Health camp organised in Hanover

WESTERN BUREAU:Hanover hosted the California-based Caribbean Health Outreach Inc medical mission earlier this week.

As in previous years, hundreds of residents who use the Maryland, Dias, Askenish, and Copse Health centres benefited from the four community health fairs staged by the mission. In addition to the health fairs, the mission's activities also included the usual accredited educational workshop, which was held at the Tryall Club on Sunday, and which targeted health professionals within Hanover and the rest of the western region.

"I had the opportunity to come to America and become a registered nurse," Miller Bodden told Western Focus. "I wanted to give back. We wanted to focus on health outreach in Jamaica and push education because education is foremost. The more you know, the better you can take care of yourself.

"I couldn't have done it without help from others volunteers. It might have been my idea, but all the love and embrace from others made the difference," she said.

The mission, which was organised locally by the Hopewell Jaycees and the Kiwanis Club of Hopewell, is the largest annual health exposition in Hanover. On several occasions, the project has been extended to the parish of St James, at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, and also to Trelawny.

During the fairs, free check-ups were done for diabetes and hypertension as well as vision screenings and prostate and ECG (electrocardiogram) examinations.

Caribbean Health Outreach is a non-profit volunteer organisation comprising professionals and para-professionals in the fields of health and education. It was founded by current president, Registered Nurse Hope Miller-Bodden. Based in Los Angeles, California, the focus of the organisation is to promote health awareness through education and preventative health. Members of the mission have been coming to Jamaica for the past 11 years.

- CG