Treasure Beach Women's Group are having another
FREE MEDICAL CLINIC
MONDAY through THURSDAY
July 20-23, 2009
9am - 3pm
Come All Men, Women & Children
First Come – First Serve

Both Jamaican and American Doctors will be doing
*General Health Check Ups
*Blood Sugar & Blood Pressure

Donations will be appreciated
FOR INFORMATION
CALL: TBWG – 876-965-3878
Old Wharf Road, Treasure Beach
Or see our website www.tbwgjamaica.com

Hope to see you there!

This is so great that it is for Free especially in these economic times...

I hope everyone who uses TB.net who has family or friends in TB can spread the word about this clinic! It is a fantastic example of good being done by the Women's Group.

I think this is a fantastic service. I was wondering if they also issue prescriptions, or do they only give diagnosis? Thank you for your invaluable service to the community.

Yes they will be doing diagnosis and issuing prescriptions. We hope to see everyone out to get a check up.

Today is the final day of the free medical clinic. Curious to know how many people were seen and if there are any comments about how it went.

I think this is such a wonderful thing that is being done.

God bless everyone associated with this wonderful effort. If possible could you name the different people involved in making this happen.

The clinic was run professionally, and was very organized.

Thank you all .. especially TBWG and Katie Loveday for making this wonderful clinic happen in bringing these skilled doctors and students here to care for us.

And to the doctors and students who came and volunteered their time offering us much needed medical care, MUCH appreciation and thanks.

Our community is blessed to have your help.

Once again thanks to Janet Nichols who spearheads, organizes, plans and makes happen these doctor's visits to Treasure Beach. She was also responsible for having the Women's Group completely re-built after Hurrican Ivan flattened the old building. She has been a huge contributor to Treasure Beach in so many ways and I know I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are.

The Free Health clinic at the TBWG house was a huge success. Approximately 190 patients were seen and 10 home bound patients visited.

The group of volunteer students and doctors from the Hillsborough County Osteopathic Medical Society of Florida provided a fantastic service and many community members left with smiling faces and some medicine in their pockets.

Special Thanks and Big Ups go out to many who discounted and donated so much and here they are:

Janet Nichols for her planning, donations and making this all possible
Hillsborough County Osteopathic Medical Society including Dr Ken Webster, Dr Fred Taylor and Dr Doug Nelson.
The twelve fantastic students:
Ryan Bierkortte
Jennifer Dalrymple
Aaron Emerine
Katherine Emerine
Dianne Frankel
Yosra El-menshawi
Matthew Hyzy
Arum Kim
Richard Moore
Omesh S Singh
Tiffany Trenda
Jonathon Van Koenig
Fantastic Jamaican Doctors Dr Lockeyer and Dr Bamidele for volunteering their time to come and work at the clinic with us.
Celeste Anderson and Katie Loveday for there tiresome efforts in making this happen.
Dr Ledford, Janice Walker and the Ministry of Health
Simone Pickney and the Kiwanis Club
Crossroads Pharmacy
Members of the Treasure Beach Women's Group
Treasure Tours and Kevin Mills who provided discounted transportation and entertained everyone.
Calabash House for providing discounted accommodation for the Hillsborough County Doctors
Lyric for providing discounted accommodation for half the students
Cacona Beach Cottage for providing accommodation for the other half of the students
Jakes for putting up Dr Lockeyer and providing a lovely dinner for the doctors and students.

Photos soon come!

Dr. Ken Webster, also poet laureate wrote the following poem based on his experience here this past week.

Treasure Beach is Paradise Found

It was a long drive from Montego Bay,
To a remote Jamaican city called Treasure Beach.
The three hour journey over rolling land,
At times seemed impossible to reach.

But, with eleven medical students in tow,
Guided by two doctors and adult leaders too,
We set out to find this special place,
And hoped upon arrival we'd know what to do.

It was quite dark when we arrived that night,
As we unloaded our luggage and supplies,
And it didn't take long for us to observe,
The special aura of the stars and the skies.

As the sun arose after our night of rest,
We saw beauty not previously realized,
Thousands of tropical flowers were in bloom,
and beyond them the teal colored ocean did arise.

The beauty was beyond our expectations,
And stretched as far as the eye could see.
This was truly a paradise found,
A place that was special for you and for me.

So as we remember this special place,
We thank our new friends at Treasure Beach.
They welcomed us all with open arms,
And thanks for putting paradise within our reach.

Thank YOU Dr. Webster.

