It was our pleasure to serve the people of Jamaica with our medical mission from Saturday, February 3, until Thursday, February 15. Our team of 62 had a wonderful time in Manchester and St. Elizabeth. Our team consisted of 4 physicians, 2 nurse practitioners, 5 dentists, 2 dental hygienists, 4 pharmacists, 6 registered nurses, 1 physical therapist, and 38 general helpers. About 2/3 of the participants had been on a team before and 1/3 were new. We stayed at Kendal Camp and Conference Center and were transported each day to different areas of the parish by Mr. Patrick MacDowell and his staff from Obsession Tours.
We held medical clinics in 16 different locations in the parishes, and dental clinics in 12 locations. In the medical clinics, we saw 862 patients and dispensed 2,495 prescriptions. In the dental clinics, 470 patients were seen, with 425 extractions and 137 cleanings done and sealants applied to 41 teeth.
In addition to the medical and dental clinics, our construction team installed 36 drip irrigation systems for subsistence farmers in partnership with Joseph and Alice Mulaa from Family Life Equipping Network, which is based in Mandeville; Pastor Kenroy Blackwood from Rose Hill; and Isratech Jamaica, Inc. Members of Nazareth Lutheran Church, Cedar Falls, IA, Fremont Presbyterian Church, Sacramento, CA, and Fleetwood Rotary Club, Fleetwood, PA, contributed over $30,000 to the construction project.
Again, we appreciate so much the cooperation of the Ministry of Health staff in making all this possible. We were assisted this year by MOH staff in getting our medications through customs, and that process was quite smooth. Special thanks go to Ms. Anderson for her help.
