(Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Mental Health Day Treatment Centre was today, Tuesday, February 20, renamed in honour of a pioneer in mental health care, the late Dr. Arthur W. Lake – an honour Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said is well deserving.
An official renaming ceremony was held at the grounds of the recently opened facility located at Lime Kiln Commercial Development as part of the commemorative activities for the third anniversary of the Team Unity Government.
Attending the ceremony were Ministers of the Federal Cabinet and other high-ranking Government officials; Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws; daughter of Dr. Lake, Mrs. Catherine Lake-Fosbery and her husband, healthcare professionals in St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as members of the Mental Health Association.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Harris said Tuesday’s ceremony symbolized his Government’s gratitude to the long and meritorious service of a pioneer in mental health care, as well as how his efforts helped and stabilized many families and further empowered many citizens and residents.
“History would also record that Dr. Lake’s growing interest in psychiatric medicine led him to establish the St. Kitts Mental Health Association. He was also the first in the Federation to set up Mental Health Clinics in the country. Some of his contemporaries remember vividly his regular Mental Health Clinics held at the Basseterre Health Centre on Connell Street, where he was ably assisted by District Nurse Carmen Allen, who is the wife of the former Deputy Governor of the [Eastern Caribbean] Central Bank Mr. Errol Allen,” the prime minister said.
The late Dr. Arthur Lake received the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1960 and the Order of the British Empire in 1967 for his years of service to the fields of medicine, obstetrics, surgery and psychiatry.
Dr. Harris continued by saying, “Today’s further recognition of his achievements and his investment of time, talent and treasure in the people of this Federation are testimony to the deep gratitude of our Government, and special interest stakeholders, for Dr. Lake’s major contribution to national development. As of today, according to our illustrious CMO, the edifice of this first national mental health day treatment facility will proudly bear his name – Dr. Arthur Wilfred Lawson Lake Mental Health Day Treatment Centre – a signal honour that is well deserved and would live on in perpetuity as a living legacy.”
Prime Minister Harris said it is his hope, and that of his Team Unity Administration, that Tuesday’s ceremony to salute the pioneering work of Dr. Arthur Lake would further “encourage a more sympathetic and caring response from our society to persons with mental health challenges.”