CLEAN UP EXERCISE PLANNED FOR ST ANN INFIRMARY
After a tour of the St Ann Infirmary last Friday (January 30) Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie announced that his team will organize a workday exercise at the St Ann Infirmary.
The facility was heavily impacted by hurricane Melissa last October, and while much remedial work was undertaken on the property, there is some buildup of debris.
“We were planning, for next month to have a clean up of the facility, we will be binging in the National Works Agency, along with the SDC, and the councillors, and solid waste to have a clean up of the facility to remove a lot of the debris that is here, so far, I am pleased” said Minister McKenzie.
Last November, he led a team from the Ministry and its agencies, the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Social Development Commission and the National Solid Waste Management Authority to conduct an extensive clean up initiative at the St Elizabeth Infirmary that was severely hit by Hurricane Melissa in October.
Minister McKenzie notes that similarly to that, he will be soliciting the help of those teams to aid in clearing downed branches and overgrown greenery from the St Ann property.
In addition to the workday exercise, a team of counsellors will be meeting with the staff of the Infirmary to provide psychosocial intervention for those who may have experienced trauma or loss during the passage of hurricane Melissa.
“We bring counselling into the facilities, and [we are going to be] doing that with the staff here at St Ann, we did it in Westmoreland, we did it in St Elizabeth and we did it in Trelawny so we’re going to be doing the same thing here in St Ann” he said.
The facility’s matron, Ms Alicia Drummond, noted that staff were recuperating from the effects of hurricane Melissa.
“We are getting back on our feet, after six weeks in a shelter, we are pretty much getting back into our normal settings here… it was a rough period during the relocation… so, the staff they are coming around now, there was a bit of burn out before, but they are doing well, they are coming along”, said Drummond.
The St Ann Infirmary provides care for 71 residents, all of whom were relocated to a temporary facility prior to Melissa making landfall in Jamaica and were housed at that location for six weeks while the Infirmary underwent repairs.