Thanks to Katie Loveday and Katherine Emerine for adding their photos to mine giving everyone a good look into the week.

You can view them here or by the link in the Photo Gallery

Unfortunately, a few of the photos are out of order.

One rainy afternoon we went up to the top of Spur Tree Hill in Mandeville and brought medical supplies toys, and clothes to Our Lady of Hope Children's Home. What a wonderful time spent. Father Roland and his very capable staff (along with several children) showed us the very well kept facilities and explained their mission. Photos of this afternoon are included.

Many, many thanks again to all involved in making this special clinic happen and we look forward to seeing Janet and the next clinic soon!

Here is another poem from Dr. Ken Webster followed by his trip report.

Med Students Leading the Way

For the second summer in a row,
Med students from LECOM led the way.
To a remote area in South Jamaica,
And little did they know what would come into play.

So here they are in no particular order,
Bright eyed and ready to do come what may.
They were ready for this new experience,
That would soon occur each and every day.

There was Josra and Omesh quiet as could be,
But contributed greatly in their own special way.
Matthew came along a boisterous leader was he,
He kept us on our toes with his constant whoop-whoop.

Jennifer and Christine paid attention to registration duty,
But Christine got bored with registration duty.
That’s where Aaron took up the task,
And made registration go smoothly and fast.

Katherine provided a special service,
As only a mother could do.
She attended to all the children,
And helped their mothers in special ways too.

Then there was Richard and Jonathan,
The largest pair in the bunch.
They performed OMT whenever they could,
And used the techniques they knew they should.

Ryan and Tiffany were hard to beat,
To work with them was a special treat.
Ryan was steady and ready to help,
And Tiffany ready for whatever she was dealt.

So these eleven students paved the way,
And their future is bright, that’s what we say.
So here’s to each of you and congratulations too,
You’ll all be great doctors as that’s what you DO.

By: Kenneth E. Webster
July, 2009

An Adventure in Jamaica

This is the fourth adventure sponsored by the Hillsborough County Osteopathic Medical Society to provide medical services at a clinic in Treasure Beach, Jamaica. This group of travelers consisted of two HCOMS members, Dr. Douglas Nelson and Dr. Fred Taylor, the Executive Director, Dr. Kenneth Webster, the founder of the clinic, Janet Nichols and eleven students from LECOM-Bradenton. These noble volunteers spent the week of July 18-25, 2009, on this medical mission.

With travelers participating from across America, they all met up at the Montego Bay Airport the afternoon of Saturday, July 18th. The Ministry of Health from Jamaica met the group and assisted them in going through customs which took nearly two hours because of the medical supplies being brought into the country and donated to the clinic.

Upon leaving the airport with two large vans, they set out on a nearly three hour drive through beautiful hills, scenic mountain views and some scary curves. At 9:00 P.M. they reached Treasure Beach and were assigned to three different large villas. The boys were in Cacona, the girls in Lyric and the doctors in Calabash House. A brief meeting was held to review the coming week’s schedule.

Following breakfast on Sunday morning they all assembled at Treasure Beach Women’s Club where the clinic would be held. Exam rooms were set up, supplies placed on shelves and general procedures reviewed. Then the group set off by van for a day at YS Falls.

After about an hours drive to the entrance of the falls, they were driven by a special tractor and trailer to the actual falls. During this twenty-minute ride they passed herds of horses, goats and cows.

The falls were an amazing sight with at least seven different levels stretching hundreds of feet high up the mountain. Several climbed to the top and played and swam in the cool water. Others took a ride on a ZIP line that traversed over the entire area.

After over three hours of fun they traveled back to Treasure Beach following a fun filled day of adventure and intrigue.

That evening Dr. William Lockyer arrived from Kingston to spend a couple of days assisting us at the clinic. He was actually using the first two days of his vacation to join us. That evening we learned much about the Jamaican medical system which is a form of socialized medicine with private insurance available to those who choose to pay for it.

Monday would be our big opening day for the clinic. We all arrived at 8:30 a.m. and set up to receive patients. We had four work stations, a registration area and a place to test blood pressure and blood sugar. The officers of the ladies society gave an opening welcome, led us in singing and gave a prayer for all. It was a special welcome we’ll not forget.

There were about twenty patients waiting to register as we opened the clinic. The doctors and students did physical exams, treated skin problems, performed numerous OMM treatments on the two tables that were brought with us. The age range of patients was nine months to 75 years old. About two-thirds were women.

