Free Diabetes Screening at Courts Jamaica Branches Islandwide

Beginning today (July 1) until August 28, members of the public will be able to access free diabetes screening test at all 26 branches of Courts Jamaica Limited across the island.

In an interview with JIS News, Owen Bernard, Executive Director of the Diabetes Association of Jamaica Outreach Programme said that due to the high incidents of diabetes in Jamaica, the furniture and appliance retailer had joined hands with the Diabetes Association of Jamaica to help to tackle the problem before it got to the worst stages.

Free testing will begin at the Liguanea Branch in Kingston on Thursday, July 1 followed by the Constant Spring Road branch on July 2; the Cross Roads branch, on July 3; the King Street branch on July 8; and the Morant Bay branch on July 9.

The drive will be taken to the Port Antonio branch on July 10, then to the Annotto Bay branch on July 15; the Port Maria branch on July 16; Ocho Rios on July 17; St. Ann’s Bay and Brown’s Town on July 22; Falmouth on July 23; Montego Bay on July 24; Lucea on July 29; Sav-La-Mar on July 30, and Black River on July 31.

Tests will be done on August 5 in Santa Cruz; in Junction on August 11; in Mandeville on August 13; in Christiana on August 14; May Pen on August 18; Old Harbour on August 19; Linstead on August 20; Spanish Town on August 23; Portmore on August 27; and Washington Boulevard on August 28.

At each branch, the services that will be offered courtesy of Courts include eye screening; blood sugar testing; and Electrocardiogram (ECG). Each branch will have its limit of testing for the day. “What we would like to do is to encourage people out there to take advantage of the services that we offer and not wait until the last minute or when your doctor do a referral for you to take advantage of these,” Mr. Bernard stated.

He added further, “there is no reason why they cannot take advantage of the service, which is of no cost to them. One of our biggest aims is to identify new cases of diabetes as early as possible. We continue to get people coming in with diabetes complication…a wound that will not heal, they go blind, etc. all of these things can be prevented with early detection. This is not to scare people, it is just to heighten the awareness and get people to think about diabetes. Contrary to popular belief, it is not an old people disease”.

The Executive Director noted that Courts and the Diabetes Association had a long-standing relationship and this was just one of the ways in which the company expressed its investment in health.