By Michel Outridge

Trafalgar Village has a Health Outpost with five staffers, who are very accommodating and approachable.

The Health Outpost is referred to as #28 Health Outpost and it sits almost in the middle of the village and is accessible to all.

The team met Registered Nurse Jacia Shepherd who told the Pepperpot Magazine they offer all the services like any other health centre and they provide professional service to the people of the village and its environs.

She disclosed that some of the services offered are pre, post and anti-natal care, family planning, chronic diseases clinic and persons can just walk in for treatment if they are ill.

Shepherd stated that chronic diseases clinic are held every Friday and that is the biggest clinic they see.

The #28 Health Outpost is staffed with a Clinic Attendant, a Patient Care Assistant, a Nursing Attendant, a Visiting Doctor, a Midwife and a Community Health Worker.

Collectively, she added they try to provide a good service to the people and they see most common cold and flu patients given it’s a seasonal illness.

Shepherd stated that the more serious cases are referred to Fort Wellington Hospital and Mahaicony Hospital.

The 25-year-old reported that in Region Five they have 16 health centres with #28 being the only Health Outpost and the main Health Centre is at Bush Lot, a few villages away.

“I have been in nursing for six years and I was drawn to the profession because I like people and serving my community is what I wanted to do for a living, be of service to people,” she said.

She worked at the New Amsterdam Hospital before she was transferred to #28 Health Outpost in 2016.

“Working in the public health sector is nice because you get to upgrade with training programmes and get hands-on experience which makes you marketable,” she explained.

She resides a few villages away but Trafalgar is like home for her because it is her place of work and she is comfortable being there and serving the people.

“If we have clinic we try to see patients as soon as we can to minimise the waiting period and we provide one on one health care. Patients can speak to us in confidence as it relates to their health care so we can diagnose them correctly and makes referrals,” she said.

The mother of one stated that the Health Outpost is opened from 8:00hrs to 16:30hrs from Monday to Friday.

By just speaking to Nurse Shepherd you can tell she is serious about her job and she gives you a sense of concern making you feel very important since her effort is concentrated solely on you as an individual.

Apart from villagers of Trafalgar, people from nearby villages would also visit for basic health care and to attend the clinic.

Shepherd and her colleagues had on their protective gear with face masks and for them, it was a normal day.