Westmoreland health centres largely restored after Hurricane Melissa, Tufton confirms

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has announced that 90 per cent of the 20 health centres in this parish are once again serving the public, marking a significant recovery from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last October.

Westmoreland was one of the parishes that bore the brunt of the Category 5 system. Speaking at a media briefing in the parish last Friday, Tufton offered a detailed account of where each facility now stands.

"I am told that 18 are operational, either in their original location or elsewhere. One totally needs a rebuild, that's White House. The other, which is Williamsfield, was just renovated, and in a short while — maybe another month, there's still some work to be done — we should be able to reoccupy," the minister said, adding that the Williamsfield clinic is currently operating out of a church.

Tufton indicated that further upgrades and expansions are being mapped out for a future phase of the rebuild. He also pointed out that four facilities along the eastern stretch of the parish remain in communities still without electricity.

To bridge the gap, outreach teams have stepped up home visits and have so far attended to more than 130 people living across 16 shelters in Westmoreland. "If people are not seen in the health centres, they are seen in the community," the minister assured.

Patient turnout at clinics has dipped slightly, and Tufton is urging residents not to neglect routine appointments and prescriptions. "Year-to-date, we are still about eight per cent down from what would be the case in terms of visits, which is not bad because we know that some people have moved out of the area. Therefore, we have to just continue to encourage Jamaicans to visit your health centres, especially those who need their monthly check-up or their monthly medication," he said.

Dr Marcia Graham, medical officer of health for Westmoreland Public Health Services, called on residents to partner with health workers as services are rebuilt. "We really want to say that we are grateful for the efforts that have been made to improve the infrastructure of our health centres and we encourage the citizens to work alongside the health team as we seek to keep persons on the path of health and wellness," she said.

Dr Graham also recognised that many displaced residents have not yet returned. "We still have quite a number who have relocated, and until electricity returns to their community or they have rebuilt their housing solution, then we know that they will choose to seek care elsewhere," she said.

One of the parish's standout responses has been a Saturday food handlers' clinic, set up to help citizens replace permits lost in the storm. Now in its third and final month, the initiative has drawn strong numbers. "I'm happy to say that the Saturday food handlers' clinic has had excellent uptake. Persons don't have to lose a day's work in order to replace that document and we have in the range of 80 to 100 persons making use of this facility each Saturday," Dr Graham reported.

Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) board chairman Eric Clarke singled out community health aides for special praise. "The doctors that actually go out in the field are amazing, but I think our community health aides go above and beyond when they're out there. They're not only checking up on the health, but I can tell you I get reports that they're doing patients' hair, they're tidying up the house, they're making sure they're in a healthy environment. I really want to take my hat off to them," he said.

WRHA acting regional director Deveta McLaren also voiced confidence in the recovery. "It's been a pleasure working with the team here in Sav-la-Mar. This team works very hard, and we are seeing the results of the hard work… I think Sav will be a different picture in another couple of months and another year or so," she said.