Members of Central Seventh-day Adventist Church provided free health screenings to citizens as part of its Community Impact Day on Saturday, November 24, 2018, at Plaza Extra West in Estate Plessen.
The church set up tables under the shade of the canopy in front of the entrance to the supermarket to conduct free health screenings. The volunteers from the church also helped shoppers carry groceries to their vehicles and offered-free prayer sessions. They even distributed food to the homeless throughout Estate Grove Place as part of the day of service, which also included live music performed in the Plaza Extra West parking lot by members of the church.
Cleveland Tonge, a member of the church encouraged shoppers who walked into the supermarket to take advantage of the free health screenings. He said “Central SDA Church usually holds its Community Impact Day two or three times a year.” He said “Saturday’s effort was the first time the church is holding the event since Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which struck the territory in September 2017. We are out doing service,” he said.
The service included free health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar, providing a chance for residents to learn their values and find out if they are within the normal range.
“These are the things that negatively impact this community and we’re promoting early detection and health promotion so that people can be aware of their values and take precautionary health measures to prevent disease,” Benita Randolph, a registered nurse who serves as director of Health for the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, said before conducting a health screening for blood pressure.
Randolph said “diabetes patients need to know their values to ensure they are within the nominal range.” She said, “Diabetes patients don’t always visit their doctor for a check-up so the church included the health screenings as part of its Community Impact Day.”
“We also want to share the love of Christ because the Father in Heaven wants his children healthy. He wants his creation healthy.” she said. Aishah Beymutidi was just one of the residents who took advantage of the free health screenings, “I want to see if I’m alive or dead,” she joked as she sat down to get her blood pressure checked.’
She said she sat down for the health screening because it was free. “Once I get it done and I see the results, it gives me a start on what to do with my health,” she said. Verleen McSween, a member of the church, was one of the volunteers helping to administer the blood pressure screenings. McSween, who holds a doctorate degree in vision science, is an assistant professor of science at the University of the Virgin Islands. She said it felt rewarding to give back to the community by volunteering with the group on Saturday “It feels good to come into the community, to be of service and have an opportunity to share God’s love,” she said.
While members of the church volunteered to conduct the health screenings, the youth who are involved in the church’s Pathfinder Club also volunteered by passing out bottled waters and literature about Jesus Christ to shoppers in the parking lot. “When you put Christ before these children, they have something positive to do,” Ursula Theophilus, the church’s Pathfinder Club counselor, said.
Elizabeth Thomas, 10, a fifth-grader at St. Croix Seventh-day Adventist School, said it felt “great” distributing the waters and booklets.
This article is reprinted with permission from the by Avis news, a local newspaper on St. Croix.