1 month ago
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ELAINE GRAY, tuck shop assistant at the Ensom City Primary School, was elated that she had the opportunity to participate in the school’s second annual community health and wellness fair, held at the institution recently.
“After I did all the checks, I learnt that I was obese and I must take off the weight. I am going to buy a pair of sneakers and start going to the gym. The doctors said my blood and blood sugar were good, with one doctor saying my readings were even better than his,” Gray said.
Over 100 people across various neighbouring communities participated in the activities organised by the school. They were able to access free health screening, including blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol and diabetes risk checks. In addition, they were able to access information on nutrition, women’s health, managing wealth and saving, safety and security, and participate in the fitness corner that encapsulated the ‘Jamaica Moves’ initiative of the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Greg Rhule, acting principal at the institution, said the wellness fair is one of their key outreach programmes for the academic year. “We want to give back to the community that continues to serve us. We want to ensure that they understand that this institution is not just about the curriculum that we teach to the students, but we are also interested in their well-being. It is our objective to engage and empower our community members,” he said.
The planning and execution of the event took place over a two-month period and, during this time, quite a few entities came on board. These included the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, St Catherine Health Department, HEART NSTA/Trust, Recycling Partners of Jamaica, National Insurance Scheme, Sagicor Life and Sagicor Bank, Tax Administration of Jamaica, Registrar General’s Department, among others.
Held under the theme, ‘Healthy Together: Your Health Is Your Wealth’, Ian Ashley, one of the guidance counsellors at the institution and one of the main organisers, said the objectives were for people to recognise the benefits of and engage in the various activities that were organised.
“We also wanted for our parents to take an interest in the health and wellness of their children and also themselves. It is important to acquire wealth but you have to create a balance. Going after wealth can decrease your health, but going for health will sustain your wealth,” Ashley said.
The Spanish Town-based institution has a population of over 880 students with 42 members of staff. Sponsors for the event included Seprod, Progressive Grocers and Irie Jerk.
Jacqueline Francis, a mother and grandmother who has two children attending the school, had her blood pressure and blood sugar checked. She was happy with the results and indicated that the school should continue to give back to the community.
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