New task force to probe events at Golden Age Home

Still facing flak over conditions at the Vineyard Town Golden Age Home, the Government has appointed yet another team to probe the matter.

This time, a task force to be led by Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon, executive director of the Mustard Seed Communities of Jamaica, has been appointed to help to plot the way forward for the home.

The task force will also include Ryan Peralto, Food For The Poor executive; Beverly Hall Taylor, executive director of the National Council for Senior Citizens and a representative of The Salvation Army.

The establishment of this task force comes days after the unveiling of a report penned by a six-member sub-committee of the board after it investigated conditions at the home. The report confirmed many of the damning findings made public by The Sunday Gleaner.

"The task force will consider the current situation at the Vineyard Town Golden Age Home, the recommendation contained in the report (of the sub-committee) and a plan of action for the way forward," Daryl Vaz, minister with responsibility for information, told journalists yesterday.

urgent matter

Vaz did not say when the task force would report to Cabinet, but implied that the matter is being treated with urgency.

On Monday, Robert Montague, state minister with responsibility for local government, revealed details of the report done by the subcommittee of the board following allegations of mistreatment of residents at the home.

At that time, Montague said he had refused the resignation tendered by several members of the board, but he accepted the board's decision to not renew the contract of administrator.

Since then, Rion Hall, the board chairman, has argued that the Government was aware of many of the challenges of the institution before The Sunday Gleaner's exposé, but had not acted on them.