CLARKS TOWN, Trelawny

The Trelawny Health Department is to establish a healthy lifestyle club in Bottom Town within the next four weeks, as part of the raft of initiatives being undertaken to clean up the community.

” Our next move is to establish a Healthy Lifestyle Club in the area,” Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Trelawny, Dr Marcia Campbell Johnson told the Observer West, following the successful staging of a health fair in the community on Tuesday.

She said the community members will select the leadership of the organisation and assist in the planning and execution of projects in the community.

“Through that club we hope to promote the whole aspect of healthy lifestyle,” said Campbell Johnson.

She added that the role and functions of the club include the monitoring of garbage collection in the area and will also be charged with the responsibility to organise health forum and health fairs.

Since February stakeholders in Trelawny have been working feverishly to ameliorate the unsatisfactory living conditions that have for years been threatening the wellbeing of Bottom Town’s roughly 1,500 residents.

Already, several blocked drains have been cleaned, a massive clean up of the area undertaken, a community forum and Tuesday’s health fair.

“There was quite a bit of a crowd, generally the enthusiasm was high and the participation was very, very good,” she said, adding that the fair had achieved its main objective.

The day’s activities included presentations from several government and non- governmental agencies, including the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s narcotics division; the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA); National Youth Service, the Trelawny Health Services; National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA); PATH; Child Development Agency; Jamaica Fire Brigade; Social Development Commission and the Registrar General Department.