The House of Assembly passed a law Thursday that is designed to improve the territory’s ability to treat patients with mental illness.
The Mental Health Act, which was passed after a short debate, spells out when a person can be compelled to receive mental health care and aims to ensure that treatment is up to international standards.
Under the new act, the Community Mental Health Unit will become the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Unit, and the Sandy Lane Centre and its staff will formally be brought under the BVI Health Services Authority.
During the HOA sitting, Health and Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton gave a brief history of mental health treatment in the territory and said the new act is needed to bring the territory’s laws into the modern era.
“Madam Speaker, in the past ten years there has been an increased demand for care for community mental health services,” he said. “The number of persons with chronic and persistent mental illness has grown exponentially.”
See the Aug. 21, 2014 edition for full coverage.
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