A Permanent Health Centre for Treasure Beach Moves a Step Closer

The launch event for the Treasure Beach Health Centre at BREDS Sports Park, July 25, 2025. Photo: treasurebeachhealthcentre.org.

BREDS – The Treasure Beach Foundation will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Treasure Beach Health Centre on Sunday, October 18, at 10:30 am at BREDS Sports Park. Everyone in the community is invited to join BREDS, the Treasure Beach Women's Group, medical partners and supporters.

Joining the community on Sunday: the Hon. Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth South Western; Genevieve Bitter, Vice President, Program Operations at Direct Relief; and Dr. Vish Pothula of the Pothula & Parchment Foundation. Representatives of the Treasure Beach Women's Group, BREDS leadership and community partners will stand with them.

Treasure Beach has no permanent health centre. Residents travel outside the community for routine medical care and rely in part on visiting doctors and occasional outreach clinics. The centre is meant to change that.

How it started

After Hurricane Ivan destroyed the Treasure Beach Women's Group building in 2004, Janet Nichols-McPeek organised volunteers to rebuild it. The new building included examination rooms, which made it possible to bring doctors and nurses into the community.

That began more than ten years of medical outreach. The Hillsborough County Osteopathic Medical Society, supported by the Pinellas County Osteopathic Medical Society, sent volunteer medical teams to Treasure Beach for annual clinics. Doctors, nurses and medical students gave their time, often paying their own travel and bringing supplies with them.

Locally, the Women's Group handled the practical work. Celeste Anderson and other members coordinated the clinics and connected the visiting teams with residents and schools. The clinics have given treatment and testing to thousands of people.

Dr. Omesh Singh, Dr. Kenneth "Ken" Webster and Janet Nichols-McPeek were among those who set the vision for a permanent facility in motion.

The plan

The centre will be at BREDS Sports Park. The plans for the permanent building have parish council approval, and the project is moving towards construction with Sunday's groundbreaking ceremony.

The proposed Health Centre drawing (3D, scale 1:50)

It is expected to serve about 3,500 residents directly, with a wider catchment of up to 10,000 people, as well as visitors. Services will be added in stages. It will begin with basic primary care and visiting specialist clinics. Longer-term plans include support for people managing chronic illness, maternal and child health services, preventative health education and access to visiting specialists.

The services, staffing and ongoing support needed to run the centre still have to be put in place. BREDS will lead, working with the Treasure Beach Women's Group, medical partners and volunteers. The centre is meant to work alongside Jamaica's public health system, not replace it.

Who is behind it

BREDS, the Treasure Beach Women's Group, American Friends of Jamaica, Direct Relief, Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation, Food For The Poor Canada and the Hillsborough County Osteopathic Medical Society have all helped with fundraising and support.

First phase of a resilience campus

The Health Centre is planned as the first phase of a proposed Treasure Beach Resilience Campus at the existing 17-acre BREDS Sports Park. The wider vision covers community health, disaster preparedness, education, youth development and sustainable livelihoods.

How to help

Come to the groundbreaking on Sunday, October 18, at 10:30 am at BREDS Sports Park. Getting the centre built, equipped and staffed will take continued support, and donations are welcome: you can donate to the Treasure Beach Health Centre online.

To learn more about the project, visit treasurebeachhealthcentre.org.

Treasure Beach Health & Wellness Centre

Guest Perspective

Editor’s Note: Following the publication of this article, we invited Dr Vish to share a brief perspective on Sunday's momentous occasion to provide additional context on just how much impact the Treasure Beach Health Centre will have on the community. His commentary follows below.

A Vision for Permanent Healthcare in Treasure Beach and the Surrounding Communities

Treasure Beach is a beautiful seaside community surrounded by numerous villages in the parish of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Yet, despite its natural beauty and the resilience of its people, the community has faced a significant healthcare challenge: for at least the past decade, residents have had no permanent, full-time healthcare facility or practitioner readily available within the community. As a result, residents must travel to surrounding towns to access medical services. For those without personal transportation, this journey can be particularly difficult, often requiring multiple taxi connections, additional expense, and considerable time and effort.

Previous initiatives have sought to address these healthcare needs, but their impact has been mixed, largely because of limited infrastructure and the devastating effects of two consecutive years of hurricanes. Despite these setbacks, the resilience and determination of the people of Treasure Beach and the surrounding communities have been remarkable. They have continued to rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods, and work toward a better future for their families.

In this context, the initiative to establish a permanent healthcare facility for Treasure Beach and its neighbouring villages represents a meaningful and long-overdue investment in the health and well-being of the region. Following Hurricane Melissa, the Treasure Beach Women’s Group has stepped forward to provide interim assistance on a modest scale, including medication refills and support for urgent healthcare needs. This important work has helped bridge a critical gap in services. However, the long-term needs of the population call for a more sustainable solution.

A permanent, purpose-built healthcare facility on a spacious campus—ideally integrated into a community setting such as a sports park—could become a vital centre for healthcare delivery, health education, and community wellness. Such a facility would not only address immediate medical needs but also provide a foundation for expanding services as resources and opportunities become available.

I believe the most practical and sustainable approach is to build this vision in phases, beginning with a strong foundation in primary healthcare. The first module should provide reliable, accessible basic medical services delivered by locally based healthcare personnel who understand Jamaican medical practice, the needs of the population, and the realities of healthcare delivery in the parish and surrounding region. Establishing this essential service would be the first and most important step toward a comprehensive community healthcare system.

Once this foundation is established, additional modules can be introduced progressively. These could include a well-stocked pharmaceutical service, rotating consultations by volunteer medical specialists, and, in subsequent phases, dedicated eye-care and dental-care services. A modular approach would allow the project to grow responsibly, guided by the community’s evolving needs, available resources, and the support of committed partners.

Realizing this vision will require determination, thoughtful planning, and strong collaboration among the citizens of Treasure Beach and neighbouring villages, community organizations, healthcare institutions, government partners, and generous donors in Jamaica and overseas. Equally important will be the goodwill and professional contributions of volunteer healthcare practitioners who are willing to share their knowledge, skills, and experience in service to the community.

Ultimately, this is more than a healthcare construction project. It is an investment in dignity, resilience, opportunity, and the future of an entire region. Accessible healthcare should not be an enduring hardship for families simply because of where they live. The people of Treasure Beach and the surrounding communities deserve a reliable, permanent healthcare facility that serves their needs close to home.

For me, this initiative represents a long-awaited dream becoming a reality—a dream that is long overdue and one that the people of Treasure Beach and the surrounding communities truly deserve. I am delighted to see this vision moving forward, and I sincerely hope that, through collective commitment and generous support, it will become a lasting legacy of health, hope, and community resilience for generations to come.

Special thanks to BREDS Foundation and relentless focus of Jason Henzell.

Viswanadham Pothula, M.D.

Dr Vish is a vital supporter of the Treasure Beach community and President of Pothula and Parchment Inc, a registered 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization based in Florida, USA.