DIASPORA | Caribbean Medical Mission marks 30 years of healing the underserved
Caribbean Medical Mission of New Jersey (CMM) President Dr Donna Hutton-Cassies.
Founded in 1996 by Jamaican physicians in New Jersey, the all-volunteer mission will honour its founders and two humanitarian awardees at a black-tie gala in Totowa on November 7
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Oct. 30, 2026 |Calvin G. Brown with Reporting by Derrick Scott in Washington, DC | Thirty years ago, a group of Jamaican doctors practising in New Jersey looked homeward and saw a gap no government budget was closing: people, particularly in rural districts, who could not afford even basic medical attention.
Their answer was to pack their own instruments, pay their own way and go. On Saturday, November 7, the organisation they built, the Caribbean Medical Mission of New Jersey (CMM), will mark three decades of that work at a 30th anniversary black-tie gala at The Grand in Totowa, New Jersey.
Staged under the theme "Decades of Impact, Shaping the Future", the evening will pay special tribute to CMM's founders, whose vision laid the foundation for what has grown into a humanitarian operation spanning the Caribbean, the United States and Africa. It will also recognise the medical professionals, volunteers, supporters and community partners who have sustained the mission year after year.
A lifeline that began with Jamaica
CMM was established in 1996 by Jamaican-born physicians with the stated purpose of running volunteer medical missions to Jamaica, before widening its reach across the region and to the African continent. Its founding president, family physician Dr Rudolph Willis, led the organisation through two terms and later co-founded the Help Jamaica Medical Mission, another New Jersey outfit serving the island.
Jamaica remains among the chief beneficiaries. Over the years CMM teams have conducted numerous missions across the island, offering medical checks, procedures, eyeglasses and medications to hundreds of Jamaicans who might otherwise go without treatment. The value of services and supplies delivered runs to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At the organisation's 25th anniversary in 2022, Jamaica's then Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, described CMM's work as a contribution that "serves as a lifeline to the health sector in Jamaica". Four years on, with the island still rebuilding its health infrastructure in the long shadow of Hurricane Melissa, that assessment has lost none of its force.
"Care to those who cannot afford it"
Dr Patrick Anderson, a specialist in gynaecologic cancers
She paid tribute to the medical volunteers and team members whose dedication had sustained the work, noting that its services now extend to communities in the United States, the wider Caribbean, Jamaica and Africa.
“Our organisation provides medical care to those who are not able to afford it.”
— Dr Donna Hutton-Cassies, President, Caribbean Medical Mission of New Jersey
"As we celebrate 30 years of service, we remain grateful to our visionary founders, whose dedication laid the foundation for this organisation," Dr Hutton-Cassies said, adding that CMM was committed to building on their vision and maintaining a strong tradition of service and excellence.
She described the anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate the organisation's legacy while reaffirming its commitment to improving lives, strengthening communities and inspiring a new generation to embrace volunteerism.
Two honourees
The gala will also honour two individuals whose work reflects the spirit of humanitarian service and community empowerment.
Dr Patrick Anderson, a specialist in gynaecologic cancers, will receive the Humanitarian Award in recognition of his commitment to providing medical care to underserved populations and his participation in international medical missions.
Anderson has paired his clinical expertise with a reputation for compassionate care in communities where access to healthcare is limited.
Media Personality Clement Hume, popularly known as “Ras Clem”
Hume is co-founder of Caribbean Lifestyle TV and founder of Groovin Radio, where he serves as executive producer and host. Through those platforms he has spotlighted individuals and organisations serving their communities while delivering information that educates and empowers audiences worldwide.
Built entirely on volunteers
CMM is a 100 per cent volunteer organisation. It owns no hospital and draws no public salary; it relies instead on the expertise, generosity and commitment of its members and supporters to deliver healthcare services, medical supplies, education and community assistance both in New Jersey and overseas.
Proceeds from the annual gala are what put the next mission on a plane.
That is why, as Dr Hutton-Cassies has framed it, the anniversary celebration recognises not only what CMM has achieved but the collective effort required to keep the work going and to extend its reach to the communities that need it most.
For the Jamaican diaspora in the tri-state area, the November 7 gala is less a victory lap than a call to the next thirty years.
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