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25
October

2014 Medical Initiative

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image   As I sit in the doorway of Couples Tower Isle, the wind blowing through my hair and the sound of the waves hitting the shore, I sit and reflect on my time here. I have been blessed beyond words to be able to be a part of the Issa Trust Foundation. 2014 was my 4th medical initiative and words cannot describe the utmost joy this 2 week trip brings to my life. Each year people ask me to describe the trip. One cannot describe this trip until you have lived it for yourself. I dont really have that one “ah ha” moment that I can talk about because each trip, each day becomes a memory etched in my heart. Each smile, each hug, the graciousness of the Jamaican people, and the feeling of the kind human spirit that flows through all humans no matter where our “home” is. That is what I leave here with the feeling that every mother, father aunt, uncle, and grandparent wants their child to be healthy and loved. Over the time I have spent here, I can see a substantial difference in the overall health of the Jamaican children. I remember that after I drew a hemoglobin level on a teenage girl, the level was low. I told her to eat more calaloo. I was able to draw her hemoglobin again this year, her number was substantially higher. She says to me “I remember you, and I listened to you. I have been eating my calaloo. I dont like it, but I am eating it.” Not only is the community of Jamaica so warm and friendly, but the staff at Couples Tower Isle make you feel like you are family. Each day, each person greets you with a warm smile. After a while, they all begin to call you by name. I was walking out to the boat dock, I heard “nurse, nurse!” I looked over and a employee at the watersports area says, “Welcome home, nurse!” Yes thank you my friend, I am home. So I am thankful for my time spent here. I am looking forward to more smiles, more hugs, more “welcome homes” and most of all looking forward to making more children healthier. Because one must never forget, these children our the future and we must always take care of them. So if you have the time or money please help the Issa Trust Foundation in their goal of helping the children of Jamaica become healthier. You will be rewarded in ways you never knew. I tell my friends and family back home that I go to Jamaica to help others, but every time I come back, it is I, indeed who has been helped. Kerri Cook, RN
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22
October

Issa Trust Foundation Joins the National #GivingTuesday Movement

News, Press Release
 

October 21, 2014 05:01 ET

Issa Trust Foundation Joins the National #GivingTuesday Movement to Encourage Spending With a Purpose: Enriching Lives in Jamaica

DAVIE, FL–(Marketwired – Oct 21, 2014) – The Issa Trust Foundation has joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort that will harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners — charities, families, businesses and individuals — to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Taking place December 2, 2014 — the Tuesday after Thanksgiving — #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are, today, synonymous with holiday shopping.

 

This year, the Issa Trust Foundation will encourage supporters to participate in a series of ongoing activities leading up to the big day. Fans and followers will be prompted to post photos of themselves doing good deeds and asked to tag people who have provided them with a helping hand. The #OpenPalms hashtag will be used in the foundation’s efforts to digitally unite the helping hands that will surround this year’s showing of support.

 

Issa Trust Foundation President and CEO, Diane Pollard said, “#GivingTuesday is a new arena for us, but we are excited to leverage the power of this moment to give our cause even more global exposure. It’s quite amazing to see how social media engagement can garner so much support for the people of an island nation like Jamaica.”

 

“#GivingTuesday is a counter narrative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday because it reminds us that the spirit of the holiday giving season should be about community and not just consumerism,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation. “The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends and neighbors is the commitment to work together to help build a better world.”

 

On December 2, participants in this year’s #OpenPalms #GivingTuesday activities with the Issa Trust Foundation will be surprised with an uplifting message from the children of Jamaica.

 

About the Issa Trust Foundation

 

The Issa Trust Foundation was established in 2005 by Couples Resorts as a nonprofit organization. The mission of the Foundation is to provide a system of prevention, health promotion and education, community health improvement and other services to promote well-being and development for the people of Jamaica. Together, through educational and professional programs, we work with and advocate for families to provide a safe, nurturing and permanent home for children.

 

Visit them online to find out more and become a part of something truly special: IssaTrustFoundation.com

   

About #GivingTuesday

 

#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on December 2, 2014. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners — charities, families, businesses and individuals — to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

 

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit: www.givingtuesday.org

 

Source: https://www.marketwired.com/press-release/issa-trust-foundation-joins-national-givingtuesday-movement-encourage-spending-with-1959369.htm

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16
October

Jamaica Gleaner Profiles ITF 2014 Mission

Featured Post, News, Press Release
 
From left: Issa Trust Foundation's medical director, Pat Brophy, with dental hygienists Silvia Flores and Mary Sullivan.
From left: Issa Trust Foundation’s medical director, Pat Brophy, with dental hygienists Silvia Flores and Mary Sullivan.

US Volunteers Deliver Medical Aid To St Mary Communities

Orantes Moore, Gleaner Writer
ORACABESSA, St Mary:

A MEDICAL team comprising more than 40 volunteers from the United States of America joined forces with the Issa Trust Foundation (ITF) to deliver a four-day mission across three districts in St Mary last month.

The delegation, led by the ITF’s medical director, Dr Pat Brophy, comprised pharmacists, physicians and therapists from hospitals in New York, Florida and Indiana, and targeted children in Oracabessa, Islington and Mason Hall with a series of mobile health clinics.

