Hundreds benefit from Health Fair at Cornwall Regional Hospital

More than 600 persons from Montego Bay and adjoining communities, in St. James, benefited from the Cornwall Regional Hospital’s Pharmacy Week Health Fair, which was staged at the medical facility on November 24.
The event formed part of activities that were carried out during the week (November 21 to 27) under the theme: ‘Pharmacy: Promoting health and wellnesses’. Many adults and students received a number of medical tests and examinations, free of cost.
The checks included blood pressure and diabetes (sugar). Persons were also educated on their overall health and wellness at a number of education booths that were set up on location. Areas targeted for public information were: mental health, healthy eating habits, sexual health and responsibility, and drug use and abuse.
Health professionals from various organisations and companies, such as the hospital’s Dietary and Pharmacy Departments; St. James Health Department; Denmark Pharmaceuticals; Dr. Reddy’s Pharmaceuticals, and RUSH Diagnostics took part in the fair.

Dietician Assistant at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, in Montego
Bay, St. James, Tavianne Helps (right), educates patrons about the
importance of proper dieting during the hospitals’ Pharmacy Week Health
Fair, which was held at the hospital on November 24.

Co-ordinator of the week’s events, Kaydean Thompson-Senior, who is a Pharmacist at the hospital, told JIS News that they were aimed at educating the public on the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists and what they do, and also advising persons on the importance on healthy eating habits and the whole business of health and wellness.
“Our objectives were to educate patients and the general public about their health and wellness in order to empower them to prevent certain ailments by changing their eating habits and their entire lifestyles, so as to remain healthy,” Mrs. Thompson-Senior said.
She informed that the Pharmacy Week Committee has been active since 2002 and has been planning activities of this nature as their contribution to the holistic health of Jamaicans. This has grown and expanded over the years and has touched the lives of thousands of citizens across western Jamaica, she added.
“The annual pharmacy week activities have certainly grown in leaps and bounds over the years and this year has turned out to be a very excellent year for us in terms of participation and support. I believe that we have made some impact on the health and wellness of the public. Persons were hungry for information and knowledge as they collected the information leaflets and asked questions about their health,” Mrs. Thompson-Senior said.