WAKEFIELD, Trelawny — Over 200 residents of Wakefield and surrounding communities in Trelawny last week benefited from a free Health and Social Services fair spearheaded by Sandals Resorts.

The fair, held in partnership with the Social Development Commission (SDC), was staged at the Wakefield Primary School in the parish.

Throughout the day, the volunteer medical team extended basic medical care, doctors’ consultations, and back-to-school medicals for children.

A team from Trelawny Health Services also processed 63 Rapid HIV tests and conducted individual and group counselling sessions with persons attending the fair.

“We’re very grateful that Sandals decided to take the health fair to Trelawny this year,” said Councillor for the Wakefield Division Jonathan Bartley.

Bartley, who was also a sponsor for the fair, lauded Sandals and the SDC for their efforts and further stated that the initiative filled an important gap for persons within his division, where rising unemployment has left many pressed for cash, especially around the busy back-to-school period.

“Additionally, the community clinic at Wakefield can only process five back-to-school medicals each week,” Bartley said.

He said there is a high demand for health care within the division, which is comprised of the communities of Deeside, Drommily, Bunker’s Hill, Friendship, Bounty Hall and Hampden.

“It [Health and Services fair] is a big help, because there are a lot of people who really can’t afford the services that are being provided here,” said Daydreen Fray, a resident of Friendship, who brought her two children and cousins to the fair. “We were able to get the back-to-school medicals done free of cost, and I also applied for my TRN Card with the representatives from the Tax Administration Office.”

Agencies such as the Consumer Affairs Commission, the Tax Administration Office, the National Land Agency, the National Council on Drug Abuse, and the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) were also on hand to offer assistance.

Andrae Bailey, senior registration officer at the OCR, used the fair as an outlet to promote the registry’s latest Break the Silence campaign.

“Trelawny has the third lowest incidence of reported cases of missing children and child abuse,” Bailey said. “Events like this provide us with a forum to share information about our services and how we can help, especially in the rural areas.”

Substance abuse officer for Trelawny, Trisha McCarthy, shared similar sentiments.

“There is an intervention currently planned for the Wakefield area following reports from the justice and education systems about increased use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in the area,” said McCarthy. “We’re hoping to target the communities of Wakefield and Albert Town specifically through our Community Action for Prevention (CAP) programme, and the Health and Social Services fair has given us an opportunity to talk to the residents and get a buy-in on the CAP programme.”

During the fair, McCarthy and her team from the National Council on Drug Abuse provided drug assessments and information on tobacco cessation and the ganja law.

“Since the start of the year, Sandals Resorts in the Montego Bay region has placed greater focus on community outreach efforts in Trelawny. Our most recent project was done on Labour Day 2015 at the Granville Primary School, and at least two other school projects in the parish are currently being assessed for further investment through our community efforts and the Sandals Foundation,” said Sandals Public Relations Manager Rochelle Forbes.

She added that last week’s community Health and Social Services fair was just one other way in which Sandals has sought to bring added value to Jamaica’s rural communities.

“The Health and Social Services fair is in its third year, and we”ve realised that hosting this kind of event is that much easier because we have the support of competent and committed partners who also share our vision for community development,” Forbes emphasised.

She also used the opportunity to extend thanks on behalf of the Sandals team to the Western Regional Health Authority and the Mobay Hope Medical Centre, who have been key partners since the initiative’s inception back in 2013.