Members of the Lluidas Vale community came out to welcome members of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, the Shipping Association of Jamaica, Blue Cross of Jamaica, the Diabetes Association of Jamaica and Solid Life & General Insurance Brokers who brought the 'Jamaica Wellness Tour' clinic to their community. The happy group is pictured at the Lluidas Vale Market where the SAJ's mobile clinic was in operation. - Contributed

The Jamaica Wellness Tour made its first rural stop when it journeyed last week to Lluidas Vale in St. Catherine where it offered residents low-cost medical tests in the Shipping Association of Jamaica's mobile clinic from March 19 to March 23.

Members of the Lluidas Vale community gave a warm welcome to the clinic on the grounds of their market on Monday, March 19, and praised the sponsors and organisers of the Jamaica Wellness Tour for their initiative in promoting preventative medical care.

The tour, which was officially launched in April 2006, is a project of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, in collaboration with the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), Blue Cross of Jamaica Limited (BCJL), the Diabetes Association of Jamaica (DAJ) and Solid Life and General Insurance Brokers.

The tour has now made seven stops, with the Shipping Association of Jamaica's mobile clinic already providing services at the University of the West Indies Health Centre, the New Providence Primary School in Liguanea, the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, the Holy Trinity Cathedral and Wolmer's Prep and High schools. At these sites, low-cost medical tests were provided to residents of surrounding communities.

At the launch of the seventh leg, Winston Barnes, president of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, noted that the Jamaica Wellness Tour was keeping with its objectives of:

Providing medical screening facilities to those persons who face the greatest challenge in accessing such services;

Increasing the awareness of Jamaicans on the need to adopt healthy lifestyles and preventive approaches to personal health care.

The Rotary Club's president also thanked Transocean Shipping Ltd. and Maritime and Transport Ltd. for their kind assistance in transporting the mobile clinic to the various venues.

In her address at the launch, Dena Davis, managing director of Solid Life Insurance Brokers, indicated that her organisation was pleased to provide strips for blood-sugar tests and to partner with the Jamaica Wellness Tour in bringing health services to those most in need.

BCJL, the SAJ and the DAJ are providing medical personnel, equipment and supplies for the medical tests that included heart and blood pressure tests; eye screening; and, blood-sugar tests.

In Lluidas Vale, Walter Eastwood and Oliver Peart provided invaluable services to ensure the smooth running of the clinic and special thanks must go to Rotarian Dr. Anne Maria Bankay who initiated arrangements for the Jamaica Wellness Tour to be taken to that community.