QEH receives major supply donation

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has benefited from a substantial donation of medical supplies valued at over $100 000 in a “Team Barbados” collaboration of Barbadian diplomats and diaspora associations.

The donation, which arrived in a 40-foot container shipment from New York, represents one of the final initiatives undertaken by Holder during his tenure as consul general there before becoming High Commissioner to the UK.

The shipment, consisting mostly of syringes, needles, and medical clothing, was made possible through a collaborative effort involving various organisations and individuals.

A significant portion of the supplies, including 6 240 N95 masks, 8 000 surgical masks, 600 hazmat suits, 3 600 isolation gowns, and 50 disposable face shields, was donated by the Wyckoff Heights Medical Centre in Brooklyn. This contribution was facilitated through cooperation between the Consuls General of Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in a bid to showcase CARICOM cooperation.

Another 432 000 syringes and needles were donated following a recommendation by Kendra Holdip, Deputy Consul General in Miami, to contact her friend Doreen King in New York, as the collaborative efforts of the “Team Barbados” network in the US bears fruit.

Other contributors to the shipment included Dr O’Neall Parris, a paediatrician who chairs the Barbados Diaspora Collaborative, USA (BDCUSA), Inc., who donated several boxes of syringes and needles. The Barbados Support Group (BSG), health worker Debbie Odderson, and Cicely Wilkinson, former president of the Barbados Nurses Association of America (BNAA), also provided supplies such as colourful nurses’ overalls, adult diapers, branded nurses’ mugs, strollers, and at least one wheelchair.

The shipment additionally contained care buddies for children and six recliner chairs for the QEH paediatrics department, in the latest donation of Treva Holder, who has developed a strong relationship with the department over the past four years. The recliner chairs, valued at approximately $10 000, were donated by individuals and families from Barbados, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Head of the hospital’s paediatrics department Dr Angela Jennings, expressed gratitude to Holder, the Barbadian diaspora in New York, and all contributors for their support of the department. Also commending the efforts of all involved was Head of Procurement  Keith Griffith, who noted that the varied donations would assist the hospital in numerous areas.

(PR)