Kind Hearts Foundation, FFP hand over new ward to hospital

At a time when the Spanish Town Hospital is experiencing the highest level of demand for its services, it was a most welcome occasion on December 7 when the institution received a new ward constructed by Food For The Poor (FFP) with funds contributed by Kind Hearts, the name of the Richard and Diana Stewart Foundation that is run by their children and grandchildren.

In handing over the new 30-bed ward, Amanda Lechler, co-founder of the Kind Hearts Foundation, said that her siblings and grandparents, Richard and Diana Stewart, were happy to join with Food For The Poor in providing the new facility for the hospital’s accident and emergency services. She said: “Every Jamaican should have access to quality healthcare, especially in an emergency, and every Jamaican deserves to be comfortable while waiting to be served.”

HAPPY TO HELP

Lechler expressed her family’s happiness that their contribution will help thousands of patients who will need the assistance of the hospital. She added: “As a family, we have had several success stories with Jamaican doctors and the Jamaican healthcare system, and this is the reason we are so grateful that Food For The Poor has given us the opportunity to improve the Spanish Town Hospital by building a 30-bed ward.”

Kivette Silvera, director of FFP Jamaica, explained that the new overflow ward for the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department accommodates 30 beds and will be equipped with all the other necessary amenities, such as a reception area, bathrooms, and shower stalls (with wheelchair access), as well as examination, storage, meeting, and lunch rooms. She revealed that FFP’s relationship with the Kind Hearts Foundation had its genesis in 2012. Kind Hearts was FFP’s first local donor to fund the construction of a basic school in Jamaica and to build two infant departments, back-to-back, in 2018. In total, the Kind Hearts Foundation has built seven basic school/infant department buildings across the island.

The FFP director revealed that Kind Hearts was interested in constructing another school for its 2019 project. She said: “Despite this, they simply could not ignore the plight that was so evident at Spanish Town Hospital when we presented the case, and so they decided to venture into the unknown waters of healthcare because the health of the nation was at risk.”

Dwayne Francis, chief executive officer of the Spanish Town Hospital, said that the new ward is expected to significantly reduce the number of patients waiting in the Accident and Emergency Department. The hospital’s CEO added: “This area (Accident and Emergency) can have up to 30 persons waiting for a bed, and the waiting period may last up to five or six days for an available bed. It will improve the level of care we can provide for our patients as most of them would have been sitting on chairs and in ­wheelchairs waiting to be served. It will allow for our patients to get the best ­outcome possible. Thanks to Food For The Poor for the effort and energy found in identifying a donor, the Kind Hearts Foundation, for providing this much-needed ward.”