St. Catherine High Health Fair Delivers Care, Information to Hundreds

St. Catherine High School recently staged its 14th annual health fair, offering free screenings and wellness services to students and members of the surrounding community.

What began in 2012 as a modest students’ council initiative has steadily grown into one of the school’s flagship outreach events, now targeting more than 3,000 individuals.

Event organiser and teacher, Jermaine Johnson, said the fair’s objective has remained consistent over the years.

“The primary goal of organising this health fair was to really reach our school community, in terms of the adults and children at St. Catherine High School but also the surrounding [areas] and encourage [persons] to establish and maintain a healthy physical, spiritual, financial and also mental wellness lifestyle,” he told JIS News.

“We see this event, over the years, 14 years now, as a way of also contributing to nation-building through bolstering the primary healthcare system. It is just an important event for us to continue doing,” Mr. Johnson pointed out.

He noted that despite inclement weather leading up to the event, the community support remained strong.

“We are very happy that persons did come out despite the heavy rains. Just seeing people coming and accessing the services that were on offer was just something that, as a committee and a school, we were really happy to have this event go on,” Mr. Johnson said.

Central to the day’s activities was access to free and subsidised health services. Patrons benefited from HIV testing, diabetes and cholesterol screenings, blood pressure and haemoglobin checks, as well as dental services and general medical consultations.

“This year, specifically, we want to give thanks to Guardian Life for having their mobile medical unit for use, and this targeted children from the Strathmore Children’s Home, and so they were able to get free doctor’s checkup,” he told JIS News.

The fair also served as an educational platform, with booths mounted by government and private entities offering information, products and services aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles.

For students, the experience extended beyond routine classroom learning.

Upper sixth-form student Déliyah Forbes welcomed the exhibition, noting that “today’s health fair, as I’m seeing, has a variety of booths, so I’m just hoping to get some information, free samples, as well as just interactions”.

Grade-seven student Shahine Brooks described the experience as eye-opening.

“It was very interesting. I learned a lot of new things and the things that I knew, I got to explore them even further,” she pointed out.

Her peer, Asia Reid, highlighted the value of the informational material on display.

“It was really helpful… . I liked the booklets… . I can read them over to get the information I’m not sure about and revise,” she told JIS News.

Asia said she was proud that her school was able to stage the fair to benefit surrounding communities.

Spanish teacher, Candice Allen, highlighted the wider benefit of the initiative. “It’s a great way to engage the community and the students in another forum, because they are normally cooped up in the classrooms with us and now, they can do something else to take care of themselves as human beings,” she said.

Ms. Allen emphasised the importance of access to care, particularly for underserved populations.

“Healthcare may be free today but it is not cheap. This was the perfect opportunity for persons who wouldn’t normally have the health cards or the time to wait at the public facilities just to come and check up on what’s going on with their bodies,” she pointed out.

Mr. Johnson said the addition of a satellite clinic in 2020, operated by NADS Family Health Care, marked an important step in increasing the fair’s reach, particularly in providing care for children from the Strathmore Children’s Home.

She noted that with continued support from partners, there is room to build on that progress.

Looking ahead, organisers are seeking to expand the initiative’s reach, expanding on partnerships that have allowed the inclusion of Newell and Maggotty High Schools in St Elizabeth, which were impacted by Hurricane Melissa last October.

Both institutions received products donated by the event’s sponsors, with several students from Newell High attending the fair.

The event was made possible through the support of numerous partners, led by title sponsor Proactive Lifestyle and major health sponsor the National Health Fund (NHF).

Among the key contributors were the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Nutrition Unit, the LIV GUD Anti-Violence Campaign under the Ministry of National Security and Peace, Wellington Dental, Yummy Bakery, Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, and Lasco Distributors.

A range of government agencies, community organisations and private entities also participated or supported the initiative, including the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

Other supporters included Jamaica Energy Partners, Jamaica Flour Mills, National Housing Trust (NHT), St. Mary’s Banana Chips, Best Dressed Chicken, Nestlé Jamaica Limited, Food For the Poor, and other corporate partners, along with contributions from the St. Catherine High School Parent-Teacher Association and production support teams.