Hurricane Melissa and Its Impact on Healthcare in Jamaica

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Infrastructure damage:
Several clinics and community health facilities faced power loss, flooding, or building damage. This reduced their ability to operate at full capacity during a period of sharply increased medical needs.

Supply chain challenges:
Road and port damage slowed deliveries of medical supplies, medications, and equipment. This caused delays for scheduled treatments, diagnostic testing, and follow-up care. Sponsors using Island Echoes Health sometimes saw temporary postponements while clinics restored services.

Increased health demand:
After the storm, many patients experienced setbacks in chronic disease management, including diabetes and hypertension. Mental health needs also rose, especially among seniors and families living in heavily affected areas.

A push toward stronger resiliency:
The storm highlighted the importance of disaster planning within the clinics we work with. We are working closely with our Jamaican partners to strengthen:

• Emergency backup power and communications
• Rapid recovery procedures for reopening services
• Remote monitoring and check-in programs that keep sponsors informed during emergencies

What this means for sponsors:
If you support a loved one in Jamaica, it is important to know your clinic has a strong plan for service continuity. We encourage sponsors to ask direct questions such as:

• “How do you maintain operations during outages?”
• “How will I be updated if care is delayed?”