WESTERN BUREAU:
Jamaican Shackera Scott is a consummate public-health professional, who is relentlessly engaged in the fight against the HIV epidemic in the United States.
The Spanish Town, St Catherine, native is passionate in her quest to assist in reducing HIV transmission, improving health outcomes for those infected, and reducing health inequities, using her public health career to champion the cause.
The 37-year-old public-health analyst, who made the United States her home two decades ago, has a clear message.
“HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, but with continued treatment, persons can live a healthy life where they can become undetectable, which lowers the risk of transmission,” she told The Gleaner.
Scott first began working directly with clients as a Ryan White housing specialist and also served as the senior contract administrator in the Broward County government, where she oversaw the funding of medical care for persons with HIV, managing more than US$35 million.
Scott’s career has traversed many areas of public health. She evolved from a dental assistant for children with special needs, moved to early childhood education, maternal health, mental health, and substance use contract manager, to where she currently stands in HIV services.
During her career as a public-health professional, she has made presentations on homelessness, housing, and healthcare. One of her presentations, which was delivered at the National Florida Behavioral Conference, was on the topic ‘Building a Trauma-informed Approach to Integrating HIV Primary Care and Behavioral Health Services’. This evidence-based approach yielded significant improvements in health outcomes for clients.
At one stage, Scott was the lead on the implementation of the safe syringe exchange programme in Broward County, a programme aimed at reducing transmission via needles for persons who use intravenous drugs. Within the initial three months of the programme, almost 300 persons utilised the service by exchanging one used needle for a clean one.
“This is to prevent HIV and AIDS and hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases,” Scott explained.
But her gritty resolve to put an end to the spread of the disease is not limited to her adopted land, but also to her native country, Jamaica. Last year, she started an HIV awareness campaign in the island by collaborating with local stakeholders, including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Jamaica, to provide free STI screenings.
She previously also organised medical and dental missions to Jamaica, in addition to clothing drives, with her alma mater – Nova Southeastern University – from which she got a first degree in psychology and post-graduate degree in public administration.
She also volunteers to feed the homeless in her neighbourhood, even doing so on Thanksgiving morning with her mom, Sherica Lewis, one of her biggest advocates.
“I believe in giving back in whatever capacity to society,” she told The Gleaner.
Scott, who was described as sickly as a child, was diagnosed with the sickle cell trait, which fuelled her drive to work in the field of public health.
The daughter of Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, her journey in public health began over a decade ago, leading to her present role as a public-health analyst for the Federal Agency’s Health Resources Services Administration, under the Department of Health and Human Services.
Passionate about ending the HIV epidemic, she is not contented to only occupy an office space but can be found at local community events advocating for persons to get in treatment and stay in treatment.
With extensive experience in public health, Scott has since been contacted by Bellevue Hospital CEO Suzettte Buchanan to assist in case conferencing.
“At this juncture, where we know that mental health is on the rise in Jamaica, which is highly stigmatised, we know that those two together (HIV and mental illness) can create extensive trauma in [people’s] lives, creating barriers to living a healthy and fulfilled life,” she argued.
She added that it is critical to find solutions to reducing the stigma for both chronic illnesses.