New York Board-Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr. Dwight Williams (l) attending to a patient on a recent dental mission to Jamaica.
Photo by Anthony “ER Guru” Turner
Emirates Facial & Dental Implant Center (EFDIC), a New York Board-Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr. Dwight Williams, will host a three-day medical and dental mission this month in Little London, Westmoreland, Jamaica.
Chief Financial Officer Morvia Reid Williams told Caribbean Life on Tuesday, Dec. 16, that the mission, which is supported by multiple international and local partners, will provide “a comprehensive slate of services including dental care, diabetes screening, wound care, mental-health first aid, child therapy sessions, and patient education on hypertension and diabetes.”
Reid Williams said the mission was conceptualized with “a deep desire to help Jamaicans in Western Jamaica who are putting their lives back together post-Hurricane Melissa.
“For 12 years, we have coordinated dental missions through the United Mission of Goodwill,” she said. “Little London is Dr Williams’ childhood home. Through family and friends, we learned what people are facing – lack of food, limited access to health care, and urgent need for mental-health aid.”
Reid Williams stated that the mission aims to provide humanitarian support by offering assistance with medical care, dental emergency care, and mental health services.
“Our team of medical doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers, and a hypertension and diabetes educator will be there to provide much-needed service,” she said. “We are prepared to do wound care, triage, and dental extraction. Some medications will also be available.”
“We recognize the severe emotional and psychological trauma that this event has caused in the community,” she added. “Their entire well-being is at risk, from the elderly to the children to the caregivers. Their loss has been so great.”
Reid Williams said the medical team to Jamaica will be led by Dr. Leesa Schaaffee of the Giving JA organization, while emergency dental care will be headed by Dr. Jodiann Manderson and the EFDIC team.
The CFO said that several organizations, including United Mission of Goodwill, Caribbean Girls Dream of Hope, Walker Contractor, JamPsych, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, have committed to the mission.
She said a large contingent of volunteers for the mission will fly from New York carrying essential supplies for the needy.
“We recognize the severe emotional and psychological trauma Hurricane Melissa has caused,” Reid Williams said. “From the elderly to the children, their entire well-being is at risk. Their loss has been tremendous.”