Nurse Ackie and her colleagues at the Montserrat Credit Union conducting screening sessions on Thursday.
An educational session, a church service, blood pressure and sugar screening and an Annual General Meeting at which a new board was elected were the main highlights as nurses on Montserrat joined their counterparts worldwide in celebrating International Nurses Week (2016) beginning May eighth.
The week of activities jumped off with a church service at the Brades Pentecostal church and culminated with a luncheon on Friday. The nurses held their annual General Meeting on Wednesday at which time members present cast their ballots to select a new board to lead them for the new term. The nurses were also on the road at different locations throughout the week providing screening sessions.
Immediate past president nurse Alex Ackie, who remains on the board as immediate past president, told TMR, it is customary for the nurses to provide the public screening sessions throughout the year at convenient locations. The idea is to allow persons who may not otherwise find an opportunity to have these done because of busy schedules the chance to do so. On Monday a group of nurses were in the Carrs Bay area providing the free screening and again on Thursday this service was provided at two locations—The Montserrat Credit Union and the Bank of Montserrat.
Outgoing president Ackie also pointed out that there are regular work place screening sessions during the year. She said these are well patronised but that the need still exists to go out into the community and be more visible. This encourages persons on their daily routines to stop in and have the screening done. Ackie served as the president of the local nurses association for two terms, a term being one year. She does not single out any particular contribution she made during her tenure as being most significant, explaining that it’s difficult to gauge what is significant to another individual.
The reigns of leadership passed to Donnick Lane who will now serve as president. The other members of the board are Icillma Stanley, Vice President, Deseree Sillcott as treasurer, Roseline Tuitt-Irish as the public relations officer, Jeanette Lee as secretary and Jeanette Brade as assistant secretary/treasurer.
