NEGRIL, Westmoreland — EMPLOYEES at Sandals and Beaches Negril, alongside members of the Negril community, provided a lifeline for Jamaica’s health care system when they came together as voluntary donors at the resorts’ third annual blood drive, held at the two properties recently.

The collection drive, which was staged in partnership with the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS), Cornwall Regional Hospital, pulled 68 prospective donors and yielded 43 pints of blood.

“I am extremely happy with what our work with Sandals has been able to achieve over the years,” stated Odean Black, NBTS Blood Donor Organiser (Western region).

“Encouraging persons to donate blood is generally a very difficult task, more so because of the many misconceptions regarding the process. Our objective is not to only increase the number of persons who donate, but to build awareness. I believe we’ve got a great opportunity, through this event, to sensitise persons about the importance of blood donation; additionally, the fact that some donors were repeaters suggests they understand the purpose and are willing to support the cause.”

The June 29 statistics published on the official website of Jamaica’s Blood Bank cited the B- and B+ blood stock as “low”, while the AB+ and AB- were recorded as “getting low”.

Kendra Johnson, regional public relations manager for the Sandals Resorts in Negril, described the initiative as a “win-win partnership for our company”.

“We are committed to improving the lives of the people in our communities, so the mission of the blood bank is something that resonates with us. You never know who will need an emergency supply. In fact we have team members who have benefited from blood transfusions, therefore,

this is a perfect example of why we should be proactive rather than reactive,” she argued.

Meanwhile, in a bid to promote the physical, mental and social well-being of all resort employees, as well as community members who signed up as donors, mini-health fairs were held in conjunction with the blood drive.

Over 200 people benefited from blood pressure and blood sugar checks, HIV/STI testing and counselling, consultations with a medical doctor, and depression/stress level screening and counselling services.

Nurse Tonia Davy-Clarke of the Hanover Health Services Mental Health Department said, “the impact was great; individuals were very willing to do screening and were very receptive to the information shared. Participants also easily recognised where they needed help and sought assistance.”

Over 155,000 people have been impacted by Sandals Resort International and Sandals Foundation health care initiatives in the Caribbean, over the past six years, where the resort chain operates.

These include community health fairs, free dental and eye care clinics, refurbishment of health centres and hospitals, the construction of a pharmacy and the establishment of a telemedicine room to improve the survival rate for children affected by cancer and serious blood disorders.