Strengthening the nationwide vaccination efforts; Jamaica Producers Group (JP) through its partnership with the Private Sector Vaccine Initiative (PSVI) successfully hosted its COVID-19 ‘JP Vaccination Day’ on Thursday(September 30)

Held at its expansive 400-acre farm in Annotto Bay, St Mary, the initiative was extended to JP Farms team members in the parish, their families and residents of nearby communities.

The initiative saw over 200 residents of St. Mary come out to receive doses of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines with approximately 50% of the participants hailing from the JP Farms team.

Heartened by the enthusiasm from the participants, Maya Johnston, Chief Commercial Officer at Jamaica Producers Group stated, “The reception has been tremendous. Despite the hesitancy by some of our citizenry, we [JP] have found that taking the time to educate, and increase access to information and the vaccines, goes a long way in helping to increase the vaccine uptake.”

Johnston went further, “Today is actually the final day in our vaccination month for JP. It was important for us as a company to ensure the protection of our staff, their families and by extension the community. We dedicated our efforts throughout the month to educating our staff as well as providing access to other sites for vaccination. The activities you see here is the culmination of that push.”

Recently, JP Farms initiated a vaccine awareness drive as part of the Group’s ‘Vax Month’ series of initiatives to dispel misinformation provide key facts about COVID-19 vaccines, which was targeted at over160 JP Farms team members.

Gayon Douglas, Marketing Executive at JP Farms noted that the company-led awareness drive and efforts to increase vaccine access included doctor consultations, shuttle services to and from vaccination sites and general team engagement to encourage interest in the weeks leading up to ‘JP Vaccination Day’.

While commending JP’s efforts in the community, St. Mary resident Cereta Henry shared, “At first, I was against the vaccine, but I decided to come here today because I’ve seen where COVID has taken the lives of friends and affected relatives. I started to realize that this [COVID-19] is serious. It is not a hoax. So, I have to protect myself, my mom, brother and nieces who are in my household.”

Jamaica Producers Group is proud of its ongoing stewardship and commitment to long-term sustainability in the parish of St. Mary.

“Jamaica Producers is one of the largest organizations that employs persons in the South East St. Mary region. Today is a manifestation of their commitment to corporate social responsibility. It is a great initiative. I am very pleased to see that so many persons have come out to be vaccinated,” stated Member of Parliament for South East St. Mary The Honourable Dr. Norman Dunn.

Jamaica Producers Group continues to play its part in the fight against COVID-19 and is proud of the strides it has made to support a healthy working environment for the overall well-being of its employees and their families.