Seventh Day Adventist church partners with 100 clinics
Published:Wednesday | January 9, 2019 | 12:00 AMJodi-Ann Gilpin/Gleaner Writer
The Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church did not only commend the Ministry of Health for its 'Jamaica Moves' campaign, but they have partnered with the entity by adopting 100 clinics across the island in a bid to improve the lives of citizens.
President of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Pastor Everett Brown said that while the initiative did not mean ownership of the clinics, the church would be on a mission to repair, renovate, and provide the necessary resources to the facilities as directed by the ministry.
"We will encourage churches under the Adopt-a-Clinic programme to visit their local health facilities and identify opportunities to provide support to the health professionals," Brown said during a press conference to launch the church's Islandwide Health Initiative for 2019 on Tuesday at the SDA Church's Eastern Region St Andrew headquarters.
Brown continued, "This may be assisting in improving or effecting repairs to the physical environment, such as painting, repairs, supplying equipment needed, as funds are available, to make the working environment more attractive to workers and clients."
EDUCATION FOCUS
The president also emphasised that there would be a special focus on educating citizens on various aspects of health through seminars, symposiums, and fairs. He added that in addition to the evangelistic aspect, a major component of the church's focus is on health.
Brown said, too, that many health-related community outreach projects had been undertaken and would continue to be carried out in various communities across the island through the more than 750 congregations.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton expressed gratitude to the church for the partnership.