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A Community Vision Centre of Excellence: CVCE

 

Jamaican Lions have been “Knights of the Blind” for almost 50 years.

 

The “Brain Drain” is a reality for Jamaica and other nations. In Eyecare, less than 50 Jamaican Eye Care Professionals (ECP’s) try to provide care for over 3 million people. This is 1/10 the ECP’s per capita in Canada or the USA and 1/15 compared to the U.K.

 

Since 1981, Canadian Vision Care (CVC) and Jamaican Lions have provided high quality, cost effective eye care in Jamaica. CVC has a deep resource of volunteer ECP’s to provide eye exams, glasses, surgery and medications to those who cannot afford such care.

 

The Brenda Stafford Foundation (BSF) has a 40 year track record of creating a sustainable funding model that brings eye care to Haiti & Dominica; medical/hospice care to Jamaica. BSF has developed expertise in delivering such care, and in long term funding of that care.  

 

Jamaica’s world class sprinters like world famous Usain Bolt are incredible, but for one island to produce the Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists in any Olympics is virtually an impossible feat. Yet, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson & Kerron Stewart accomplished this in 2008. The challenge is: Why can't Jamaica create a model for the world’s most exceptional and affordable vision care? We think they can. Here’s how:

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  1. Develop a state of the art Community Vision Centre of Excellence for eye care and eye surgery in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Combining the BSF medical facility with the expertise and resources of CVC plus the human volunteers from local Lions Club members (“Lions”)

  2. Create a self-sustainable business model for the Community Vision Centre of Excellence.

  3. Create an education program for surgical residents and optometric interns.

  4. Create continuing education programs for overseas Dr’s, nurses and other professionals.

  5. Develop profitable, self-sustaining support services for the Centre of Excellence including: IT support, a pharmacy, an optical dispensary, an optical lab, and optical repair.

  6. Attract donations or contributions of heavily discounted new equipment from suppliers to build the capacity to provide services at a lower cost than is possible in North America.

  7. Further develop the CVC model of “holidays with a purpose” to bring a larger supply of eye care professionals to volunteer in Jamaica and other countries CVC serves.

  8. Engage philanthropists to emulate what the BSF has accomplished in countries around the world, building structures to create clinics dedicated to solve medical and vision problems.

  9. Provide free eye care to Jamaicans who would otherwise not have access to that care.

  10. Assist local Lions develop local facilities across Jamaica, under the Lions/BSF/CVC banner.

 

A world class eye care centre of excellence is proposed. Combining the strengths of; Jamaica (Sun, Beaches & the ability to produce world class results), Lions (Service to Humanity with a focus on sight), CVC (volunteers, technical expertise, Dr’s Choice funding & Open Source Technology), and  BSF (Expertise in lean operations, Eye Hospital in Haiti & Dominica plus fundraising) we could make history in Jamaica by creating a non profit joint venture. Visualiza has accomplished this in Guatemala. See their solution on youtube here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTVS1OlHlTE  For the story of the clinic we are creating in Jamaica,  watch this: http://sho.co/194MO

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