MacMillan Urges Corporate Jamaica to Promote Health and Wellness Programmes

Minister of National Security, Senator Colonel Trevor MacMillan, is urging Corporate Jamaica to follow the lead of the Department of Correctional Services in hosting Health and Wellness programmes for employees.
He said this would have a tremendous impact on keeping the society healthy.
Colonel MacMillan was giving the main address at Wednesday morning’s (March 18) Mega Health Fair at the Prison Oval, Spanish Town. He cited a recent Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) report, which projected that deaths from lifestyle diseases in the Caribbean and Latin America will triple over the next 20 years, without intervention.
“What does this say for our outlook on National life? A healthy workforce has an enormous impact on the country’s economy. It lessens the demands on public resources, to say nothing of its impact on work performance and output. More significant, is its cumulative effect on our quality of life,” he stated.
Senator MacMillan praised the DCS for its forthrightness and insisted that the relationship between good health and quality of life must be promoted.
“Programmes like yours provide an ideal vehicle to bring this about,” the Minister told the DCS.
He also encouraged the public to take wellness seriously, get pro-active, take the diagnostic tests and absorb as much information as they could from the various booths.
“Please make the effort to put knowledge into practice. You owe it to yourselves and, if nothing else, you owe it to your children. Remember that children practise what they see, not what is preached to them. Incorporate what you have learnt, or re-discovered, into your lifestyle,” he said.
Commissioner of Corrections (Acting), June Spence-Jarrett, pointed out that this was the second year of the health fair, and that the department had put in place mechanism and facilities to enhance the welfare of the staff of the service and their families.
She also noted that a collaborative effort with the private sector had yielded some success.
“In keeping with the commitment to our staff, an association has been established with Gymkhana Health Club, at the Hilton Hotel, to facilitate training and certification of six officers, initially, as personal fitness trainers,” she said.
The one-day exposition received wide support from well over 20 service providers as well as the public.