Yesterday at the Montserrat Island Health Fair, the American Society of Hypertension, with the help of local Island nurses, screened 145 people for blood pressure. At 10 AM, the opening ceremony included comments from the Minister of Health, Colin Riley, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Owen, and Dr. Icilma Fergus-Rowe, head of the Disparities Center out of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City.
Following the ceremony, the health screening, that ran from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM, provided a host of information for the local residents including chronic disease screening, breast cancer exams, prostate cancer exams, information of different types of fire fighting; resuscitation; and general nutrition, health and exercise.
We even had people show up who we screened on Monday and Tuesday to be retested!
Local residents came out in droves on this beautifully hot summer day. Radio Montserrat provided island music and held interviews for the radio broadcast from the health fair all day.
ASH gave out home blood pressure monitors, the Blood Pressure and Your Health brochures, ASH designed mouse pads; and ASH Hypertension Community Outreach T-Shirts. Those people who received monitors were trained on how to use them.
As I drove around the island today to do more screening and to work at the hospital with Dr. Fergus, each place I stopped, I had people come up to me again to thank me for talking to them at the health screening. I am touched by how appreciative the islanders are for this health mission.
I am sad to say that today was my last day on the island as I head home to NY tomorrow morning. It is exciting to note that we have data on nearly 200 people from the island and that number may indeed grow as Dr. Fergus will see patients all day tomorrow. This has been an amazing experience - and we have met so many people who have touched our lives.
Good bye for now- Montserrat!!Hope to be back soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment