Caribbean Medical Mission Marks 30 Years of Healing
Originally published by South Florida Caribbean News Read the original
New Jersey-based volunteer doctors honor founders, renew call for help as Jamaica rebuilds after Hurricane Melissa
TOTOWA, N.J. (SFLCN) — A volunteer medical group started by Jamaican doctors in New Jersey in 1996 has marked 30 years of treating patients in underserved communities across the Caribbean and Africa. The group also used the milestone to recruit more health care workers as hurricane-battered western Jamaica continues to rebuild.
The Caribbean Medical Mission, or CMM, celebrated Saturday, Nov. 7, with a black-tie gala at The Grand in Totowa under the theme “Decades of Impact, Shaping the Future.” Medical professionals, community leaders and supporters gathered to review the group’s work, honor two community figures and pay tribute to its founding members.
Lawmaker: ‘The world is very small’
New Jersey state Sen. Britnee Timberlake, D-East Orange, delivered the keynote address, calling the organization’s three decades of service an outstanding example of humanitarian commitment.
Timberlake said CMM’s willingness to send doctors and resources abroad shows an understanding that humanitarian crises do not stop at borders. Furthermore, she pointed to earthquakes in Haiti and hurricanes across the Caribbean. She said disasters thousands of miles away can ripple into communities in New Jersey and beyond.
“The world is very small,” she said.
Timberlake, who did missionary work in Jamaica before entering elected office, said visiting places where people lack basic necessities can change how a person values life and service. In addition, she urged people with professional skills, money and influential networks to share them with organizations making a difference. She said abundance should not simply be accumulated for personal benefit. She also pledged support for CMM and said she hopes to join one of its future missions.
Hurricane Melissa relief in Black River
CMM President Dr. Donna Hutton-Cassies said the group’s most recent mission to Jamaica focused on Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth parishes. Residents in these parishes still face serious hardship after the hurricane.
Hurricane Melissa slammed into southwestern Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on Oct. 28, 2025. More than 90% of homes in Black River, the St. Elizabeth capital, sustained damage, according to the area’s member of Parliament.
In Black River, where the storm wrecked homes, schools, businesses, hospitals and churches, the volunteer team treated residents at facilities provided by the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The team also visited other hard-hit communities. They worked alongside local health institutions and humanitarian partners.
Hutton-Cassies thanked the organizations and individuals who provided transportation, facilities and coordination. She said collaboration with local institutions remains essential to the group’s work.
CMM is a 100% volunteer organization of medical and nonmedical professionals who donate their time, expertise and, often, their own money. Hutton-Cassies called on more doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals to join. The group works to expand its reach.
How a 1996 conversation became an international mission
Founding member and former President Dr. Winston Scott said CMM grew out of 1996 discussions among Jamaican medical professionals in New Jersey about returning home to care for underserved communities. Those conversations involved Portia Simpson Miller, then a visiting member of Jamaica’s Parliament. She later became the country’s first female prime minister.
Since then, the group has worked in Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Guyana, Dominica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They have also worked in Ghana in West Africa.
In Jamaica, CMM adopted the Fair Prospect Health Centre in Portland parish in 2016, supplying medicine, equipment and other aid. Scott said the group’s work has grown beyond traditional medical missions to include dental services, health education, preventive care and broader public health efforts.
That includes clean water. Scott recalled that after members saw how inadequate water supplies were affecting children’s health in Ghana, CMM worked with partners there to launch a water-treatment initiative.
Scott, who led the organization from 2013 to 2023, said medical missions remain vital in the Caribbean. This is especially true where limited health care resources leave major gaps in services, especially in rural communities. CMM’s next mission will be to Belize, he said.
Anderson, Hume honored
Dr. Patrick Anderson, a specialist in gynecologic cancers, received the Humanitarian Award for his commitment to caring for underserved patients and his work on international medical missions.
Clement “Ras Clem” Hume received the Community Award for his contributions to media and community empowerment. Hume co-founded Caribbean Lifestyle TV and founded Groovin Radio, where he is executive producer and host. His platforms spotlight people and organizations serving their communities.
The gala also paid tribute to CMM’s founding members. This included founding President Dr. Rudolph Willis, Dr. Leon Dick, Margaret Douglas, Scott, Hugh Barton and Dr. Richard Constable.
As it enters its fourth decade, CMM plans to expand its medical outreach, strengthen partnerships and draw more health professionals into its ranks. For Hutton-Cassies, the anniversary was less a look back than a call for others to serve.
Caribbean Medical Mission: Fast facts
- Founded: 1996, by Jamaican medical professionals in New Jersey
- Structure: 100% volunteer, medical and nonmedical professionals
- Where it works: Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Guyana, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ghana and the United States
- Latest mission: Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, after Hurricane Melissa
- Next mission: Belize
- President: Dr. Donna Hutton-Cassies
- How to help: CMM is recruiting doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals.
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