The health of residents in the environs of the Petrojam Refinery continues to be a central focus of Petrojam Limited’s Corporate Outreach activities. On Saturday, November 09, the company hosted close to 350 members of the Greenwich Town Community and its environs to its Annual Community Health Fair. In this its 8th staging, many residents, some of whom are repeat patrons for all eight years, are very appreciative of this event which this year granted access to over 12 health and social services including Eye and Ear Screening, Medical Examinations, HIV Testing, Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Testing, Path Registration, RGD Applications, among others. Nerene Francis from Greenwich Town looks forward to this Health Fair. She notes, “I have been coming here for the last three years and I get a “check-up” for me, my children and by grandkids. I look forward to coming here every year as I get everything done in one place for free – PAP Smear, HIV Test, Blood Pressure, everything. “Sometimes we don’t even have the money to go to the Doctor and when we go to the Clinic the wait is so long to see the doctors that sometimes it don’t mek nuh sense, we just get turned off. When I come here, I get to do everything and I don’t have to pay, she adds. Paulene Lewis, who is also from Greenwich Town came with complaints of her chest tightening and a throbbing headache, which she said she had been experiencing for days. “I feel better now that I have seen the doctor and I know exactly what is it. It’s my blood pressure. I have been meaning to go from before but just didn’t have the cash. Paulene, who is also a single parent, was even happier when she discovered that she could in fact get assistance from PATH for her sixteen year old daughter. “This is a good effort by Petrojam. “,” she notes. Charmaine Mckoy of the Ministry of Health has been exhibitor at the Health Fair for four of the eight years. When asked what motivates her to come back year after year? She notes “This Health Fair is a very important activity as it reaches so many underprivileged persons that are unable to access these services readily.” She said this year many of the senior citizens with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension came in search of information on better dieting. The health fair is organized annually by the Community Outreach Committee of Petrojam. It had the participation of management and staff as well as community volunteers and family and friends of employees. The volunteers also included Petrojam GSAT Scholars and the 2013 Graduate Interns. Production Manager of Petrojam, Telroy Morgan was quite moved by the feedback from the community. “Based on the feedback we’ve been getting from community persons we know that the services are going well, they like how they are treated and they really enjoy what Petrojam is doing for them,” he notes, adding, “and it is something that we will continue to do as we seek to serve the needs of the people whom we serve.
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