The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) has pledged more support for the deaf community, as it boosts its partnership and care for the community.
The pledge was made by Regional Director for the SRHA, Michael Bent, on Tuesday, June 18, at a brief handover ceremony of a smart television set and other small appliances to the May Pen Unit for the Deaf. The school is loacted in Woodside, rural Clarendon, and caters to the educational needs of children from 10 months old to 21 years of age.
The items were donated by the Inservice Education Department at the Back River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, which hosted a symposium in April 2024, focused on the theme, “’Discovering Abilities in Disabilities: The Jamaican Perspective.”
Mr. Bent explained that the hospital partnered with the Jamaica Association for the Deaf for the symposium, where staff members were taught how to communicate with the deaf community.
“We do have persons in our facilities and in our care from the deaf community, and we need to know how to communicate with them, which is a good thing. I am encouraging other facilities to join the partnership so we can strengthen communication with health service providers and the deaf community. I want this to be a continuous relationship or one where a significant percentage of my team members are able to communicate with the deaf community,” Mr. Bent said.
Mr. Bent pointed out that he was particularly pleased and satisfi
Chairman: Wayne Chen; Vice Chairman; Michael Stern, Board Members: Lorraine Green Mason, Marcus Greenwood, Stafford Haughton, Winston Maragh, Dr. Lloyd Reynolds, Albert Williams, Omar Miller, Dave Powell, Permanent Secretary’s Nominee: Dr. Naydene Williams, Regional Director and Secretary: Michael Bent; Regional Technical Director: Dr. Vitillius Holder; CEO, Mandeville Regional Hospital: Alwyn Miller; SMO, Mandeville Regional Hospital:
Dr. Everton McIntosh
ed because the hospital chose to donate to an institution outside of its parish.
“We are grateful to be here to make this presentation. It is a cause that we believe in. I want to commend the team, and the students who I have learned from are doing well. Some have excelled at the CXC level, and some have even gone on to further their studies at the tertiary level. Having a disability is no setback or hindrance to discovering your disabilities, and I am very proud of what is happening in this small and humble institution. I really look forward to hearing greater things from the team here, and I am inviting the other health teams in Clarendon to come and partner with the school,” Mr. Bent continued.
For Dorcia Brown Lyle, nurse manager with responsibility for in-service education at the BRH and facilitator at the symposium, it was a pleasure donating to the institution.
“I can tell you it was good fate how the May Pen Deaf Unit was found. We learned that one of their greatest needs is a smart television, and we are happy to donate that and other small appliances to them. I want to say a special thank you to all the persons who joined our symposium, because without those individuals, we wouldn’t have been able to gather the funds to make this contribution. It’s not usual for the health facility to be donating because we are normally receiving, but we are elated to make this donation,” Nurse Brown-Lyle said.