JASL Launches Mobile Healthcare Service
By: , July 16, 2024
Photo: JIS File
Associate Director, Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC), Sue-Ann Wallace-Brown (fourth left) and Project Coordinator (left), Jamaica Aids Support for Life (JASL) Nicola Sybliss McLeod (fourth right), cut the ribbon to officially hand over two mobile health units under the ‘One Life, One Health’ project. Occasion was the launch of the project and the staging of a mobile health clinic in Lodge, St. Ann, on Friday (July 12). Sharing the moment (from left) are St. James Regional Programme Manager, JASL, Desmond Campbell; Board Member, JASL, Gervaise McLeod; Medical Director, JASL, Dr. Jennifer Brown Tomlinson; Project Management Specialist, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Althea Spence; Foreign Service Officer, USAID, Jermey Taglieri; and St. Ann Regional Programme Manager, JASL, Nilfia Hazel Anderson.The Full Story
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) is taking healthcare services into communities across the island through its ‘One Life, One Health’ project.
The initiative, which involves the delivery of free health services via two mobile units, was officially launched in Lodge, St. Ann, on Friday (July 12), with scores of residents benefiting from screenings and consultations.
It is being undertaken through support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project.
The ‘One Life, One Health’ project aims to raise awareness about epidemic-prone diseases and promote positive social norms for better health outcomes across Jamaica.
It is targeted at communities based on risk factors, population density, and educational levels.
Board Member, JASL, Gervaise McLeod, shared that ‘One Life, One Health’ represents “a comprehensive and inclusive approach to healthcare for every Jamaican regardless of where they live, ensuring that they have access to services and information they need to lead healthy lives”.
The programme is strategically placed in densely populated areas with a focus on improving disease surveillance, healthcare access and promoting healthy behaviours, he noted.
“Our mobile health clinics will bring health services directly to these communities. We will train non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers who are crucial in bridging the gap between the healthcare system and the people we want it to serve,” he added.
For her part, Project Management Specialist with the Office of Health and Environment, USAID, Althea Spence, said that the project will play an integral role in enhancing public health.
“This initiative will help to build a strong and resilient health system that is prepared to respond to current and emerging health threats,” she noted.
“It represents an expansion of the JASL-USAID partnership and exemplifies how community-led organisations will help the Ministry of Health and Wellness to address public health challenges,” she added.