KINGSTON, Jamaica — About 350 residents and students in Carisbrook, St Elizabeth, have benefited from health, wellness and social services as the community continues to recover from Hurricane Melissa.

According to a release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), the services were provided during the “Renewed Hope” Health and Wellness Recovery Fair held on September 3 at Carisbrook Primary School in Maggotty, St Elizabeth.

Carisbrook was selected as the second community for the initiative, which brings coordinated health, wellness and social support services closer to residents affected by the hurricane.

At Carisbrook Primary School, residents and families were able to access a range of services in one location, including health screenings, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checks, nutrition information, dental services, psychosocial support, social work, hygiene and water safety information, physical activity and other health and social services.

Michelle Smith, health promotion and education officer for St Elizabeth, said the intervention was an important way of bringing support to a community still feeling the effects of the hurricane.

“I want to say thank you to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, UNICEF and Southern Regional Health Authority for being here with us today in Carisbrook,” she said. “It is really a good initiative as we offer this renewed hope to the community that was devastated by Hurricane Melissa.”

The fair also provided residents with practical information to support their health and wellbeing as recovery continues.

For Gloria Stevens, a retired teacher from Carisbrook Primary School, the opportunity to access services in her community was particularly valuable.

“So I came and I thought that it was well organised and it was good on a whole, it was a good venture,” she said. “I did the blood work, blood pressure and cholesterol and I was happy with the result that I got.”

While the recovery fair was a one-day intervention, it forms part of a wider Targeted Community Intervention (TCI) in Carisbrook. The St Elizabeth health team will continue community engagement and support based on needs identified as the community moves through recovery.

For Stacy Wright, behaviour change officer at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the success of this programme is crucial.

“Success would mean seeing Carisbrook move from recovery to resilience, with healthier residents, stronger connections to essential services, greater confidence in responding to future challenges, and a renewed sense of hope for the future, ” she said.

“Most importantly, the goal is to see lasting change that extends beyond a single intervention and supports the community in restoring its well-being and building a stronger future.”