After three hours of patient contact we settled down for a lovely lunch prepared and served by the society ladies. It, too, made us feel welcome and special. Since the main room had to be cleared for the luncheon, patients in waiting moved outside under a big oak tree. Those who wished were served lunch as well.

The afternoon passed quickly and smoothly. At the end of the day, the doctors and students had treated forty-one grateful and happy patients. It was nice to see how everyone appreciated the medical exams and treatment. They were thrilled to receive our donated medical supplies to treat their medical concerns. We all then returned to our villas for the night exhausted but with a feeling of exuberance for the accomplishments of our first day.

On Tuesday, July 21st we opened the second day of the clinic upon our arrival at 9:00 a.m. There were twenty-nine people waiting to be treated. After an opening song of “This Little Light of Mine” and a prayer, the registration began. On this day 40 people were treated from ages 2 to 85. A special case of lupus on a 15 year old boy was reviewed from past clinics. Seven children under age 10 were treated. Again, the people were patient, happy and pleased for the treatment.

At the conclusion of this long day, we presented our Jamaican guest physician with a gift from us and the Women’s Society. It was a special candle that is a trademark of the Women’s Society. Following the days closing of the clinic, the three doctors made a home visit to a patient confined to a wheelchair. He is a former air traffic controller who has had several strokes. His wife is one of the pillars of the Women’s Society whose efforts helped us obtain approval from the Ministry of Health. Some of the adult leaders visited a facility at “Tranquility Bay” that might be considered for a future clinic and/or medical college. That night the cooks prepared a special lobster dinner. I guess we weren’t really roughing it.

Then came Wednesday, July 22nd our busiest day so far. On this day we treated 55 patients for a three day total of 136. It looks like we will pass our original projection of 160 patients in four days. On this day another Jamaican physician joined our ranks – Dr. Adenijo Bamidele from the Black River area. He was a great asset and the students learned a great deal about medicine from him. Our hostess and clinic manager, Katie Loveday, cooked a great spaghetti lunch for our group. What a treat it was.

OMT treatments were a special service as two tables were kept busy the entire day. The doctors attended to patients with diabetes, female problems, ear infections, malnutrition, several children under age five, eye infections, back pain and much more. It was an exciting yet exhausting day. However, several of our group traveled after clinic hours to the town of Mandeville to visit an orphanage and bring supplies. One of our students became ill and had to spend the day in bed.

On Thursday the doctors had the final day with patients. Forty-six were treated that day bringing the four day total to 186, not counting the ten home visits that Dr. Taylor and three students made. On this day the word had spread through the community that we were doing “pap smears” as ten ladies showed up for this test. We were also joined this day by Dr. Damedele and a local medical student studying in London. While we were all a little weary at the end of the day, we were so pleased with the results of the week. The people were so appreciative that it made the trip here a worthwhile adventure.

Friday was a free day for us to use however we would choose. The students set off early to the city of Black River for a boat cruise down the river to a little restaurant out in the sea called “Pelican Bar”. They also had some time to shop and returned to Treasure Beach pretty tired from a long day. Dr. Taylor spent much of his day swimming in the ocean, while Dr. Nelson and Dr. Webster treated themselves to a massage each at a different location.

That final night was a special event that was held at the new Taino Hotel at Tranquilty Bay. The small, quaint beachfront hotel provided the group with a special treat by the pool and beach and in the second floor dining room looking over the ocean. Following dinner there was time to say thanks to our local coordinators: Celeste Anderson, Katie Loveday, Kevin Mills and Rebecca Wiersma who all contributed greatly to the trips success. Doctors and students had a chance to express their thoughts about the trip. We all paid tribute to Janet Nichols who had to leave on Thursday, but her efforts were greatly appreciated. Dr. Webster concluded the evening with two poems he had written entitled, “Med Students Leading the Way” and “Treasure Beach – Paradise Found”. The ladies from the Treasure Beach Women’s Club presented Dr. Webster with a special “Starlight Pottery” made at Treasure Beach. It was the culmination of an exciting adventure to this wonderful place.

As we started to leave on Saturday morning, we all shared a bit of sadness. It was not easy to say goodbye to the people we had met and treated medically, and leaving this beautiful location in Jamaica was also difficult. The trip back to Montego Bay held some excitement as well when one of the vans overheated and delayed us about one-half hour. But we made it to the airport with time to spare for some shopping and lunch.

I want to say thank you to everyone in TBWG and in the community as a whole for welcoming us and making us feel so at home in Treasure Beach. It was a fantastic experience and I am sure that I will be back again!