作者： admin

Jamaica’s frontline law enforcement officers, who daily put themselves in harm’s way to protect communities, are receiving targeted support to prioritize their physical and mental well-being through a new outreach initiative. Last Wednesday, active officers and their family members serving in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) St Andrew South Police Division gained access to comprehensive free health screenings at the Hunt’s Bay Police Station, designed to address the unique chronic stress and occupational hazards that come with policing work.

Senior Superintendent Damian Manderson, head of the St Andrew South Division, emphasized that officers and civilian staff are the division’s most valuable resource, outranking any operational equipment or infrastructure. “Our human resources, our men and women you see standing at the traffic lights, conducting operations, driving and going about, they are our greatest asset, no matter how expensive the van they are driving is. This is a part of investing in them. It is a part of ensuring they are well,” Manderson told local outlet Jamaica Observer in an interview Friday.

The initiative brings medical care directly to personnel to eliminate barriers to accessing routine check-ups, with built-in plans for follow-up care for any issues identified during screenings. “The push is to ensure their well-being by bringing in these doctors at their fingertips, at their beck and call so that they can get due care — and coming out of these visits come the follow-ups,” Manderson explained.

St Andrew South Division operates in one of Jamaica’s more violence-impacted policing districts: between January 1 and April 20, 2025, the division recorded 18 of the island’s 174 total murders, marking the second-highest murder count across Jamaica’s 19 police divisions, trailing only St James Division which logged 22 murders in the same period. This high-crime environment places extraordinary physical and emotional strain on personnel, leading division leadership to roll out holistic support beyond just medical care.

Earlier in the same week, the division hosted financial advisors from the police credit union to help personnel build long-term financial stability, covering critical topics such as budgeting amid economic uncertainty, retirement planning, caring for aging dependent family members, and the importance of adequate insurance coverage. “It is a part of our thrust as a management body to ensure that our staff, whilst they work, they are working with clear, competent, healthy minds and spirit, putting everything in it, and that is what will translate on the streets with a safer division,” Manderson said.

He noted that policing is an inherently high-risk occupation worldwide, requiring officers to place themselves between violent criminals and law-abiding community members, leading to persistent high stress and emotional tension. “It is not just good enough for them to show up, they must show up physically and mentally. We take mental health serious,” Manderson added, highlighting that good mental health is a non-negotiable foundation for effective, safe policing.

The wellness drive has been made possible through long-standing partnerships with volunteer medical professionals, including Dr Nagamalleswara Rao Chandolu, as well as the JCF’s in-house medical services branch, which provides ongoing support for officer and family well-being. Wednesday’s health fair is the first of two such free events planned for the St Andrew South Division in 2025, open to all sworn officers and unsworn civilian staff, plus their immediate families. Multiple medical specialists participated, including general practitioners, surgeons, pediatricians, and physiotherapists, to address a wide range of health concerns. All services, including complimentary vitamins, minerals, and medication prescriptions, were provided at no cost to attendees.

