Remarks delivered
by
drs. Eugene B. Holiday
Governor of Sint Maarten
at the opening of the
New Day Care Building of the Sister Basilia Center
of the White and Yellow Cross
June 28, 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Evening,
I am pleased to join you this evening to mark the formal opening of the new Day Care Building of the Sister Basilia Center. Established forty years ago in 1972 the White and Yellow Cross Foundation in keeping with its mission has grown and matured into a major and critical health care provider, providing care for the elderly, the disabled, the sick and the very young.
I am very pleased to be here this evening for the inauguration of this new building and to testify to its great significance in the continued development of health care services in our society. Namely, we cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have well-equipped facilities for the development and functioning of the health care delivery system. That is because investment initiatives to expand and enhance the physical and human capacity in the interdependent health care sector, by health care providers, such as, the White and Yellow Cross, the Sint Maarten Medical Center and the Mental Health Foundation, to further improve the quality of care, are vital to the quality of life on our Island. Such investments in collective goods are thus essential. I therefore – in light of this evening's ceremony – hereby emphasize that broad community and governmental support for the realization of such critical care infrastructure is an imperative.
The initiative of the management of the White and Yellow Cross to expand its facilities, with this new Day Care Building, to accommodate the number of clients coming to the Sister Basilia Center, is an important step forward in the development of our health care delivery system for two reasons.
First, and foremost, is that the Sister Basilia Center through this new daycare facility has, in addition to what it is already offering, equipped itself to expand and professionalize its services to the mentally and physically challenged even more. This will as a result further increase the level of exposure for our mentally and physically challenged brothers and sisters and improve their quality of life.
The second reason, Ladies and gentlemen, is that this new facility draws our attention, once more, to the potential of our society. It does so because this new modern facility has raised the bar again. It functions as an example for other service providers. In that respect the White and Yellow Cross as a mature organization at the age of 40 is living up to its mission "to provide the best of services for its clients, .....driven by a commitment to excellence in health care ...."
Ladies and Gentlemen, In closing-off my remarks I encourage the management, staff and our challenged brothers and sisters to continue striving to achieve the full potential of this and other important initiatives. The completion of this building today following its groundbreaking in February 2011 is a wonderful achievement and I hereby congratulate all who have contributed to its realization and in particular applaud the management and staff on this achievement. And as you move to open this new day care building today I wish the clients, the personnel and management much success in its use and operations.
Thank you and God bless you.