Annotto Bay Hospital receives donation from students
Published:Wednesday | February 8, 2017 | 12:00 AMOrantes Moore
ANNOTTO BAY, St Mary:
The Staff at the Annotto Bay Hospital (ABH) in St Mary have praised a group of students from a local school for donating a simple but much-needed piece of equipment to the facility's under-resourced maternity ward.
Earlier this week, five girls from the Leo Club at Marymount High School presented members of the facility's senior management team with a cradle for newborn babies.
According to ABH's outgoing chief executive officer, Marsha Lee, the gift will benefit both staff and patients, and help to advance the quality of health care offered in the parish.
She told Rural Xpress: "This bassinet from the Leo Club will be used in our maternity ward and go a far way in improving the services we offer to our customers. And, of course, I believe this is the start of more to come because [Leo Club adviser] Mrs Monica McKenzie is passionate about ABH, so I know she'll donate more.
"According to the results of the bed occupancy report I do every week, the paediatric ward has 23 children's beds, three incubators, and two warmers, so this addition will really make a difference to what already exists. On behalf of the ABH, I am really grateful for this donation and, as always, we appeal to corporate Jamaica for more assistance like this."
Incoming CEO Pauline Steele-Davis added: "A donation like this is really important because we have limited resources, so we are grateful and very open to this kind of gesture."
Following a brief presentation, club president Georgia Brown explained that it was part of her organisation's remit to support worthy, community-based projects.
She said: "The Leo Club, which stands for leadership, experience and opportunity, is the baby for the Lions Clubs International, so we go out, assist, and help people in need wherever we can.
"This donation was important because once you give something, there is a part of you that wants to give even more afterwards, and it's a good feeling. The blessings you get from giving are even much more than what you gain.
"It makes you feel bad when you are unable to give and do something to make someone feel better. I think we should all give. This club is about service and giving, so we help when we can, and that's what we did today."