Another ambulance needed in Negril

[tfw73]

Mcselva, I am so sorry for your loss. My mother just had two heart attacks the beginning of January, so I have an idea of how terrifying it was for you. Prayers

[Rob]

What I want to know is...Is there someone trained in that ambulance or are we better off grabbing the first taxi or car willing to rush us to the hospital?

I thought I had already posted that there are trained EMTs in Negril - but to make it a bit more clear there ARE trained EMTs with the proper medical equipment in the ambulance. As for the judgement call on whether you should grab a taxi -it truly depends on the situation - if a simple trip to the hospital or clinic is needed - then take a taxi. But if serious medical attention is needed - call the ambulance.

Here is a copy of what I also posted back in beginning of August:

The new ambulance at the Negril Fire Station is now operational! It has completed all of its certifications and licensing requirements and has already been servicing the local community. This is a great addition to the private ambulance that has been Negril's only ambulance option of late.

The new ambulance is fully equipped with certified EMTs and can be reached by calling either 119, or 112 and the newly added 911 emergency phone numbers! Here is a pic taken today at the Negril Fire Station.



We would like to thank those involved in making this happen including folks such as Cliff Reynolds and Daniel Grizzle from the Negril Resort Board, Damian Salmon of the Negril Chamber and Winston Wellington who is spearheading the Negril International Hospital project. A big up to everyone involved!

In case anyone missed my previous message about making donations to the entity that can make this happen, I will re-post it once again:


"Since we live here and are all to familiar with this situation having to deal with it on a daily basis, you can be certain that you are not alone in wanting to see better for Jamaica. To that end, Winston Wellington, the owner of Travellers Beach Resort, who was instrumental in obtaining the ambulance for Negril has started the Negril International Hospital (NIH) project. Here is some information gleaned from their website:


MISSION
Our mission is to provide thoughtful, professional and complete medical treatments which specialize in emergency care, and surgical procedures. This will aid both the Jamaican nationals, and the over one million tourists that visit Negril each year. We also strive to provide a 24 hour emergency based hospital facility that will enable patients to receive specialized and urgent health care at all hours of the day. Furthermore, we will have a professional, compassionate staff that will cater to all patients’ needs, providing comprehensive medical treatments for emergency and surgical care.


GOALS
The Hospital is designed to become a recognized leader in its specialized field; exceling in emergency, clinical, and surgical services. The facility will feature over 100 acres of clinical space which will include a state of the art emergency room, a cardiology lab, and a radiology department. In addition to several operating rooms. Moreover, the hospital will feature 100 beds for in-patient care. Currently, there are no private hospitals in Negril to fully service both the inhabitants of Negril and the one million tourists that travel there annually, and the Negril International Hospital aims to fill this void.


http://www.negrilhospital.org/


There are links on the site to donate directly to this ambitious cause, which would vastly improve the medical services available in and around Negril. Donating to this worthy cause would probably be the best way to bring about the much needed services for visitors and locals alike. The first phase is projected to be opening in 2015. The Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea was just given 18 new beds by the NIH project in January, and the Sav La Mar Hospital had previously received 25 new beds. Here was the article in the Gleaner from February 16th:


http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...western92.html


The NIH contact information and Board of Governors and Advisory Board are listed below:


CONTACT


Negril International Hospital
200-09 Hollis Avenue :: Queens New York 11412
Voice: 718-753-9920 :: Fax: 718-230-7831


Travellers Beach Resort,
Norman Manley Blvd
Negril Westmoreland
Jamaica West Indies
Tel: 876-957-9308
Email: bill@negrilhospital.org


BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Winston Wellington, NIH Chairman
Bill Tingling, CEO
Wayne De-Leon CFO, Treasurer
Dr. Rudolph Willis, Secretary
Carl Reid, Paramedic
Dr. David Garwood, MD
Dennis Hawthorne
Elaine Allen Bradley RN, BSC
Patrick Fletcher
Barry Westcarr
Dr. Eric Shoenfeld, MD
Dr. Richard Constable, MD
Winthrope Wellington, B.S., M.B.A.
Dr. Robert Clarke, MD
Angela Sutherland


ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Robert Clarke, MD
Dr. Winston Davidson, MD
Christine Chadwick
Dr. Winston Price, MD
Dr. Una Clarke
Edward Stephenson
Ken Cooney
John Brown
Karl & Fay Rodney
Telieth Drummond
Winfield Wellington, B.S.
Wingate Wellington, B.S., CPA
Keith Dwaynie
Sandy Vasceannie
Joyce Perry
Fitzroy Hall"

[Lola]

The quality of life and access to medical care that most of us enjoy in North America is not the norm.

hille141 thank you for the perspective.

