PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Last week Wednesday December 9th 2015, the Mobile Bus Team of the Collective Preventive Services (CPS) collaborated with the St. Maarten Aids Foundation to bring the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor Mobile Health Bus to the community for wellness checks.
This event was in recognition of World Aids Day, with the theme Getting to Zero. The venue bus was stationed at Welfare Road, Cole Bay next to the Aids Foundation from 1:45 pm to 4:00pm. X104.3 FM radio station covered the event and two volunteers from the Aids Foundation assisted with the testing. In all 10 persons were tested and persons driving along the Welfare Road received flyers and brochures on HIV/AIDS information.
The Health Bus is a $ 400,000+ investment in preventative care that has been paid for by SZV and donated to the Ministry. Unfortunately the bus is not being properly utilized due to lack of funding for the actual operation. This has resulted in the bus going out on an average of one or two times a month.
Finding ways to increase its utilization to provide prevention services to members of the community has the full attention of the Ministry. As everyone knows, prevention is always cheaper than cure.
