KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Bellevue Hospital in Kingston received 55 gallons of 99.9 per cent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and 60 gallons surface cleaners to help the mental health institution in its fight against COVID-19.

The donation, made on March 17, is courtesy of the RUBiS Energy Jamaica.

In receiving the donation, CEO of the Bellevue, Marcia Mullings-Thompson said “This donation is so important to us, especially the alcohol, as this will prevent us from having to purchase. We thank RUBiS for the continued support to this institution, especially in times like these.”

The facility noted that since its first COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health and Wellness instituted several measures.

These include the separation of patients who have tested positive from those who have tested negative; testing on wards that share a common area with the ward on which the cluster of cases was detected; symptomatic surveillance of all other wards, with the testing of all symptomatic persons; and the restriction of interaction among staff and patients from different wards.

“I think the hospital is in a better standard [than other similar entities] because our wards are detached from each other. [However] even though our patients are [residents] here, they are exposed to others. I must commend the staff,” Mullings-Thompson said.