Age-gap relationships between older women and younger men remain a largely unspoken but widely experienced reality for women across the world — one that often sparks quiet curiosity, unvoiced anxiety, and unsolicited outside judgment. Certified life coach and women’s empowerment advocate Marie Berbick-Bailey, who once walked this path herself, draws on personal experience and decades of coaching work to lay out a clear, honest framework for women navigating this high-stakes decision. Years ago, Berbick-Bailey turned down a marriage proposal from a much younger man she shared deep spiritual and personal connection with. Though the pair clicked on multiple levels and felt clear physical chemistry, she walked away after recognizing a fundamental incompatibility: he wanted children, and she had already completed her family. Choosing to prioritize his right to the life he wanted, she made the difficult decision to end the relationship. Today, she guides other women facing a similar crossroads. Many women find themselves unexpectedly falling for a younger man: one who is kind, present, emotionally open, everything they have been looking for. But the discovery of a significant age gap immediately floods the relationship with unasked questions — and societal judgment never fails to insert itself into the dynamic, uninvited. Before allowing outside opinions, fear, or giddy excitement to dictate a decision to marry, Berbick-Bailey outlines five non-negotiable areas women must evaluate first. First, emotional maturity cannot be judged by chronological age. It is not uncommon to see older men act with childish impulsivity while younger men lead with a wisdom far beyond their years. The real question women need to answer is whether their partner can handle the hard edges of life: how does he respond to conflict, stress, and unplanned responsibility? Can he communicate openly during hardship, or does he shut down and withdraw? Marriage will always test a relationship, and a partner needs the emotional capacity to hold steady rather than collapse under pressure. Second, alignment on children is non-negotiable, a foundational pillar of any lasting marriage. Women must ask clear, direct questions early on: does he already have children? Does he want children in the future? If he does, what is his desired timeline for growing a family? For women who are past the childbearing stage biologically or emotionally, this conversation cannot be put off or brushed aside in the name of love. Too many women enter marriage assuming love will bridge this divide, only to find themselves trapped in a painful, irresolvable disagreement years down the line. Alignment on this issue is not a bonus — it is an absolute requirement. Third, financial stability and mindset matter for any partnership, especially when there is an age gap. It is reasonable for a younger man to still be building his career, but he must have clear direction rather than drifting through life. Women need to examine his relationship with money: does he budget, save, and invest for the future, or does he spend recklessly as if there is no need to plan for tomorrow? Marriage requires a true partnership, not a dynamic where one partner carries all the financial responsibility while the other remains dependent. Fourth, shared long-term vision is critical to avoiding future conflict. Women should ask their partners to outline concrete plans, not just vague dreams, for where they see themselves in five to 10 years: what are their career goals, lifestyle priorities, and personal development targets? After hearing his vision, women must honestly ask whether it aligns with their own. If one partner is ready for quiet stability and the other is still chasing new experiences and exploring different life paths, that gap will inevitably grow into tension over time. Love alone cannot sustain a relationship where two people are moving in opposite directions. Fifth, women must honestly assess their own ability to push back against societal perception and stand confident in their choice. It is impossible to ignore that people will comment: there will be whispers labeling the older woman a “cougar”, rude jokes about the age gap, and endless unsolicited advice from people who have no stake in the woman’s happiness. The problem is not the comments themselves — it is whether the woman feels secure enough in her own choice to ignore them. Constantly having to defend one’s relationship to outsiders is an exhausting burden that will erode even the strongest connection over time. One question women almost always want answered but rarely ask aloud is: how much younger is “too young”? Berbick-Bailey says there is no universal one-size-fits-all answer, but offers clear wisdom: the wider the age gap, the greater the need for full alignment on core values, emotional maturity, and current life stage. A five-year gap will create very different practical and social challenges than a 15-year gap, and women must evaluate not just where both partners are today, but where they will be in 10 and 20 years down the line. Berbick-Bailey’s final counsel is straightforward: do not let flattery or excitement push you into a decision you have not carefully considered. It is true that a younger man’s attention can feel refreshing: he often sees a woman’s value, celebrates her, and brings renewed energy to the relationship. But that thrill should never override a careful assessment of core compatibility. Marriage is not held together by physical attraction alone. It lasts because of alignment on core priorities, emotional maturity, shared values, and matching long-term vision. A younger man can absolutely be the right life partner — but only if he is truly ready to be a husband, not just caught up in the excitement of new love. Ultimately, women are encouraged to choose wisely, not just emotionally. Marie Berbick-Bailey is a certified master life coach, women’s transformational coach, ordained minister, author, and motivational speaker dedicated to empowering women to heal, thrive, and live out their personal purpose. She can be reached through her websites www.marieberbick.com and www.marieberbickcoach.com, or via email at marieberbick@gmail.com.

Jamaica has launched a landmark JMD 100 million Research Support Fund for the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus, with government officials framing the initiative as a critical intersection of medical progress, public confidence and national economic growth.

Speaking as the keynote speaker at the launch event held last Tuesday in St. Andrew, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett argued that the fund is far more than a simple injection of capital into academic research. For Jamaica, whose economy relies heavily on tourism as a primary engine of growth, the initiative opens new pathways for aligned development across health science and the travel sector, he said.

“This represents a launch of possibility, signaling a deeper bond between scientific advancement, societal well-being and the country’s long-term economic future — especially through the lens of tourism,” Bartlett emphasized during his address.

The minister positioned the new fund within a broader national “tourism, health and resilience” strategy, noting that the sustainability of Jamaica’s $3 billion-plus tourism industry hinges entirely on public trust. Unlike common perceptions that frame tourism as only driven by scenic beauty and cultural attractions, Bartlett pointed out that modern travelers prioritize assurance of safety, stability and proactive health preparedness when choosing destinations.

“Tourism is not merely about movement of people across borders — it is about confidence,” Bartlett said. “Trust is the decisive factor that drives travel decisions, attracts foreign investment and encourages visitors to return year after year.”

