In its more than 60 years of operation, the Jamaica Family Planning Association (JFPA) has never seen such dramatic changes in its operating environment as it has seen since the first case of the Coronavirus was reported in Jamaica in March 2020. As a consequence, the Association, which provides services to women, men, and youth from vulnerable communities and circumstances, has had to make significant and far-reaching adjustments to its clinic schedules and service delivery.
The Government directives that were introduced to prevent the spread of the virus have had both long-term and short-term effects on the delivery of our services. The stipulation that persons over 65 should stay home – except for trips to take care of essential needs – had the effect of removing the nurse from one of our clinics. The substitute nurse was only available for three days each week. Service offerings for that clinic were reduced from five to three days weekly. The introduction of nightly curfews meant that the clinic hours had to be adjusted down from 8 hours to 5 hours daily to allow clients and staff to be home before the curfew began at 6:00 pm. In April, the 14-day lockdown of the parish of St. Catherine meant that the nurse attached to our other clinic was unable to get to work. That clinic’s operations were affected for 3 days.
The combined effect of shorter operating hours and fewer days of operation have reduced our daily client load by about 50%.
Not only did we have to adjust our clinics’ operating hours, but out of an abundance of caution, five services (which could have potentially exposed clinical staff to the virus) were suspended at one clinic as the clinical staff had concerns about infection. With staff-education and the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the staff is now comfortably providing all but one of the five suspended services.
The challenges brought about by the COVID-19 crisis have been many. Nevertheless, we have had some successes and learned new lessons which should serve, in the long run, to improve our service reach.
The most obvious positive change in our clinics relates to signage. There is now an increase in the client-directed signage related to COVID-19 and the prevention measures that should be taken. In addition, there is new directional signage that informs clients where to go. Client flow has therefore improved.
In April, we introduced a telehealth and counseling service. Clients can call into this service and get information or receive counseling about their method of family planning and any possible side effects. They may also use the service to change their appointment dates. With support from UNFPA, we plan to expand this service to allow us to contact clients, to provide reassurance about health and social issues, and to provide referrals. In this way, we will continue to provide the quality comprehensive service for which we are known.