A refurbished St Thomas Outpatient Clinic has reopened in Rock Hall, restoring access to primary healthcare within the parish and ending months of travel for residents who had been forced to seek treatment in Warrens and elsewhere.
The reopening follows refurbishment work aimed at improving primary healthcare delivery, and for many, it represents more than convenience but a return to familiarity. Carolyn Holder, who was making lunch, said she was glad for the reopening so that she would have a shorter distance to travel when it was time to refill her prescription. “Yes it is better… that’s good.”
For others, the clinic’s return means no longer making frequent trips outside the parish for basic care. “Very, very nice. And it save me from going to Warrens, I went there three or four times a month. Very, very good,” long-time resident George Smith said, recalling the burden of regular travel when the facility was closed. Reflecting on the clinic’s earlier years, he added, “When it was first opening before it closed down, the place was always good.”
George Smith. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
That sense of history runs deep among residents. His wife, Ernetha Smith, shared just how long the clinic has been part of their lives: “So long I can’t remember… used to go here before,” she said, noting that without it, “We would have to go all the way to Warrens.”
Convenience is also top of mind for those living closest to the facility. One woman who resides across the street described how integral the clinic had been to the community: “Before it closed like many, many years before that… almost everybody from my family went.” Now, with services restored, she says, “It’s good that it’s finally reopened.”
The clinic will offer general practice services on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the pharmacy set to reopen a week later.
(LE)
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