The Jamaica Wellness Tour, which has brought medical services to thousands of Jamaicans since it was officially launched in April 2006, is now at the St. Theresa's Church on Deanery Road, where it is offering residents medical tests from July 23-27.

Members of the community gave a warm welcome to the clinic at St. Theresa's on Monday, July 23, and praised the sponsors and organisers of the Jamaica Wellness Tour for their initiative in promoting preventative medical care.

This leg of the 'tour' is being funded by a matching grant from the Rotary Club of Mission Bay in the United States and is a project of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, in association with the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), Blue Cross of Jamaica Limited (BCJL) and the Diabetes Association of Jamaica (DAJ).

Nine stops

The tour has now made nine stops, with the Shipping Association of Jamaica's mobile clinic being used to provide services at the UWI Health Centre, the New Providence Primary School in Liguanea, the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wolmer's Prep and High schools, Lluidas Vale, and the St. Clement's Missionary Church in Kencot. At all of these sites, medical tests were provided to residents of surrounding communities.

At the launch of the ninth leg, Cheryl Sloley, president of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, stated that the Wellness Tour was keeping with its objectives of:

Providing medical screening facilities to those persons who face the greatest challenge in accessing such services;

Increasing the awareness of Jamaicans on the need to adopt healthy lifestyles and preventive approaches to personal health care.

In his address at the launch, Father Holder, rector of St. Theresa's Church, thanked all partners in the tour for bringing health services to those most in need in the community.

The Rotary Club of Mission Bay in the U.S. is funding this effort of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, which is partnering with the SAJ and the DAJ to provide medical personnel, equipment and supplies for the medical tests that include: heart and blood pressure tests, eye screening, cholesterol tests and blood sugar tests.

Special thanks must go to Rotarian Treasurer Dena Davis who initiated and coordinated arrangements for the Jamaica Wellness Tour to be taken to this community.

Marine Haulage Services Ltd. again transported the mobile clinic and Ranger Security and Atlas Security are providing security services, all free of cost.