FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Excellence Oyster Bay Resort on Friday handed over a US$21,000 cheque to Falmouth Public General Hospital to assist with restoration efforts, after Hurricane Melissa destroyed about 90 per cent of the facility’s roof.

The donation was made through a partnership with We Care, Falmouth Public General Hospital, also known as Friends of the Falmouth Hospital, and will support roof repairs. The resort also used the opportunity to provide gifts for the hospital’s paediatric department.

Hospital CEO Carrington McLennon said the resort was the first to follow through, after many had pledged support. He encouraged others to fulfill their promises soon.

“A lot of persons have come on the compound… expressing the desire to help but guess what? Excellence was first to actually do something. It was Excellence Oyster Bay — and that’s why we didn’t want to just accept the cheque in a closed room,” he said.

Speaking during the ceremony, Bealias Jimenez, quality manager at Excellence Oyster Bay, said the donation was rooted in the resort’s commitment to community support.

“Our strengths were tested by Melissa but why we decide to do this is just to show you and to let you know that you’re not alone. We, Excellence brand, we are going to stand with you,” Jimenez said.

“I know it’s not easy… the entire hospital is basically mash up, but you still on it… because health is the priority. Without health there’s nothing that we can do. So, receive this donation… it’s coming from the bottom of our heart. It’s an honest donation,” he added.

Winsome Harper, chair of We Care FPGH, said the hospital was severely damaged by the Category 5 hurricane on October 28, 2025, losing most of its roof, among other types of damage.

“Hospital staff were here and they did a whole lot — save lives… because they remained on the premises,” Harper said, noting that restoration work is ongoing.

She also acknowledged support from the Government of Spain and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), which helped establish a field hospital after the storm.

Harper explained that the funds came from the resort’s Share the Love initiative and was linked to bookings made in late 2025.

“The hotel committed a donation for each guest reservation… specifically to support restoration of the Falmouth Hospital post-Hurricane Melissa and provide gifts for the paediatric department,” Harper said.

She also hailed Michelle and Martin Fisher Hippel, a couple from Munich, Germany, who were guests at Excellence and who visited the hospital after the storm. The couple have donated about $90,000 to the hospital’s restoration drive.

Matron of Falmouth Public General Hospital Pauline Dawkins-Palmer (left) and Excellence Oyster Bay Resort workers admire gifts presented to the hospital’s paediatric department by the hotel on Friday. Horace Hines