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It could be costing the country in the region of $8 billion annually to treat road-accident victims at the various hospitals across the island.

Preliminary findings from data gathered for 2014 by the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA), in association with the University Hospital of the West Indies, reveals that it cost close to $2 billion to treat road-accident victims for the first three months of that year.

In excess of 13,000 persons were treated for injuries suffered from motor vehicle accidents in 2014, while there were 331 road fatalities.

The indirect cost of productivity lost for the 331 persons who died as a result of road accidents in 2014 was calculated at $3.5 billion.

Though the JN Foundation-National Health Fund-financed study is being conducted based on figures collected two years ago, Dr Elizabeth Ward, chairperson of the VPA, said she believed that barring adjustments for inflation, the cost would be the same today.

FIXED COST

“The numbers won’t change that much because our costs are fixed costs. So we would just adjust it for the inflation rate,” Ward told The Sunday Gleaner following a Gleaner Editors’ Forum held last Thursday at the company’s North Street, Kingston, offices.

The VPA is currently calculating the cost of treatment to accident victims for the remaining seven months with the full findings of the study slated to be released by the middle of this year.

Ward, however, said initial figures are showing that more than one per cent of the country’s gross domestic product was expended on treating road-accident victims.

“We can prevent up to 80 per cent of our injuries, and we know how to do that,” Ward said. “So this money could be saved and used on other services and improving the quality of the services in the hospitals.”

Ward cited one case where a 24-year-old male was not wearing a helmet and was hit off his motorcycle.

“His hospital treatment cost $5.6 million, of which $4 million was for 30 days spent in the intensive care unit. Then there was the indirect cost estimated at $11 million, as he is not going to be able to work for the rest of his life and he has a family. And this was calculated at him getting a minimum wage, and this guy was way past minimum wage.”

INTERNATIONAL PRIORITY

According to Dr Lucien Jones, chairman of the National Road Safety Council, with 1.2 million people dying per year worldwide as a result of road accidents, road fatalities have become an international priority.

“What is driving the international community is that they are seeing road fatality as a developmental issue,” Jones said.

“What the international community has estimated is that we can lose between two and three per cent of the GDP year after year if we don’t drive down the fatalities.”

He added: “So when we are talking about 0.5 per cent or one per cent growth and the quest for prosperity … you have to deal with the consequences of road (accidents).”

WAITING TIME

The waiting time for other patients who visit hospitals for treatment is also being seriously affected by road-accident victims, according to Dr Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie, director of emergency medical services in the Ministry of Health.

“Sometimes what turns out to be a minor trauma and you come in and you are bleeding, somebody has to stop to assess you,” she said.

“So it really impacts on our waiting times as well in our emergency departments, and that is a cost that everybody sees and complains about.”

Bisasor-McKenzie added: “From the accident-and-emergency departments, we definitely over the years are seeing more patients that are coming in that are victims of motor vehicle accidents.”

Bisasor-McKenzie further revealed that, from 2012 to 2014, hospitals in the western region of the island went from receiving 3,888 road-accident victims to 4,003.

“The number of persons that present with injuries from motor vehicle accidents are about two per cent of the overall emergency department visits,” Bisasor-McKenzie said.

“This represents about 14,000 persons on average per year. If we have 19 per cent of those persons being admitted, then we would realise that for motor vehicle accidents the kind of injuries that those persons are going to be admitted for are going to be serious injuries. So those are long stayers in the hospitals.”

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20160501/billions-mend-accident-victims

In its bid to contribute to the development of a more financially literate country, the JN Group, through the JN Foundation, has successfully devised and implemented an enabling programme to help Jamaicans achieve financial security.

The Financial Empowerment programme, which is in its second year, aims to teach the core principles of money management and to expose participants to the tools necessary in their quest to improve their financial status, stability and independence.

Officially launched in 2015, the empowerment programme’s genesis is linked to the theory that saving and investment play a pivotal role in empowering individuals as well as for the enhancement of the country’s economy.

Led by Rose Miller, project manager for financial literacy at the JN Foundation, the presentations are prepared and delivered to adults and children in an interactive manner.

“We have targeted students, because we recognise the importance of ensuring that our children are financially smart from an early stage. And we reinforce the importance of not only making wise financial choices and effectively managing money, but also the necessity of taking responsibility for their financial education. Practical ways in which each person can work towards their financial goals and the rewards to be gained are also emphasised throughout the programme,” Miller said.

Concomitantly, Jamaica National maintains a dynamic School Savers Programme, which operates in over 200 primary and high schools across the country. Students are offered saving incentives; and, annually three primary school students, one from each county, are offered five-year scholarships to high schools, based on the results of the Grade Six Achievement Test.

To date, more than 2,000 students have gained from these sessions, which have been delivered in schools and to sundry groups across the island. And- the reception of the students has been encouraging.

“Students are genuinely interested in improving their financial education and learning how to budget and start saving,” Miller highlighted. “And they are keen about achieving short- and medium-term goals, including amassing funds for things deemed important.”

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160427/jn-foundation-drives-financial-literacy

With more than 40 participating high schools across the island, the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) Junior Club programme is aiming to build on the lessons learned since its inception in September 2013.

The clubs’ objective is to increase the level of road-safety awareness and inspire improved road-use behaviour among high school students across the island.

Carey Lue-Pann, JAA Junior Club project manager, said that through “the intervention of members of the clubs in schools across Jamaica, numerous road- safety initiatives and projects of varying types have been undertaken”.

“The students, along with their faculty advisers, have been instrumental in carrying out projects that have enhanced road safety for persons in the wider communities,” he said. Lue-Pann noted that “Some projects have resulted in sidewalks and bus stops being improved, while other interventions have helped to raise road- safety awareness.”

