SRHA Staff Assisted in Replacing Documents Lost During Melissa

Hundreds of health workers have benefited from assistance to replace their identification (ID), passports, birth certificates, property titles and other important documents that were damaged or lost during Hurricane Melissa.

The first in a series of healthcare workers support fairs, held at the Newell Health Centre on December 5, targeted health personnel from the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon.

It was part of a staff welfare initiative spearheaded by the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Wellness to bring relief and show appreciation to the healthcare workers, many of whom were impacted personally by the October 28 hurricane.

The all-day event brought together several government entities in one space to assist the workers in replacing their documents.

These include the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA); National Land Agency (NLA), Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ); Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and the National Housing Trust (NHT).

The day’s activities, which included food, music, and motivational talks, was also an occasion for fun and relaxation for the heath staff, many of whom have been working around the clock since the hurricane.

Among them is Public Health Inspector at the Black River Health Centre, Melesha Foster-Brown, who has been working in some of the most devastated communities.

“Being here interacting with my co-workers and also co-workers from other parishes, it is just to free your mind and take you away from all the chaos that you have been seeing on a daily basis,” she told JIS News.

Mrs. Foster-Brown has spent the weeks since the disaster conducting field inspections to ensure adherence to food safety standards, even while dealing with damage to her home.

At the support fair, she took advantage of the passport renewal service and visited the other agency booths.

“Well, it has been a terrifying time, a trying time, for those of us that were in the midst of Hurricane Melissa, especially here in St Elizabeth. So, I am very thankful… we appreciate the initiative. It shows that they care and they take the well-being of the staff into consideration,” she added.

Also expressing gratitude for the fair was Psychiatric Nursing Aide at Black River Hospital, Jovian Daley, who lost all her documents in the storm, including her work ID and her academic certificates and qualifications.

Despite suffering a broken toe during the week the storm struck, she was on the front line in the immediate aftermath, doing what she loves, which is catering to the health needs of the people of St. Elizabeth.

“I see lots of people here. Some came to look about their passport and for other support. So, the event was well put together and people appreciate it,” Ms. Daley told JIS News.

“I want to say a million thanks to SRHA, the Health Minister and all the folks who put this together. Thank you; we appreciate it. We could not do it without you. You guys did a big one,” she added.

The fair, which was extended to family members and the public, also drew persons from outside of the health region.

Human Resource Officer from the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Sheena Gordon, attended the outreach to observe the execution of the activity and support the SRHA team.

She pointed out the importance of prioritising mental health after a traumatic incident and ensuring that employees have the support to prevent burnout.

For many, the support fair represented an important step in the recovery process.

SRHA Regional Director, Michael Bent, told JIS News that the initiative was a direct response to the significant loss suffered by staff.

“What [this event] does is take the stress from them so that they can get their documents replaced and processed. So far, it is going pretty well, and we expect that all our staff members who are here today and all members of the public will be satisfied when they leave, and they should be leaving much better than they were two or three weeks ago,” Mr. Bent said.