by Howard Campbell
[SOUTH FLORIDA] – The Bellevue Hospital in Kingston is the beneficiary of medical items donated by the Jamaica Nurses Association of Florida Incorporated.
Valued at $1,000, the items were shipped to Jamaica last week courtesy of Food For The Poor in Coconut Creek.
Lornette Patrick, a spokesperson for the association, said they were alerted to the needs of Bellevue by Dr. Beverley Gordon, chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Health Task Force, who received a ‘needs list’ from administrators at the hospital which cares for 600 mentally challenged patients.
Donated Items
After contacting Food For The Poor, they received items including masks, gloves and hand sanitizers for COVID-19 prevention, as well as clothing, walkers, adult diapers, toiletries and lotions.
Oliver Mair, Jamaica’s Consul General in Miami, met with members of the Jamaica Nurses Association of Florida shortly before the items were sent to Jamaica.
He commended their commitment to assisting their countrymen in trying times.
“We love our nurses! A big thank you to Jamaica Nurses Association of Florida. Especially for their tireless support to our health sector over the years. This contribution to the Bellevue Hospital is well appreciated. There is more support coming from our groups which we will highlight as they are finalized,” said Mair.
Formed in 1983, the Jamaica Nurses Association of Florida Incorporated has 125 active members.
Medical Missions
Since its inception, the organization has staged a number of medical missions to Jamaica. They have assisted hospitals in major centres in the country including Kingston, and rural parishes of St. Catherine, Portland, St. Ann and Clarendon.
A Registered Nurse and midwife since 1970, Lornette Patrick has been part of South Florida’s health care sector for over 40 years.