It is reasonable for people to expect that just as they will experience many different foods, fun and sights on a vacation to a different environment, they will also be served by the medical facilities available in those locales.


Mcselva, I feel for your loss. I recently had a similar but not so public experience with a beloved aunt.

[Rambo]

It is a eye opening experience to visit a "emerging Nation"...its because we live in the North America, where some of the finest, modern care and service is available RIGHT NOW........quicker for the wealthy........that is how we judge other people and places....
that is where the difference lays, this is a country where the majority of the wealth is held by a small group of residents, to assure themselves of high medical care they must leave and go to that care, it may be a quick flight to Kingston, or to the States...so Fine Health Care is available...How much ya got?..how healthy ya wanna be....
any country you visit you will run across the same conditions..to view them fairly, you must first lower the standards that you have grown up with......

[Jaherring]

The photo is pretty....but im confused. the womans daughter that started this thread said that fifteen (15) people called the ambulance and it never arrived. Sooooo, whats good does it do to have a nice Mercedes ambulance loaded with trained emt's if it doesn't respond to 15 calls?? That's the part I don't *get*.

[Bnewb]

Jaherring...how did you miss that Mcselva said it may have been on another call?
You can call as often as you want, but if it's out on another call, it can't get to you. Thus, the conversation about getting a second ambulance etc.

[Jamerican71]

I am writing this post in hopes that people will help lobby for the cause of another ambulance in Negril. I have been traveling to Negril for the past 20 years and I am very much in love with the island of Jamaica. This past trip, however, was a nightmare. I am the daughter of the woman who suffered a heart attack on the Negril Beach Club property. The lack of response by any medical professionals is heartbreaking to me. Not just because of the loss of my mother, but because the Jamaican people deserve better too. There were over 15 people who called the ambulance, both locals and tourists. No response service EVER showed up. The attempts by myself, my fiancé and the guests proved insufficient. The police didn't even show up until close to an hour after she had passed, and then there was a several hour wait for a coroner as her body lie on a pool chair in the parking lot. This is unacceptable. EVERYBODY deserves a chance and I would like to see better for Jamaica and my Jamaican friends who are family to me. If anyone is willing to help me with this cause, I would be forever grateful. Things like this should not happen, and I plan to make it a mission that nobody else has to go through what we did and are still going through.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I heard about this unfortunate and awful incident soon after from some of my friends who were there helping. I know that your family remains in prayers of many. I commend you for your strength and your ability to want to help others so that other incidents like this do not reoccur. You could have come here hating Jamaica but through your hurt you recognize that along with tourists, the Jamaican people deserve better also. I hope the memories you have of your mom bring you comfort and joy during this difficult time.

[Mcselva]

Jaherring...how did you miss that Mcselva said it may have been on another call?
You can call as often as you want, but if it's out on another call, it can't get to you. Thus, the conversation about getting a second ambulance etc.

Exactly, but I would still like to know why after even an hour the one ambulance didn't show up. Even with Sav being half an hour away with speed limits, after an hour of CPR, the ambulance should have been there. It (allegedly) would not have changed anything (although, who knows!!!!!!), but it's the principal.

[Jamerican71]

Exactly, but I would still like to know why after even an hour the one ambulance didn't show up. Even with Sav being half an hour away with speed limits, after an hour of CPR, the ambulance should have been there. It (allegedly) would not have changed anything (although, who knows!!!!!!), but it's the principal.

There could have been 10 ambulances but if the infrastructure is not in place where the vehicles are regularly maintained then it just remains parked in a garage where there will be more victims. There is no excuse that an ambulance did not arrive in a timely fashion because at the very least it could have given you some hope that trained EMT's were working to save your mother.

