CLARENDON, Jamaica – The Lionel Town Hospital last week received supplies for the installation of an intercom system from the All 4 JA Foundation in partnership with Project ICE and Member of Parliament Pearnel Charles Jr.

The supplies will enhance the hospital’s staff-patient communication amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation was funded by Novo Nordisk, Panama on the initiative of Michelle Laidlaw, a Jamaican employee in the organisation’s United States branch.

CEO of the hospital, Nadine Preddie expressed gratitude.

“We are grateful for this donation because it will go a far way in enhancing our patient care delivery and improve on the experience of patients when they come here,” she said.

Senior Medical Officer Dr Andre McKenzie added that it will aid their fight against COVID-19 in observing and enforcing social distancing protocols, especially while communicating. Director of Project ICE, Antoinette Daniels-Martinez, and Project Manager of the All 4 JA Foundation, Dr Shaneica Lester, echoed the same sentiment.

“When we invest in our essential services, we are touching our communities; even our wider communities, as people outside of South East Clarendon also seek services at this hospital.”

While the hospital’s administration noted that their aim is to make it a state of the art facility, Charles Jr reiterated that “now more than ever we must support our health workers and resource our hospitals. This donation is welcomed, and we will continue to identify partners to strengthen our health services.”

The Lionel Town Hospital currently serves approximately 36,000 people in Clarendon. Project ICE and All 4 JA also handed over 25 wall mounted hand sanitizers, 32 face shields and 30 boxes of surgical masks to the Spanish Town Hospital.