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| The entrance of The Flambouyant Nursing Home in Charlestown. |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 22, 2006) -- Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration Hon Jean Harris was moved near tears as she witnessed the senior citizens move into the new state of the art nursing home in Charlestown on Tuesday, ahead of the facility's official opening in April.
The 11 senior citizens had been relocated at the St Johns Senior Citizens Home in Gingerland for the past 15 months during the construction of The "Flamboyant" Nursing Home on the grounds of the Alexandra Hospital.
I am near to tears today because this is a dream come true. It had not been easy with the residents of this home having taken them from here some 15 months ago, seeing the construction of this new home and visiting them where we have taken them from, from, time to time.
"I am close to tears this morning because it is a dream come true. No longer do we have a Poor House on Nevis, the days of the Infirmary and the Poor House are gone never to return," a visibly overjoyed Mrs Harris said.
According to the Minister, there were a number of reasons for the Home's new name.
"We came up with the name The "Flambouyant" Nursing Home for several reason reasons. To the entrance of this nursing home is a Flambouyant tree planted by the Governor General His Excellency Dr Cuthbert Sebastian who is physician himself and coming from the street towards the end of the building we have some trees there also.
"The Flambouyant tree is the national flower of St Kitts and Nevis and in local terms we call it the "evergreen tree" and even though our elderly citizens are going to be here, to us, they are evergreen. They have paved the way for us and it is now our duty to look after them and in the twilight of their years, to treat them the best we can. So that is why we came up with this name The "Flambouyant" Nursing Home," she said.
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| Health Minister Hon Jean Harris welcomes one of 11 residents into the new Nursing Home. |
Mrs Harris also thanked Mrs Joslyn Liburd the Hospital Administrator, Nurse Sheila Daniel and the contractors for their support and patience.
Mrs Liburd who was at hand for the arrival of the residents said she too was overjoyed to have them returned to a brand new state of the art facility. She explained that when she joined the Alexandra Hospital 10 years ago and visited what was then called The Infirmary she was heart broken and felt the need to do something for the elderly. At that time she said residents were taken in because they were poor and destitute and they had no one.
"Today I am thrilled. I am really very excited and pleased&I think I could retire now knowing that this has been completed and look forward to another challenge," she said.
According to Mrs Liburd, the 38 room facility is outfitted with private rooms, semi private rooms, rooms which would be priced on family income and rooms for a limited number of persons who could not afford to pay.
"So we are from the top of the scale to the end of the scale no discrimination whatsoever. There will be no colour barrier, no income barrier we are just here to help everyone no matter creed colour or religion we are just here to help everyone here on Nevis and also St Kitts and outside too if you have parents home who need to come home," she said.
Nurse Sheila Daniel who heads the facility also expressed her happiness and thanked God for allowing the residents to return to the modern nursing home. She also thanked the Health Minister for her encouragement, Mrs Liburd for her support and Cannon Percival and his staff at the St Georges and St Johns Senior Citizens home for hosting them. Nonetheless, she said it had been a long journey but one well worth the wait
