Trinity Medical School forging links in community

The Trinity School of Medicine has continued its ongoing outreach programme to victims of the flooding disaster, heralded by the December 24th, 2013, weather trough system.{{more}} On Friday, 8th February, a team of officials from the school paid visits to two emergency shelters on the Leeward side of the island to distribute items of clothing and toiletries. Medical supplies were also donated to the Chateaubelair Hospital.

The team comprised Mr Steve Wilson, president and CEO of the school, and his wife Sally Ann Wilson; Vincentian Dr Conrad Nedd, a professor at the school; and Kaushalya Nedd, director of the office of the Deanery.

With its final destination being the Chateaubelair Hospital, the team made its first stop at the Spring Village emergency shelter, housed at the Community Centre there. The residents of the shelter were on hand to receive clothing and footwear, and all expressed their delight at receiving the donations. Speaking on behalf of the group, resident Charles addressed the team: “I feel real good for these clothes. We thank you all very much. I get some for myself and my little grandson here. Is seven of us live at the Centre. Our houses wash away, and we now just trying to see how we could get things back in order.”

The next stop took the team to the house of the young lady who was found to have a very serious skin disease. She was discovered by doctors from the Trinity School of Medicine while on a Village Doctor exercise in conjunction with the SVG Rotary Club. The doctors from Trinity had made an intervention, and the team was eager to monitor her progress. She was presented with supplies of food, clothing and medicines.

The residents of the emergency shelter at the Rose Bank Community Centre were not left out. According to shelter manager Urel La Borde, the residents had already been given clothing, but there were some who had not received sufficient items. She was rather happy to see the team and thanked them on behalf of the recipients. “We had donations of some children clothes, but not a lot. We are grateful for these,” she said. “On behalf of the shelter members, I say thanks.” LaBorde said that she was not quite sure when the residents will be able to return, as the majority of them no longer had homes. She was satisfied that the added toiletries would be an important contribution to their personal hygiene. “There are persons here without homes,” she explained, “they are not livable!”

At the Chateaubelair Hospital, Dr Conrad Nedd provided some needed supplies of urinary catheters, canules, antibiotics, antiseptic creams and toilet tissue to registered nurse Nikeitha Nash and ward assistant Marilyn Jordan. That donation formed part of an on-going trust to the Chateaubelair Hospital from Trinity School of Medicine. Clothing donated amounted to approximately US$5,000.