Volunteers to bring in medical aid

Thousands of dollars worth of medical equipment, supplies, and health care will be delivered free of charge to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines later this month by fifty-eight medical volunteers from the Florida-based United Hands Incorporated.{{more}}

The team of doctors, dentists, psychologists, dental hygienists, optometrists, a sonogram technologist, audiologists and nurses will begin arriving here on June 23rd, 2009. They will donate their services to local communities.

United Hands Inc. is an all volunteer group that makes medical trips to countries around the world offering free medical care to targeted communities on an annual basis. In previous years they have visited Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, South Africa and Ghana. Each member of the group donates their vacation time and covers their own expenses for the trip.

The visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines comes upon a request made by the Medical Relief Association (MRA), a local non-profit organization founded in 1991 by Fidel Caesar of Hopewell. MRA’s mission is to improve the health and medical care of the less fortunate in the Vincentian society.

Hundreds of people will benefit from cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, dentistry, OB/GYN, hearing acquity and optometry tests. The volunteers will also be conducting health education sessions to help persons develop healthy lifestyles.

According to Caesar, MRA is very excited about the upcoming medical mission.

“We are a small non-profit organization doing great things and we are happy that we are able to be of service to the less fortunate people of our country.

Caesar says MRA has plans for additional outreach medical activities here in the near future, and he’s encouraging the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to take advantage of the opportunity to get free medical care.

“We have hosted/organized previous missions of a similar nature in the past. Last year we hosted volunteers from Project CURE from Arizona, who conducted ear, nose and throat surgeries here. We are very fortunate that United Hands have accepted our request to provide medical services to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, especially with so many countries around the world in need of such services, and I wish to appeal to Vincentians to make full use of this opportunity, especially in these difficult economic times.”

A Welcoming Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 26th, at the Bay Hill Hotel. The volunteers will hold a Health Fair at the SVG Community College at Glen on Sunday, 28th June. This Fair is being coordinated with the local Seventh Day Adventist Church for members of that faith.

Inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison will also benefit from the volunteers’ services on that day. Other clinics will be held at Mesopotamia and Chester Cottage on Monday, June 29th; Canouan on Tuesday, June 30th; and Barrouallie, Troumaca and Georgetown on Wednesday, June 31st.

While here the medical team will also be treated to the beauty and culture of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including an excursion to Bequia and an island tour of Canouan. They will also be worshipping with members of the Mt. Moriah and Richland Park Seventh Day Adventist Churches.

The United Hands Incorporated volunteers will return to the United States on Friday, July 3rd, 2009.