ADELPHI, St James — As of the first week of July, residents of Adelphi and surrounding areas will benefit from a new, modern health centre which is being built about 100 metres from where the old one was located.

According to parish manager of the St James Health Services, Lennox Wallace, the centre will offer dental services and house a pharmacy along with offices for public health inspectors and nurses, as well as doctors.

The new facility has a price tag of more than $60 million and is funded by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Wallace said, adding that it will be larger than the Montego Bay Type 5 health centre.

Among those eagerly anticipating the opening of the centre’s doors is Lavern Hyatt, a district constable at the Adelphi Police Station. “Victims who come to the station to report bodily assaults and so on always complain when we have to send them to Montego Bay Type 5 to get a medical report because Adelphi doesn’t offer such services,” she explained. She also anticipates that the new facility, with its expanded services, will be a welcome addition for elderly and vulnerable members of the community who now have to travel to other facilities to access vital services.

Adelphi is not the only community to benefit from an upgrade in its health centre. Others that have been renovated with a view to being upgraded and offering improved services include: Granville Type 2, Barrett Town Type 1, Flanker Type 1, and Catherine Hall Type 3. Work has already begun on these facilities and is expected to be completed by the end of July. They will all have expanded waiting areas to accommodate the physical distancing required to comply with COVID-19 safety protocols, additional offices for clinicians, and other health-care personnel.

Meanwhile, the Catherine Hall Health Centre in Montego Bay is projected to be completed in August 2021. It will be a two-storey facility with offices on the second floor and increased services being offered on the first floor. Wallace said services will be offered daily from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm including weekends. The aim of the St James Health Services, he added, is to have the Catherine Hall location help fill the gap created by the current reduction in services offered by the under-construction Cornwall Regional Hospital.

The combined cost of these projects is over $300 million and is being funded by the National Health Fund (NHF) and Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Wallace said. He stressed that there has been no disruptions to service during the renovations and expressed thanks to the communities who made this happen.