JAA Junior Clubs are an initiative of the JAA, in collaboration with the Jamaica National Building Society Foundation, JN General Insurance Company (JNGI), the Ministry of Education, the FIA Foundation, and the FIA Road Safety Grant Programme.

Throughout the school year, club members benefit from activities implemented to provide exposure to various aspects of the motorsport and automotive industries.

Lue-Pann said, “Regular field trips are a key part of the experience to sensitise our students to the important link between motor vehicle care and road safety, while highlighting the diverse employment opportunities that are available within motorsport.”

For 2016, these initiatives are expected to continue, while efforts are made to generate new life into clubs across the island. “As a priority, we are still seeking to establish new clubs in schools across Jamaica, especially those located in areas with high levels of road crashes,” he explained.

Special attention will also be paid to key road-safety issues which have emerged, including motorcycle safety, learner drivers and the new Road Traffic Act.

Lue-Pann further stated that in keeping with the programme’s technology focus, several social-media based outreach activities will be launched this year to engage members of JAA Junior Clubs and the public.

“In the past, we have used social-media channels to initiate conversations about road safety by encouraging our members to conceptualise content that would contribute to raising awareness. We plan to continue to expand those initiatives in 2016,” Lue-Pann said.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/auto/20160424/jaa-junior-clubs-road-2013

Following the successful generation of revenues to the tune of $37 million, the USAID in partnership with JN Foundation is hoping to provide training to another 15 social enterprises under its Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI).

The three-year-old programme – which is currently processing applications for its second staging – seeks to assist in the development and technical capacity-building of existing and potential enterprises and individuals that are committed to the development and sustainability of the social and economic well-being of communities, groups and individuals.

So far, a total of 10 social enterprises, including Caribbean Community for Retired Persons (CCRP), Mustard Seed Communities, Dress for Success, Network of Women for Food Security, and Superior Crafts and More have benefited from US$1 million ($113 million) worth of technical and business development support under SEBI.

USAID has since pumped additional funds into the programme allowing it to be extended for another two years. Through this extension, 15 additional social entrepreneurs and social enterprises will be able to benefit from the combined training, consultation and partnership development provided to the SEBI incubator participants.

SEBI Pioneers’ improved management and marketing skills have enhanced each participant’s operations which generated in excess of $37 million in revenue; created 15 new market-ready products and services; as well as employed approximately 130 community members.

The venture therefore continues to play a critical role in the development of the sector.

“Through SEBI, USAID and the JN Foundation have started the process of integrating the social enterprise business model into the psyche and practices of local entrepreneurs and members of the social sector,” stated general manager of JN Foundation, Saffrey Brown.

“However, we acknowledge that more support is needed at this stage, if social enterprises are to engender the change and social impact that they promise. The supplementary funding from USAID has extended the life of the project and gives us the opportunity to build on what we started; as well as to reorient our efforts to achieve greater traction and progress within the projected time frame,” she continued.

SEBI defines social enterprises as profit-making businesses which exist to address social needs such as unemployment, mental illness or environmental degradation. Social entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are business persons who establish enterprises intended to solve social problems and effect social change.

In selecting the candidates, greater emphasis will be placed on solution-based start-ups, enterprises that have developed market-ready products and services, and have positive track records for sales.

Within the ensuing months, SEBI will place equal focus on the provision of resources and support to the wider social enterprise network. This will be achieved through a series of initiatives such as the hosting of rap sessions and the 2017 SEBI Summit, an event geared at showcasing the work of the participants.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/USAID-extends-Social-Enterprise-Boost-Initiative_58255

The Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation and the University of Birmingham have opened the admission process for the 2016/17 University of Birmingham and Jamaica National Foundation Legacy Scholarship. The scholarship, which is in its final year, will see one Jamaican student being accepted to study for a one year master’s degree in a business related field at the United Kingdom (UK)-based institution, beginning in September 2016.

The scholarship provides a unique opportunity for an outstanding Jamaican student to be a part of a university community which offers education that is academically challenging; and, above all, transformative. Should the awardee demonstrate outstanding ability in a particular sport, special assistance may also be provided for athletic development and training.

The first Legacy Scholarship awardee, Chris-Ann Thomas (2014-15), is the proud holder of a master’s degree with distinction from the University of Birmingham, placing first in her Masters programme. Lavois Cruickshank, the scholar for 2015-2016, is currently studying for the MSc Financial Economics.

Saffrey Brown, general manager at the JNBS Foundation, noted that as the Legacy scholarship enters its final year, the programme has already created an impactful legacy that has and will continue to result in the exchange and application of first world standards into the local work arena by beneficiaries of the scholarship, who have been exposed to aspects of business in an international setting.

PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY

“Providing scholarships of this calibre for Jamaican students is important as it provides an opportunity for the best students to study overseas, develop global networks and contribute to introducing emerging ideas in the local market,” said Brown.

The Legacy Scholarship Programme, which is endorsed by the Governor General Sir Patrick Allen through his ‘I Believe Initiative’, is awarded annually to one Jamaican tertiary graduate during the three-year period, 2014 -2016.

The Legacy Scholarship is open to students who have successfully matriculated to study for a master of science degree at the University of Birmingham’s Business School by April 29, 2016.

The University of Birmingham is consistently ranked among the world’s top 100 institutions, with approximately 32,000 students, and is one of the most popular universities for postgraduate study in the UK. The University of Birmingham was named The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year for Graduate Employment 2015/16.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160406/jn-opens-legacy-scholarship-application-process