According to Brophy, the foundation, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has developed a highly efficient process for providing quality, paediatric medical care as part of its long-term strategy to support and partner with local medical and other organisations.

He told Rural Xpress: “Four years ago, we introduced an electronic medical records system and now we’ve restructured into something like a clinical microsystem, so we’re able to run through over 200 patients a day, and give the kids great care.

“The system is a very lean process. The kids come in and register on our computer database, so we know if they are repeat visitors. From there, they have their vital signs checked and we monitor weight, growth, blood pressure and pulse and respiratory rates.

“If the patient is either a child aged between six months and two years, or a young lady over the age of 12 years old, they can also get their blood count [tested] because there is a high rate of anaemia in those groups, so we look for sickle cell or any indication of those kinds of things.”

While the children receive full body, dental and eye examinations, and medication and eyeglasses if necessary, completely free of charge, the foundation collects detailed information about each patient, which it shares with the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Brophy claims that between the annual missions and the ITF’s paediatric residency programme at Couples Hotel in Tower Isle, the charity has delivered health-care services to more than 60,000 children since 2010.

Nurse Jerre Grefe has travelled on four missions to Jamaica and watched the project flourish in recent years. She said: “I keep coming back to Jamaica because it’s a wonderful country with wonderful children.

Good care

“The work we do is important because every child deserves good medical care and health, and every year, [the mission] gets bigger and bigger because of word-of-mouth.”

Nurse Monica Keleher, who was returning to Jamaica for the second time, added: “Clinics like this are essential. I went to Haiti right after the earthquake and for three consecutive years after that because, in terms of sustainability, it’s important that we keep our kids healthy.”

The ITF’s primary objective is to support local communities and help the Government develop a “… sustainable and integrated health-care system,” said Brophy.

“We’ve been working towards developing an educational programme that is in alignment with the MOH’s plans, particularly for neonatology.

“We integrate ourselves within the paediatric community and our practitioners go out to local hospitals to participate in seeing patients on a daily basis.”

He added: “Last year, we noticed a decrease in incidents of asthma, probably due to education and changes in the Government’s smoking policy, which is good. Also, among some of the kids we’ve been monitoring for the past few years, there have been improvements in growth and a decrease in rates of anaemia.”

rural@gleanerjm.com

PHOTOS BY ORANTES MOORE

Quoted From the Jamaica Gleaner: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20141011/news/news6.html#.VDl0-IjUaFY.twi
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06
October

Couples, Issa Trust Foundation help out

Featured Post, News, Press Release
 
Jamaica’s Couples Resorts is applauding the efforts by the affiliated Issa Trust Foundation to make the world a better place. Following this month’s JAPEX tourism show in Jamaica, Couples hosted a trip for tourism industry personnel to Jamaica’s Free Hill Primary School and the Orcabessa Medical Clinic, run by volunteers of the foundation, and brought school supplies for the students. Seen here (l-r) are Brenda McInerney, Transat Vacations; Diane Pollard, president of the Issa Trust Foundation; Dean Sullivan, VP sales and marketing, Couples Resorts; Suzanne Fleming, national accounts manager Canada, Couples Resorts; Ivonna Szelerska, Couples Resorts; Paul Issa, deputy chairman, Couples Resorts; Cindy Gerhardt, WestJet Vacations; and Darin Meder, national accounts manager USA, Couples Resorts, with students from the kindergarten class at Free Hill Primary School. Source: Travel Press
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24
August

Small Things with Great Love

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We look around and see heroes among us.

We are thankful for the opportunity to work alongside the general practitioners and pediatricians here. It has been a privilege to partner with you and to learn from each other. Thanks especially to Dr. San San Win, Dr. Iyer Ramos, and the hospital administrators who helped coordinate each day. Thank you to Dr. Candi, Dr. Min, Dr. Rico, Dr. Slolely, Dr. Ravi, and the many others who patiently helped us navigate hospital admissions, referrals, and the daily ins and outs of the medical system.

We appreciate the kindness of the Couples Tower Isle Staff at the resort and the Ministry of Health drivers on our daily commute, making us feel welcome and teaching us about Jamaica—its culture, music, food, language, values, and so much more. We miss your smiles and warmth already.

We are inspired by Diane Pollard, who shared over dinner the story of her dream and its reality in starting the Issa Trust Foundation.

We are indebted to the families of our patients– for entrusting us to care for their children.

We value our young patients and the chance to intersect with their lives.

We give thanks for the opportunity to be in Jamaica.

And as we return to the States, we consider for ourselves… How to continue to engage the world around us? How to respond to the poverty, economic inequality, injustice, and violence streaming across the headlines, in other countries, in our nation, and in our very own city? What to do when it hits us between the eyes? It’s a small, uncomfortable feeling, but one that grows with the truth that life is short and that we truly should live, not merely exist. And we remember the words of Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

So we seek to continue to respond with love—by doing small things, the hard things, and thus bringing hope for the future. We hope that you too are inspired.

A sincere thank you to the Issa Trust Foundation and all who support its work.

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