GoodHeart | Dr Trisha Bailey sets up relief centre in St Elizabeth
Published:Saturday | November 1, 2025 | 12:08 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
The Trisha Bailey Relief Center has been established in Newmarket, St Elizabeth, to receive goods and supplies for distribution to residents of the area. The centre, named after entrepreneur Dr Trisha Bailey, will be operated by members of her team who are already on the ground in Jamaica. Bailey told The Gleaner that the first planeload of equipment and supplies will arrive at Norman Manley International Airport next Tuesday.
The items include medical supplies such as painkillers, antibiotics, and hypertension medication, along with building materials and equipment.
Bailey said that following the initial shipment, all future goods and supplies will arrive in Jamaica by containers: “The cost of transporting the goods and equipment by plane is extremely costly and I would rather use the funds to buy supplies and ship them to Jamaica as that is a better use of resources,” she said, adding that her on-the-ground team of 40 people will handle the movement of equipment and supplies to the parish.
“My team will be fully involved in every single distribution in the parish. I want to make sure that the people who need the goods and equipment are getting them,” she explained.
Although she is from St Elizabeth, Bailey said her focus is on getting supplies into the parish because of the extensive damage there. She has reached about 40 per cent of her family members, who she said have suffered about 90 per cent loss.
She added that persons wishing to use her facilities to send supplies to Jamaica must provide an inventory and the cost of the items. Items should be delivered to her drop-off points in Orlando, Florida.
“This will make it easier for the goods to clear Customs in Jamaica,” she added.
Bailey said her foundation will also be raising funds, noting that donations sent online will automatically receive a tax-relief certificate. Those wishing to contribute through other methods can contact her team for details.
“Using my foundation to raise funds is new to me. I have never used by foundation in this way before but Jamaica needs all hands on deck if the country is to recover in a timely manner,” Bailey shared.
Bailey urged generosity and integrity in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. “I am praying that the people will do the right thing. No one should be seeking to make money on the situation facing the country.”