Last week Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin took some time from her busy schedule to visit the St. Maarten Lions Club Eye Screening Project, that was held at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill from Monday May 14th to Friday May 18th.
During the week the Lions Club was able to engage the expert services of VOSH OHIO to carry out the massive eye screening with the assistance of 17 Optometrist and assistants of VOSH OHIO. Preliminary results indicate that 2578 Primary school students were tested. Additionally, some 203 teachers, parents, NIPA Volunteers, Lions, and walk-ins were tested.
The Prime Minister is happy to learn, that there were 690 persons that needed glasses and out of that amount +/- 200 glasses have to be specially prescribed in the US and sent back to us within the next 4 weeks after which we will distribute them to the children via their schools. On another note, nine referrals to an Ophthalmologist for cataracts, glaucoma, and muscle injury were also recorded.
For their excellent cooperation, the Lions Club publicly commends the Health Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor through its Collective Prevention Services, the Public Health Department, the Ministry of Education Culture Youth & Sport and NIPA who provided 17 volunteers for the entire week.