[Rob]

Mcselva,

This is a hard post to make since I cannot pretend to imagine the pain you are going through having your Mom pass here in Negril. But living daily here for the last 20 years, I have had to deal with friends passing away while they were here and how the system in Jamaica operates. It is never easy to have to handle a situation like that. I know you are hurting.

The ambulance in Negril at the Fire Station services Negril and also serves the surrounding areas. That means that the ambulance also handles the far back roads, the far West End and even the Orange Bay area. It goes where ever it is needed.

The one hour time period is a terrible amount of time to have to wait and minutes seem like hours during those moments - but the typical ambulance run can take hours to handle from beginning to end. When your Mother had passed, the situation no longer was that of a medical emergency but that of the police and Medical Examiner that Hille141 so expertly detailed. The doctor who showed up may have been the one that contacted the police and the Medical Examiner's office.

While the ambulance in Negril has already saved the lives of mnay people in the Negril area, even assisting at least two of the boardies here on the Negril Message Boad, this why I am so very pleased that you posted here and talked with Winthrope Wellington! You have brought light to not only the need of another ambulance but have also pointed out the importance of Negril Interational Hospital project which would be the improved infrastructure that Jamerican71 just posted about. I will again post the NIH's Mission, Goals and links to be able to donate to this so needed cause.

"Since we live here and are all to familiar with this situation having to deal with it on a daily basis, you can be certain that you are not alone in wanting to see better for Jamaica. To that end, Winston Wellington, the owner of Travellers Beach Resort, who was instrumental in obtaining the ambulance for Negril has started the Negril International Hospital (NIH) project. Here is some information gleaned from their website:


MISSION
Our mission is to provide thoughtful, professional and complete medical treatments which specialize in emergency care, and surgical procedures. This will aid both the Jamaican nationals, and the over one million tourists that visit Negril each year. We also strive to provide a 24 hour emergency based hospital facility that will enable patients to receive specialized and urgent health care at all hours of the day. Furthermore, we will have a professional, compassionate staff that will cater to all patients’ needs, providing comprehensive medical treatments for emergency and surgical care.


GOALS
The Hospital is designed to become a recognized leader in its specialized field; exceling in emergency, clinical, and surgical services. The facility will feature over 100 acres of clinical space which will include a state of the art emergency room, a cardiology lab, and a radiology department. In addition to several operating rooms. Moreover, the hospital will feature 100 beds for in-patient care. Currently, there are no private hospitals in Negril to fully service both the inhabitants of Negril and the one million tourists that travel there annually, and the Negril International Hospital aims to fill this void.


http://www.negrilhospital.org/


There are links on the site to donate directly to this ambitious cause, which would vastly improve the medical services available in and around Negril. Donating to this worthy cause would probably be the best way to bring about the much needed services for visitors and locals alike. The first phase is projected to be opening in 2015. The Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea was just given 18 new beds by the NIH project in January, and the Sav La Mar Hospital had previously received 25 new beds. Here was the article in the Gleaner from February 16th:


http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...western92.html


The NIH contact information and Board of Governors and Advisory Board are listed below:


CONTACT


Negril International Hospital
200-09 Hollis Avenue :: Queens New York 11412
Voice: 718-753-9920 :: Fax: 718-230-7831


Travellers Beach Resort,
Norman Manley Blvd
Negril Westmoreland
Jamaica West Indies
Tel: 876-957-9308
Email: bill@negrilhospital.org


BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Winston Wellington, NIH Chairman
Bill Tingling, CEO
Wayne De-Leon CFO, Treasurer
Dr. Rudolph Willis, Secretary
Carl Reid, Paramedic
Dr. David Garwood, MD
Dennis Hawthorne
Elaine Allen Bradley RN, BSC
Patrick Fletcher
Barry Westcarr
Dr. Eric Shoenfeld, MD
Dr. Richard Constable, MD
Winthrope Wellington, B.S., M.B.A.
Dr. Robert Clarke, MD
Angela Sutherland


ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Robert Clarke, MD
Dr. Winston Davidson, MD
Christine Chadwick
Dr. Winston Price, MD
Dr. Una Clarke
Edward Stephenson
Ken Cooney
John Brown
Karl & Fay Rodney
Telieth Drummond
Winfield Wellington, B.S.
Wingate Wellington, B.S., CPA
Keith Dwaynie
Sandy Vasceannie
Joyce Perry
Fitzroy Hall"