Karen Dale Foundation donates supplies to St Ann’s Bay Hospital

NEWLY MINTED charity, the Karen Dale Foundation, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Ocho Rios, recently donated equipment valued at more than $300,000 to the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital.

The items included 130 digital thermometers, 200 KN95 masks, 150 surgical masks, and 2,500 pairs of examination gloves.

Allison Burkett, founder and president of the Karen Dale Foundation, said that the foundation was launched in honour of her sister, Karen Dale, who passed away at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital in September 2017.

During their several trips to the hospital, Burkett said that she and her family recognised the need for various resources, thus driving her to assist.

“I felt like we needed to do something to help, and even though the outcome for my sister is not what we hoped for,” said Burkett, who launched the foundation on the first anniversary of Dale’s death.

Burkett officially also launched the signature programme, the Caribbean Healthcare Initiative, which is targeted at providing St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital with much-needed medical and other resources, with the long-term vision of expanding that focus to other hospitals islandwide.

Through the assistance of Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Ocho Rios, Burkett, herself a Rotarian, was able to source, purchase, and deliver the supplies to the hospital.

Burkett thanked Anne-Marie Bishop, president, and members of the Rotary Club of Ocho Rios, as well as Peta-Ann Hamilton and Medco Medical Supplies Limited for partnering in the cause.

Acting chief executive officer of St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, Delroy Morgan, praised the charitable organisations for extending assistance in the midst of the new coronavirus outbreak.

“Today, the Karen Dale Foundation and the Rotary Club of Ocho Rios are examples of this,” remarked Morgan, who expressed gratitude for the donation of personal protective equipment and other essential medical supplies.”