Rodent Control Program

One of my jobs here in Jamaica is to aid the Public Health Inspectors in projects that they are conducting through the parish health department. Ultimately I'm here to help them build resources and capacity for jobs they currently do and/or want to do in the future. Usually this just means they need an extra hand because the biggest resource they are lacking (besides money) is manpower.

So when one of my PHIs asked for help with a Rodent Control Program that is being conducted in our community I was right there to assist. I am now official part of the Rodent Control Team which consists of other PHIs, the Health Education Officer, other employees at the health department and even members of the community that we are conducting the program in. The main goal of this program is to reduce the rodent population in the community. We will do this through a number of strategies:

1. Educate members of the community about the importance of rodent control and how they can all help to reduce the rodent population through proper solid waste management.
2. Conduct a community wide clean up, creating rodent traps throughout the community.
3. Provide opportunities for community to properly dispose of waste (place garbage bins throughout town)
4. Hold a Best Kept Street Competition to promote cleaner, healthier communities
5. Go the local schools and teach children how they can do their part to help clean up the community. The plan is to have a poster contest and quiz competition on the importance of rodent control and proper solid waste management.

So far we have been able to acquire 20 garbage bins donated by local companies to place throughout town. I spent this past week painting them all. I painted "St. Ann Health Department Rodent Control Program" with a picture of a rat and a big X painted over the rat on all 20 of the bins. I can paint rats in my sleep now! I'm not sure if that is something to be proud of or not... lol! But I had a lot of fun spending the days outside painting. And since I was sitting outside I got to meet more people who work at the health department because they saw me working and were curious about the project. They just came right up and started chatting. So painting the bins was a great excuse for me to meet new people at work as well. :) Needless to say I am very excited about helping carry out the rest of the program with the Rodent Control Team. Hopefully we can inspire behavior change and help to really clean up the town.

By the way, today is a GORGEOUS day outside. I can't wait to hit the beach. I know you guys in the states are all jealous ;) but don't worry, it's spring now and the worst of the cold is over... Miss you all very much, I'll think of you while I'm playing in the waves!