Cornwall Regional Hospital Continues to Serve Patients

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), Charmaine Williams-Beckford, says the facility remains functional and continues to serve patients, despite sustaining severe structural damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), held at the St. James Municipal Corporation, Mrs. Williams-Beckford said the hospital has resumed operations in most areas, although several services are being delivered at reduced capacity.

“For CRH, we sustained severe damage, especially to the built-out areas. Most of you would have known by now that we’re operating our wards from the nursing block, the housing section. All of those built-out areas, we lost the roof and other spaces,” she said.

She explained that the hospital’s disaster preparedness plan was activated during the hurricane, allowing for the relocation of staff and patients to safer sections of the facility.

“During the hurricane, we had to move patients and staff to the wall areas near the radiology department. That was part of our disaster plan, and it went through. We are now back in those spaces and operating, although with reduced services,” Mrs. Williams-Beckford noted.

The CEO said that while minor procedures are being carried out at the outpatient clinic and the renal unit is functioning on a smaller scale, cancer treatment services are suspended due to damage to the area used for that department.

She also identified limited water supply and staff shortages as the hospital’s main challenges.

“Our major challenge at this time is water. We were able to get our standby generator up, but the trucking is not going as we would want it with the Water Commission,” she said.

Mrs. Williams-Beckford commended the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Fire Brigade for their assistance in the hospital’s emergency response.

“They worked with us and helped us. We were able to function utilising water trucks at the start, with the Fire Brigade and the support of the police in moving through traffic,” she said.

The CEO also noted that staff turnout has been affected by road conditions and flooding in Catherine Hall, West Green, and Estuary, making it difficult for some employees to report for duty.

Despite these setbacks, Mrs. Williams-Beckford emphasised that the CRH continues to deliver care to patients across several departments, a testament to the dedication and resilience of the hospital’s staff.