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Roman Catholic Diocese of Mandeville
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History From Apostolic Vicariate To Diocese On the feast of Our Lady of Holy Hope, July 9, 1991, the Apostolic Vicariate of Mandeville was established and Bishop Paul Michael Boyle, C.P. was ordained bishop, as the first Apostolic Vicar. The diocese began with 3 Passionist priests, 1 permanent deacon, 1 Passionist brother and 15 religious sisters. The Vicariate was raised to the status of a diocese in November 1997, with Bishop Boyle appointed to head the new diocese. Twinning Process In February, 1998 the Bishops of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and the Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica agreed to enter into a Twinning Process. Bishop Joseph V. Adamec and Bishop Paul Boyle look forward to this sister relationship and the benefits it will bring to both local church communities. Bishop Paul Boyle's visits to the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown have been both informative and productive in terms of raising the awareness and interest of the people of the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese concerning missionary needs. The Altoona-Johnstown Diocese has taken a major first step in responding to the needs of the Mandeville diocese by providing funds for the building of a housing project in Mandeville for volunteers and visitors. As you may have read, this modest housing complex is called 'Gallitzin House'. The Mandeville Diocese currently has 22 priests: 17 Diocesan, 2 Passionists, 2 Benedictines, and 1 Marian Community priest. There are 6 Brothers: 1 Benedictine, 2 Marian Community, 1 Passionist, and 2 from St. Joseph the Worker. There are 34 Sisters: 4 Daughters of Mercy, 4 Marian Community, 5 Mercy, 5 Missionaries of Charity, 2 Our Lady of Nazareth, 3 Passionists, 3 St. Josephs, 3 ICM’s, 3 Blue Sisters, and 2 Benedictines. There are 8 Permanent Deacons, 6 Seminarians, 2 Consecated Laity, and 12 Lay Missionary Volunteers. Holy Family Medical Ministries Dr. Carol Narkevic, MD Diocesan Medical Coordinator The Diocese of Mandeville occupies approximately the central third of the island of Jamaica. The medical outreach ministries within the Diocese are geared to service to the poor who cannot afford private doctors’ fees and/or medicine. These ministries are becoming quite varied and are open to all people in need, regardless of age, race or creed. Our Bishop is quite emphatic in acknowledging that we are all God’s people. Currently, there are five outpatient clinics, a residential home for the homeless and homebound who are unable to care for themselves, and two children’s homes. St. Croix Church Clinic in Santa Cruz is a very small dispensary-type facility begun in early 1993. It is currently staffed and run by Sister Matilda Mutunga. She is a Missionary of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, from Kenya. The clinic is in a small room attached to the church and is open four days a week. However, a bigger clinic with 2 exam rooms is in the process of being built on the Church property by a group of benefactors. Hopefully it will be completed in November of 2003. The purpose of this clinic is service to the poor who cannot even afford to go to the government clinics, although we often see people who did go there but simply do not get better. Sr. Matilda is a nurse and handles most of the common problems that patients present with such as respiratory infections, skin diseases, burns, cuts and abrasions, hypertension, arthritis, parasites, hygiene, gastritis, etc. She refers the patients who are more complicated to me when I come every two weeks. Then she often can continue management herself. She is able to do urine testing and glucose monitoring. The most common illnesses I see here are diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, gynecologic problems including sexually transmitted diseases, peptic ulcer disease, large venous stasis ulcers and many of the other diseases Sr. sees. If they can’t wait, she either refers to the public government clinic or calls me. She also spends much time doing patient education, dressing changes and visiting the sick at home. Supplies and medications are purchased with funds donated by benefactors or acquired by item donations of individuals or groups. Some of the patient donations/fees are also used per Sr.’s discretion. The average number of patients seen is about 200-250 per month, and there is a donation requested from each patient of whatever they can afford. Usually, people put about $50-100 in the box (US$1.00-2.00). St. Paul of the Cross Cathedral Clinic re-opened in November 1996 after being closed for almost two years. It is a project of the Women’s League of the Church since at least 1985. This clinic is open once a week and since January 2002 is able to boast a fully Jamaican staff. There are 2 volunteer nurses, Una McAlla, full time, and Thelma Robinson, part time, Dr. Wisdom who consults once a month, and a receptionist, Kareen Mattis, who is the only one who receives a small stipend from the Pastor. The patients are the indigent from the surrounding area of the city of Mandeville and present with the same disease profile as at St. Croix, with a slant toward the more chronic illnesses. The average number of patients seen here is 25/day. The fee is J$50 per visit, which is used for medications and supplies, as are funds donated generally for all the medical ministries. St. Vincent Strambi School Dispensary and Church Clinic is in Bull Savannah, on the South Coast, and is run by the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (a.k.a. Foreign Mission Society of Mandeville), a religious community of Priests and Brothers. It is a small, 12’ x 20’ room and was opened in September 1997 to care for the secondary school children there and the needy of the area. I direct this clinic and use it as the base for all the medical ministries since I live in Bull Savannah. Mrs. Patsy Powell is a parishioner who does both receptionist and pharmacy work, and receives a small stipend. We have not had a nurse to help there for more than a year. I see patients three days per week and make home visits when needed. The average number of patients seen in this clinic is 40/day. The patient profile, disease profile and services rendered are similar to the other clinics. Medications and supplies are purchased or provided by benefactors and patient fees. The current fee for a visit is $100, which includes the office visit and any medications