PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, December 16, the Minister of VSA, the honorable Richinel Brug, and his cabinet visited the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF). The visit aimed to familiarize the Minister with the many services WYCCF offers, including new care products introduced over the years.
The Minister was warmly welcomed by WYCCF’s Chairman of the Board, Mr. Jon Duijnstee, the vice chair Ms. Dana Kweekel and board member Mr. Marcel Gumbs. The Operations Manager of WYCCF, Mrs. Bregje Boetekees, gave a brief presentation on the 50-year history of WYCCF. This highlighted new services the Foundation has added over the years, such as Home Care, Hospice, Rehabilitation, and daycare for persons with dementia. Despite the expanded care WYCCF has offered over the years, waiting lists have formed for many of its services, such as nursing homes, elderly care facilities, and daycare for persons with dementia. With the growing and aging population of Sint Maarten, care expansions are urgently needed. This is an initiative Minister Brug wholeheartedly supports, as mental health is one of the Minister’s top priorities. This support is important not only for the patient but also for the different families that lack support for their loved ones.
The WYCCF shared their expansion plans with the Minister, outlining a 4-year phased approach to increase their capacity. The first phase involves constructing a new building for psychogeriatric daycare, which will double its current capacity. This expansion aims to keep clients at home for as long as possible, helping to contain healthcare costs. Daycare services for individuals with dementia enable family members to continue as caregivers, delaying or preventing the need for nursing home admission. Once the new building for the daycare is completed, twelve new beds will open in the Nursing Home, which will alleviate the extensive waiting list that has formed for this service.
The other three phases of the WYCCF expansion plans include a new building for Elderly Care (20 beds), a 3-floor addition to the Nursing Home (45 beds), and expanding the Rehabilitation Center (20 beds). This would include beds for respite care and for a new service called medium care. This service aims to reduce days spent in hospital and speed up the return to the home setting of a client, further containing healthcare costs.
Minister Brug showed keen interest in the Foundation's many years of work and expansion plans. While touring the facilities he greeted many clients who know him and heard the firsthand experience of a client of the rehabilitation center, who successfully learned how to walk with two prosthetic legs. Hearing the relatively young age of persons on Sint Maarten who need rehabilitation after a stroke or amputation, Minister Brug reconfirmed his commitment to preventative healthcare measures.
