Diaspora medical mission to serve several parishes

A 35-member team of diaspora doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals will arrive in Jamaica next week to provide free medical services across seven parishes.

Led by Dr Robert Clarke, chief medical adviser for the Northeast Diaspora, the team will be in Jamaica from September 2 to 13, providing free healthcare services across seven parishes. St Thomas and Clarendon are scheduled to receive two visits each, while the remaining parishes will be visited once.

Clarke said the mission is dedicated to providing free, high-quality healthcare services to people in need. The team will also visit schools to conduct back-to-school health screenings.

Healthcare personnel, including specialist nurses and doctors from New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, will screen patients for diabetes, hypertension, infectious diseases and other medical conditions.

“We will go to the people to provide medical assistance instead of their having to travel many miles to see us. We find that visiting local communities ensures that more people will receive service instead of their having to come to where we are in one central location,” he told The Gleaner.

The mission will also receive support from Jamaican entities, including the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, which will provide transportation for team members, as well as the Ministry of Health and Wellness and The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, according to Clarke.

The initiative falls under the auspices of the Help Jamaica Medical Mission, which has been conducting healthcare missions in Jamaica since 2010.

Clarke said the organisation has provided medical assistance to approximately 750,000 patients over the years. He founded the Help Jamaica Medical Mission with the assistance of Dr Rudolph Willis, with the aim of delivering healthcare services to Jamaicans in need.

Clarke, a former president of the National Association of Jamaican and Supportive Organizations (NAJASO), estimated that the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut Medical Mission has invested more than US$3 million ($476 million) in providing medical services to underserved communities across Jamaica.

A recent boat-ride fundraiser and backyard barbecue raised more than US$77,000 ($12.2 million) to support the upcoming mission.

Clarke serves as medical director at Silver Lake Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. He is also a physician adviser at three other hospitals in the state and an attending physician at two nursing homes. In addition, he operates a private practice at East Orange Medical.