Hurricane Melissa Sparks Push to Protect HIV Services in Jamaica

Kingston, Jamaica, 09 April 2026 (PAHO) - In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in Jamaica faced numerous challenges that threatened their health and continuity of care. Disruptions to treatment, food insecurity, and breakdowns in communication left many vulnerable. At the same time, some of the very organizations they relied on for support struggled to operate due to damaged facilities, impassable roads, and outages in electricity and water. For individuals dependent on regular access to medication and support services, these post-Melissa conditions created urgent gaps in care.

Within this context, PAHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), UNAIDS, and Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL), recently convened a capacity-building workshop for NGOs, bringing together those on the frontlines of the HIV response to strengthen their ability to respond when it matters most.

Highlighting the importance of preparedness and coordinated action, PAHO/WHO Representative for Jamaica, Mr. Ian Stein, emphasized on the opening day that "preparedness must be intentional, it must be operational, and it must be shared across institutions. We must strengthen coordination pathways, adopt adaptable service delivery models, and ensure safeguarding and duty of care measures, while reinforcing relationships between government and community partners."

The workshop focused on equipping NGOs and community networks with practical tools and approaches to ensure that HIV prevention, treatment, care, and psychosocial support services can continue even in the face of disruption.

Over the course of the two-day workshop, participants explored what it takes to prepare for and respond to crises like Hurricane Melissa. They strengthened their ability to identify risks to HIV service delivery and to develop contingency and preparedness plans grounded in the realities on the ground. The sessions also focused on practical ways to maintain services during emergencies, including coordinating multi-month dispensing, tracing clients, and using mobile outreach to reach those cut off from care.

Participants further strengthened their understanding of how to work alongside national and parish disaster response systems, including the MOHW, ODPEM, UN agencies, shelters, and social protection agencies, ensuring that support for clients and service providers is connected and responsive rather than fragmented.

They also examined how to integrate gender-responsive and rights-centered support into their work while recognizing the need to care for staff and volunteers who are themselves affected in times of crisis. Attention was also given to maintaining standards for data collection, reporting, and confidentiality, even in emergency settings.

Lastly, participants actively engaged in a simulation exercise to practice preparedness and response to a multi-hazard scenario affecting organizational continuity and the wellbeing of staff and beneficiary populations. Through a staged scenario, participants were required to make rapid decisions related to coordination, service delivery, staffing, infrastructure disruptions, safety incidents, and climate-related health risks. The exercise emphasized realistic, time bound actions to assess needs, protect operations, and maintain support to beneficiaries amid evolving shocks.

These efforts come at a time when the intersection between climate-related hazards and HIV is becoming harder to ignore. Jamaica's exposure to hurricanes and other natural events continues to test the resilience of its health systems, while global evidence points to the ways in which climate-related disruptions are shaping health outcomes, including for PLHIV.

This workshop forms part of the post-Hurricane Melissa response and is supported by funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which aims to restore essential health services and address the urgent needs of affected populations.