ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – The Black River-based St Bess Pharmacy has added to ongoing development and aesthetics towards the redevelopment of the historic south-central town in St Elizabeth.

“We chose to invest further because Black River is home, and it is tiring to travel out of town for simple conveniences,” St Bess Pharmacy director Javaun Morrell explained following last Friday’s opening of a new building.

Morrell, a second-generation proprietor, said the new pharmacy building is contributing to commerce and tourism investments in Black River.

“Mr (Floyd) Green’s rebirth campaign tied in with our own intentions to pay homage to our parish having started operation in December 2004 by our founders Sharon Dasman and James Morrell,” he said in reference to St Elizabeth South Western Member of Parliament Floyd Green’s call for the redevelopment of Black River.

The pharmacy, which has a staff complement of 10, embarked on showcasing a mural depicting aspects of Black River.

“Our mural creatively sums up St Elizabeth displaying some of the things we are most known for. We acknowledge the efforts of the honourable minister and this is our way of contributing to the development/ rebirth of Black River,” Morrell said.

He said that since the inception of the pharmacy it has yearly hosted a health expo.

“When we held our grand opening of the all new St Bess Pharmacy we also hosted our 19 th annual health expo with major drug distribution companies in Jamaica on location. We also collaborated with the Ministry of Health as part of its dengue campaign,” he said, while adding that the new building boasts a rooftop lounge.

“We have also added a larger cosmetic area, a juice bar, navigable shelving and a more diverse product range,” said Morell.

– Kasey Williams