NICKESHA Morgan was ecstatic on Monday as she watched Bellevue Hospital CEO Suzette Camille Buchanan cut the ribbon to officially open a family room at the hospital.

The family room, said Morgan whose mother has been a patient for the past six years, will allow her to better support her mother’s healing and recovery as it offers a comfortable and supportive environment for families visiting loved ones.

Equipped with comfortable furniture, paintings done by patients, multiple air conditioning units, and a teleconferencing system to host meetings, the family room was made a reality through donations from the Bounty Killer and Leon Bailey foundations, and donor Suzette Thompson. The cost to create the space was roughly $3 million.

After delivering an emotional thank you to Buchanan for the family room, Morgan shared how her mother’s journey started at Bellevue, and praised the hospital.

“We know that dealing with them is never easy. The first time I took my mother off the street and decided that this is the last day she was going to sleep on the road, she set my house on fire,” Morgan revealed.

“She was not used to the confinement and closed doors. All my doors were closed and my kids were in their bed. I smelled smoke in the wee hours and when I looked, my mother had lit the place and locked herself in the bathroom,” Morgan said.

“Miss Buchanan, I love and appreciate you, not only for what you do, but who you are. Your leadership skills, your vision, your resilience inspire those around you in ways you may not even realise. Never lose your fire. To the staff and everyone, I thank you. I appreciate the sponsors very much,” Morgan said.

She described herself as the proud daughter of a mentally challenged woman, whose heart was full of gratitude and hope as she reflected on the quality of service provided at Bellevue.

Morgan added that she could not express well enough in words the level of peace of mind it gives her to know that her mother is receiving the care, support and compassion she really needs.

She said that prior to her mother becoming a patient at Bellevue she would wander off, causing nervous moments for the family.

She said she is pleased to know that the family room will afford her the ability to support her mother’s recovery as it is a place where they can engage in meaningful conversations and share laughter in an intimate, comfortable, and homely setting.

“There were times when the rain would fall and I would cry because I was worrying whether she was wet and cold. Now, when the rain falls I smile, and I cry sometimes too, because I am happy knowing that she is warm and dry,” Morgan said.

“Mental health is a journey, not just for those who struggle with it but also for the families who walk alongside them. I can attest to that. When my mother first came here I was filled with emotions, but on the more positive side. I had concerns, uncertainty, and a deep desire to ensure that she was living the best possible life. I was visiting every day, literally, and spending the whole day and leaving here at 8:00 pm,” she said.

“Thank you to the nurses and everyone who accommodated me since those days. Over time I have seen first-hand the dedication of the staff, the warmth of the environment, and the progress mom has made. It has reassured me that this is not just a facility, but is a place of hope, understanding, healing and, most of all, rehabilitation,” Morgan said.

Senior social worker Patricia Wilson shared that the family room will be used for a multiplicity of purposes that will benefit the patients. According to her, the opportunities are endless.

“One of the main things we have been doing is to host our family support group meetings, which we hope to start having in the family room, so persons who are unable to join because of work-related matters or for whatever reason — like they live in Westmoreland and can’t come up — they can join us via the online video conferencing. We can have our patient support meetings in there as well to prepare our clients to be ready to return home. The room will be very well used,” Wilson said.

“We have meetings with nursing homes and shelters from time to time. Sometimes they want to see the clients before they receive them, and they can have that meeting in the family room as well, and so that will also aid our efforts in placing our clients outside of the hospital. There is also the opportunity for our clients to meet with prospective employers, community-based organisations, citizens’ associations, and other stakeholders who may want to provide them with jobs or other opportunities for them to start their lives anew and return to their community,” Wilson explained.

“From time to time we have foreign nationals who come here and the embassies have to come here and meet them. Recently, we had one from Germany and sometimes the embassies have to come in and meet with our clients to help them return to their homeland, and we can use the family room for these types of meetings,” Wilson added.

Buchanan said she was extremely elated to be able to officially open the facility, saying it is the first of its kind. She shared that last year she received a phone call from Jamaican international footballer Leon Bailey who expressed an interest in making a monetary donation to the hospital. He also told her that he wanted to help paint the facility and be a part of whatever development was taking place at Bellevue.

“We used that money and worked magic. We needed a little bit more magic and so I started to work my own magic. I picked up the phone and called the Bounty Killer Foundation and said, ‘Leon Bailey started the ball rolling,’ and asked if he could help us out. Bounty said, ‘Yes,’ and he came on board. A couple weeks later, Suzette Thompson came on board in December.

“She said, ‘Let us make this thing a reality.’ Suzette Thompson speaks openly about having her uncle here for over 20 years. She took him out four years ago so this was an opportunity to give back. We could not have done this without the kind and generous sponsorship of Leon Bailey Foundation, the Bounty Killer Foundation, and Suzette Thompson. I am extremely grateful,” Buchanan said.

“To my clients, you know how much I love you, how hard I work for you every day, and I don’t intend to stop. I love you from the bottom of my heart,” the CEO added.