KINGSTON, Jamaica —Some 35 children from surrounding communities of the Good Samaritan Inn drop-in centre at National Heroes Park benefited from free dental, optical and medical services in partnership with the Rotary Club of St Andrew North.

Twenty-five adults also benefited from the initiative. The value of the contributed services amounted to approximately half a million dollars.

Seven doctors, including Rotarian Dr Carrel Kerr, and three nurses provided medical services, while six dental students from The UWI School of Dentistry assisted with oral examinations and cleaning.

Good Samaritan Inn Project Manager, Vermont Murray (left), greets Rotary Club of St Andrew North President Patrick Forrest during the recent Good Samaritan Inn Back-to-School Health Fair.

Floss Jamaica, part of the Floss International Volunteer Programme led by Dr Ajani Blake, supported the dental services, while vision screening was done by the Lions Club of Kingston Sight Foundation.

Seventeen members of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North and eight UWI Rotaractors also volunteered their services. The Good Samaritan Inn provided meals, while children received back-to-school bags with notebooks and pencils.

Other sponsorship support came from MSN Laboratories, Cari-Med, Facey Commodity, Medical Disposables & Supplies Limited and Dental & Medical Supplies Limited.

Dr. Lysandra Spence-Henry conducts a medical assessment on a young beneficiary during the Good Samaritan Inn-Rotary Club of St. Andrew North Back-to-School Health Fair on Sunday, September 6.

“This initiative demonstrates what can be achieved through partnership. By bringing together healthcare professionals, corporate partners and volunteers, we were able to provide children and adults with essential health services free of cost. We intend to continue delivering practical, impactful initiatives like this throughout the coming Rotary year,” said Patrick Forrest, president of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North.

In welcoming the initiative, Vermont Murray, project manager of the Good Samaritan Inn, said: “Today we are so happy to have members of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North partnering with the Good Samaritan Inn to host our annual health and back-to-school fair. In addition to the medical services offered, we handed out school supplies and a stipend to students with good school reports. We are indeed grateful to everyone who served, and we are thankful that members of the community could benefit.”

Health fair brings dental, optical care to National Heroes Park communities