and treatment. This clinic will be expanding into a house directly across the street and will offer medical, dental and physical therapy services, hopefully by the Fall of 2003. At that time, at least another person will need to be employed for pharmacy work. We hope to find a nurse also, who will be willing to join the medical team at this facility. Mary Help of Christians Residential Home in Balaclava is also nestled in the hills of the very central part of the island. It is a home for those people, usually elderly, who are homeless or who live alone and can no longer care for themselves and can’t afford to get help. The majority of the patients are from the Diocese, but several are from more distant parts of the island. In any event, they are usually the poorest of the poor. The Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa Sisters) run this home and all the care and support for the patients is free. It was opened in November 1993 and currently has approximately 60-70 patients. I visit every two weeks and that way am usually able to see all the patients monthly. In between time we communicate by phone, or when I am not available, a local doctor agrees to come for acute care visits. None of the Sisters who are there currently have any medical background. Many of the short-term patients are those who are terminal. The common conditions are those of the aged - arthritis, often crippling, hypertension, blindness, heart disease, nutritional deficiency, infections, venous stasis ulcers, loneliness, incontinence, and sometimes cancer, diabetes and lung disease. The Sisters try to enlist providers to help with most of what the patients require for their medical needs, but I often assist with medications from donors if able. Holy Spirit Church Clinic in Maggotty is the newest addition to our medical ministries. It is also hidden in the fertile hills of St. Elizabeth, near to Mary, Help of Christians Home. This clinic is a converted and renovated 12’ x 20’ trailer and was opened in March 2002. Fr. Marek Bzinkowski is the Pastor of the Church. I direct the clinic and am able to see patients there one day/week. Mrs. Patsy Powell works with me here also as well as Barbara Hert who is receiving on-the-job training to learn receptionist and pharmacy skills. Both receive small stipends per workday. There is no nurse. The disease profile and services rendered are similar to the other clinics. The patient profile however, is a little different because poverty seems to be more widespread and other medical resources for the poor are not as available, so we see many more sick children and young women than in other clinics, as well as the usual profile of elderly and those with chronic illnesses. Already, there are so many patients that we often have to stop registration at 50 patients. The fee is $100 per patient visit as in our other facilities, which is used for medications, supplies and stipends. Again, benefactors subsidize additional clinic needs. Our Lady of Hope Children’s Home is located in Black River, also on the South Coast, and is directed by Fr. Roland Dessine. Five salaried Jamaican women, three Assumption Sisters of Nairobi and a lay missioner from the British Overseas Volunteer Service currently staff the Home. It opened and received its government certification in early 1997. They have thirty-two children presently, all less than 11 years old. The Home accepts children of all ages and cares for them until they are eighteen years old. There are many Children’s Homes on the island and most children are there because of parental/family neglect, abandonment, abuse (both physical and sexual), and problems with the law or parent(s) who are simply unable to care for the children. I see the children when they first come to live there and for yearly physicals exams, and I am called when there are medical questions or problems in between time. However, I try to visit whenever I can as they are as my own. They are supported by some government subsidy for most of the children, individuals who sponsor/adopt a child at a monthly rate, and benefactors. There is no provision or fund for medical care or medications, dental care, vitamins, etc. St. John Bosco Children’s Home is located in Hatfield, outside of Mandeville, and is run by Srs. Susan Frazer and Miriam Krusling who are Sisters of Mercy. It was founded more than 40 years ago and usually cares for 125-150 boys at any one time, from ages 6 to 16. In an effort to become self-supporting and to teach the boys a trade as they get older, they have begun a butcher school, raising their own chickens and pigs, a catering service/school and a building training school. Sr. Miriam (known as Sr. Mimi) is also a nurse who cares for all the boys on the compound, and when necessary, the people from the surrounding community. There are no fees for her services and no steady source of medical supplies or medications for the boys. In addition to the already mentioned services, I am also able to do hemoglobin testing, glucose testing, cardiograms and fetal heart tone monitoring with Doppler, thanks to the generosity of benefactors, and when required, wound debridement and suturing. When patients need further workup or referral for consultation or hospitalization, they are usually sent on through the government system since this is less expensive than the private system. We do not do routine preventative care for children under five years old, immunizations, etc., or routine antenatal care because the system is already in place and functional within the government facilities to do that. All fees collected are used for medications and supplies. Donation moneys are used for medications, supplies and occasionally, for diagnostic tests (x-rays, blood tests) when patients who need them can’t afford to pay for them. All the facilities benefit from these donations. We would like to be able to offer Jamaican personnel a salary and hire more local staff, but are still unable to do so for lack of funds. All the medical clinics have a great potential to grow and serve many more patients. Growth is currently limited by lack of space, lack of funds and lack of available, consistent and competent personnel. We continue to need resources to maintain the present clinics and expand when possible. We are in great need of receptionists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and/or doctors at this time. The medical needs in Jamaica are increasing due to a variety of reasons, many of which are related to the economy. Updated June 15, 2003
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