NEW JERSEY – Residents in six Jamaican parishes are to get free screenings for heart disease, cancer, prostate disease, mental health issues, diabetes and sexually-transmitted disease, thanks to a volunteer corps of doctors and nurses from Help Jamaica Medical Mission.
The New Jersey-based organization will be going to the island on its annual mission September 4 to 16.
During the visit, the volunteer health care specialists from the New York- New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area will also be screening residents of Kingston, St Thomas, St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and Westmoreland for sickle cell and variety of other conditions.
L-R: Claudette Powell, former President of the New York Jamaica Nurses Group, Dr. Robert Clarke – President of Help Jamaica Medical Mission and Celia Ogilvie – Communication Director of Help Jamaica Medical Mission. | (PHOTO: Derrick Scott)
“We have been saving lives, making people see again and become healthier, because of our yearly medical mission to Jamaica,” explained Help Jamaica Medical Mission president Dr. Robert Clarke in an overview he gave at his nonprofit organization’s annual Black and White Elegant Boat Cruise, aboard the ‘Cornucopia Majesty’ in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on June 29.
Altogether, since its inaugural mission to the island 2010 the volunteers have served some 562,000 patients.
On its 2023 mission, they saw over 4,500 patients. Best of all, they donated medicals valued at US$155,000.
According to Dr. Clarke, the Mission has been dedicated to providing free, high-quality healthcare services to those in desperate need. We’ve served thousands of Jamaicans over the years.
New Jersey Medical Mission has spent some US$6 million to deliver medical services to the underserved in Jamaica, he said. Elaborating, he said the recent boat ride fundraiser had brought in just over US$70,000. Thos funds will go towards the medical mission to Jamaica this coming September.
