Great Shape brings big smiles to Boscobel

More than 500 residents from Boscobel in St Mary and surrounding communities, including St Ann, accessed free dental and health services during the recent Great Shape! Inc. 1000 Smiles Health Fair Extravaganza.

The event, hosted recently at the Boscobel Primary and Infant School, was a collaborative effort involving Beaches Ocho Rios, the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), Sandals Foundation, and Great Shape! Inc 1000 Smiles.

The fair offered a wide range of free services for adults and children, including medical checkups for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, prostate health, and HIV.

General health consultations were available on-site, with medical doctors attending to numerous individuals throughout the event.

Additionally, clothing donations were facilitated through the Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation.

A major highlight of the outreach was free dental care, which included cleanings, fillings, and extractions for community members.

Great Shape! Inc. also applied dental sealants to children's molars - an essential preventative measure to protect young teeth from cavities and long-term decay.

Among the beneficiaries expressing gratitude for the services was Tashina Brown, a caregiver in the infant department at the school, who had her damaged front tooth repaired after 21 years.

"It was chipped when I fell... [and] I had always thought about getting it done, but it was expensive. So I [was] very happy [for] the fair," she shared.

Another beneficiary, Sydonie Blair, said she attended the event after being invited by a friend.

Blair praised the affordability and quality of the dental care, noting that such services are often expensive locally.

Several ministries, departments, and agencies participated in the fair, offering essential services to residents, who took full advantage of the opportunity.