or 19 per cent decline in homicides over 2023.

According to Chang, the new facility, which is located in the renovated Corinaldi Avenue Primary School Teachers Cottage on Humber Avenue, marks a significant milestone in mental health care for Montego Bay and western Jamaica, as it will offer comprehensive mental health services to thousands of families with children and adolescents, including individual psychotherapy, family therapy, social work support, and psychiatric services.

The centre will complement the Child and Adolescent Hospital, which is now under construction on the compound of the Cornwall Regional Hospital, and is the result of a collaborative inter-ministerial and public-private partnership arrangement made possible by the Citizen Security Plan (CSP), a multi-sectoral, data-driven government programme implemented in partnership with the European Union (EU).

“This centre focuses particularly on the prevention aspect of our crime-fighting operations, catching youngsters exposed to violence and other social dysfunctions before they become active in criminal networks,” said Chang.

Chang further explained that other similar facilities would come online shortly, but did not reveal their locations or timelines.

“We are looking at two or three other sites in the near to medium term because, if we can reach the most challenged communities with the kind of services provided here, we can begin the process of reducing violence to a more acceptable level,” he stated.

Data from a 2021 Needs Assessment of Case Management and Psychosocial Services Report of the Citizen Security Plan highlighted the resource needs in western Jamaica. The data revealed treatment gaps in addressing trauma and violence’s impact on children and adolescents, with only 212 children receiving services in the region’s clinics, less than one per cent of those who could be suffering from mental disorders.

In endorsing the centre, Dr Elizabeth Ward, chairman of the Violence Prevention Alliance Jamaica and one of the consultants on the EU technical assistance unit, stated that, “when we measured its intensity, we knew how vital it is having this centre”.

Ward also noted that St James had the highest homicide rate in 2021 and emphasised the widespread trauma caused by violent deaths.

“One death in a family, especially of a male, often leaves a whole family and community destitute, and the mental health issues of post-traumatic stress and general trauma often result in retribution and multiplying violence,” said Ward.

Albert Ferguson