South Manchester Residents Benefit from Health Fair

Eighty-one residents of Farm and surrounding communities in South Manchester on Friday (December 4) benefitted from a health fair and outreach programme organised by Jamalco.
The bauxite/alumina company, which has mining operations in the area, partnered with the Child Development Agency (CDA), the National Council on Drug Abuse, and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to provide health checks and information to the residents who accessed the services at the Farm Community Centre.
The fair is organised as part of Jamalco’s ongoing community outreach programme in keeping with its focus on environment health and safety, and is an extension of the wellness programme for the company’s workforce. The day saw personnel from the company’s medical department giving checks and services to the residents for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, haemoglobin, and eye conditions.
Jamalco’s Community Relations Officer for South Manchester, Ms. Natalee Irving, said that “outreach activities like this health fair allow us to give back to the community and assist residents in the communities where we operate”.
Other activities included presentations from the CDA’s Team Leader, Nadine Anderson, who highlighted the role that each person is expected to play in preventing child abuse.
She noted that under the Child Care and Protection Act, persons could be taken before the courts if they know of cases of child abuse and fail to report it to the police.
Representatives of the National Council on Drug Abuse held individual discussions with residents about strategies to prevent and combat drug abuse, while the RADA team mounted a display on healthy meals and beverages that can be made from provisions grown on farms or in backyards.
Ninety-five year old, Ms. Rhoda Tabanner, a resident of Farm, was happy for the medical care. “I am very grateful for this opportunity, the nurses were very courteous and I would appreciate if they could come back again.”