Préfet Cyrille Le Vely greets Minister for Autonomy and Disability Charlotte Parmentier Lecoq on her arrival as she exits the plane at Grand Case Airport on Tuesday. (Collectivité photos)
MARIGOT--French Minister for Autonomy and Disability Charlotte Pamentier Lecoq made an official one-day visit to Saint Martin on Tuesday to meet with key players supporting people with disabilities and the vulnerable, to visit the various care facilities and to review public policies regarding the elderly and mental health.
She was welcomed at Grand Case Airport by Préfet Cyrille Le Vely and Collectivité First Vice President Alain Richardson.
Her programme included meeting board members of Coralita Association which manages the special needs institution Service d’Éducation Spéciale et de Soins à Domicile (SESSAD) and to visit the staff and educators supporting those with disabilities at the premises.
The minister also cut a ribbon to officially inaugurate Institut Médico Educatif (IME) Tournesol, unveiling a plaque in the presence of Vice Presidents Michel Petit and Dominique Louisy, Territorial Councillors Martine Beldor and Valerie Fonrose, and IME Director Didier Witczak.
After a lunch break, Parmentier Lecoq visited the Bethany Home (Etablissement d’Hébergement pour Personnes Agées Dépendantes (EHPAD) in Marigot, the only establishment on the French side that cares for the elderly. Due to its age and limited accommodation it is considered to be beyond its lifespan. Construction of a new EHPAD has been promised by the Collectivité. The minister is awaiting the commitment of the State and the Regional Health Authority ARS for this new structure to move forward.
Vice President Michel Petit and Solidarity, Health, Families delegation Assistant Director Stuyvesant Lewis took advantage of exchange time with the minister to discuss urgent issues for the territory, especially the creation of the medical-social department for Saint-Martin.
Minister Parmentier Lecocq and Vice President Petit signed a letter of intent to act jointly on behalf of vulnerable people. This letter will result in an agreement of means in anticipation of projects agreed on by the State/Collectivité.
At the end of the tour of facilities dedicated to caring for the most vulnerable, the minister visited the brand new Living Museum at Hope Estate. Inaugurated in January this year, the concept behind this innovative facility is to provide support through artistic expression for people suffering from mental or other problems that are sometimes difficult to express.
Run by Art For Science Association, the centre offers a range of artistic workshops, an experience in which the minister took part.
According to the health ministry, she will be presenting and discussing prospects for strengthening mental health services in the Northern Islands. The minister was due to visit Saint-Barthélemy today, Wednesday, and then Guadeloupe.