That foundational trust, he explained, can only be built on a robust public health system, cutting-edge local research capacity and a proven ability to respond rapidly to emerging public health crises. Bartlett defined tourism health resilience as a nation’s ability to anticipate, detect and mitigate health threats without derailing economic stability, a mandate that extends beyond clinical care to protecting tourism workers, supporting resort-dependent communities, and upholding strict standards for food safety, water quality and public sanitation.

To turn this vision into reality, Bartlett called on FMS and the affiliated University Hospital of the West Indies to take a leading role in strengthening Jamaica’s national destination assurance framework. Medical researchers and clinical professionals, he noted, are the unsung guardians of Jamaica’s global reputation as a safe, welcoming travel destination.

Demonstrating the Jamaican government’s commitment to the initiative, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has contributed JMD 10 million to the overall research fund. The National Health Fund (NHF) has added JMD 35.4 million to the pot, earmarked specifically for advancing research into mental health and maternal health outcomes. Additional funding is expected to come from private sector and institutional partners in the coming months.

Looking ahead, Bartlett laid out an ambitious vision for UWI Mona to grow into a central pillar of Jamaica’s national health security architecture. His vision includes expanded access to telemedicine for rural and underserved communities, more coordinated emergency response systems, and greater integration of artificial intelligence into clinical care and public health monitoring. He also called for the fund to be used to support ground-breaking interdisciplinary research that connects medical science, tourism policy, data governance and AI ethics, creating a model that can be replicated across small island developing states.

Through all these efforts, Bartlett stressed, protecting the health of both international visitors and Jamaican citizens remains the core mission — one that is inseparable from sustaining the country’s tourism industry and delivering inclusive long-term national development.

A soon-to-be-married woman in Jamaica recently reached out to prominent Jamaican women’s rights advocate and senior attorney Margarette May Macaulay with a pressing legal question, sparked by conflicting guidance from her wedding officiant and her married boss. The woman explained that her boss, who recently wed, had chosen to combine her maiden name with her husband’s surname without using a hyphen – a choice that let her avoid the hassle of reissuing all her official identity documents, from driver’s licenses and passports to tax registration numbers. Eager to follow this same path ahead of her own wedding, the woman hit an unexpected roadblock when her counsellor, who also serves as the pastor officiating her marriage, insisted that combining two last names without a hyphen is not legally recognized in Jamaica, and refused to accommodate her stated wish.

In a clear, authoritative response published for the public, Macaulay immediately debunked the pastor’s claim as entirely incorrect. Under Jamaican law, which follows common law principles that remain unchanged by national legislation on this issue, Macaulay confirmed that every woman marrying in Jamaica holds full, exclusive legal right to choose how she structures her surname after marriage. This includes four fully valid options: retaining only her original maiden name, adopting solely her husband’s surname, adding her husband’s surname to her own with a hyphen, or adding the husband’s surname without a hyphen. All of these choices are equally legally binding, the attorney emphasized.

Macaulay further clarified that the long-standing social tradition of women automatically adopting their husband’s full surname was never a legal requirement. Instead, it was a cultural norm rooted in historical systems that suppressed the rights of married women, a practice that has been rendered obsolete as fundamental human rights principles have become the global and national standard. Nowhere in Jamaica’s Marriage Act is there any mandate requiring a married woman to change her surname at all, nor any rule that forces women to hyphenate combined surnames. The question of what name a woman uses for her legal identity after marriage is solely her decision, Macaulay stressed, and all public and private institutions – from government agencies to schools, hospitals, and commercial entities – are legally required to honor that choice. Any person or organization that denies a woman this right is acting unlawfully, violating her fundamental legal autonomy.

For women who have already been forced into an unwanted surname arrangement due to similar misinformation, Macaulay outlined a clear remedy: the woman can legally adjust her name through a deed poll process. If the pastor’s incorrect legal guidance led to this unnecessary extra step, Macaulay noted, the pastor who spread the wrong information is responsible for covering all associated costs, including the deed poll fee and any charges for updating identity documents.

Macaulay closed by emphasizing that this legal right extends to all women, whether they are about to marry or have been married for years. No individual, regardless of their social standing or professional authority, has the right to dictate a woman’s choice of surname. Once a woman begins using the combined or single surname she selected immediately after her wedding, that becomes her legal identity for life, unless she chooses to make a further change down the line. She also urged the woman to share this clarification with her pastor, to prevent him from spreading misinformation and violating the rights of other future brides in the future.

This response was published via the All Woman advice column of the Jamaica Observer, where Macaulay answers public legal questions focused on women’s rights. Macaulay, a veteran attorney, is also a Supreme Court mediator, notary public, and longstanding advocate for women’s and children’s rights in Jamaica.