Policy and vision
MHC makes a difference
Our ambition is to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Caribbean Netherlands. We offer high quality mental health care to everyone. High quality care means that we -not only- have an eye for the health and well-being of the client, but also for the influence of other areas of life such as work, housing and finances. Every client is unique: that is why we offer customized care.
Our starting point is ambulatory work, based on a demand-oriented and recovery-supporting approach. We match the local situation and the needs of the clients per island. We work intensively with stakeholders and support each other. This dedication, together with that of relatives and experience experts, means that our clients can achieve their goals.
Approximately 60, mainly local, staff members provide the whole spectrum of mental health care on the Dutch Caribbean. Our main focus is to treat our clients ambulatory in their own home environment in close cooperation with their family and/ or support system. Especially for our adult clients we work by the principles and methodology of F-ACT (Flexible Assertive Community Treatment). The team on Bonaire has received the F-ACT certification from the Certification Centre for ACT and F-ACT (CCAF) in 2014 and in 2017. Our teams on the Windward Islands also attempt to work as much as possible by the F-ACT principles and methodology by joining forces with our fellow mental health care providers on St. Maarten.
With this principles and methodology MHC appears to be succesful in limiting the demand for inpatient/clinical care. This is highly significant as there are no inpatient facilities on the islands. When inpatient care is unavoidable clients are ‘flown-out’ to other countries, such as Curacao, Aruba, St. Maarten or even to the Netherlands. Besides being very expensive, it also completely removes the clients from their own living environment.
Novadic-Kentron (NK) was the proud founding father of MHC in 2012 – then under the name SVP-CN (Foundation for Addiction Care & Psychiatry Dutch-Caribbean). Since then, MHC has developed into a professional and reliable mental health organization with around 110 staff members, most of whom are rooted in the Caribbean Netherlands. The personnel union with NK at the board and supervisory level ended on March 1st, 2018, when MHC installed its own Supervisory Board. As of January 1st, 2025, governance and back-office operations are also fully managed in-house. MHC now stands fully on its own – embedded in the region, and working for and by the people of the BES islands.
Mental Health Caribbean (MHC) was founded on June 1st, 2012 after reshaping and expanding the former Foundation for Addiction Care Bonaire (Stichting Verslavingszorg Bonaire). As a result of recommendations formulated in 2011 by the Dutch Ministry of Health (VWS) Novadic- Kentron was requested to develop and organize the addiction care and psychiatry on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This was coordinated in close cooperation with academic medical centers VU / AMC with regards to provision of psychiatrists based on agreements with the Dutch Caribbean Healthcare Insurance Office (Zorgverzekeringskantoor van Caribisch Nederland) on Bonaire.