- Location: Codrington Village, Barbuda
- Project Type: Community Health & Welfare Project
- Cost: $
- Start Date:
- Project Status: Completed
Why Was This Project Selected?
It began with a simple question.
A doctor in Denver, Colorado, who had come to know Bonnie’s story and the work of BFM on Barbuda, asked her:
“What is the number one medical need on Barbuda?”
Bonnie didn’t know the answer, but she knew who would: Dr. Jeremy Deazle.
His answer was immediate:
“If I had one wish for Barbuda, it would be a blood lab. A blood lab alone will save lives.”
At the time, something as routine as having blood drawn could require a Barbudan to take a 1½ hour boat ride to Antigua, hire a taxi to the hospital, stay overnight, and pay all the expenses associated with the trip.
For the elderly, the sick, mothers with children, and those without the financial means to travel, a simple blood test could become an enormous burden. Dr. Deazle told us that because many people could not afford the trip or were not physically able to make it, they simply didn’t go.
BFM knew this was a need we wanted to help change.
Project Details
Exterior of Lab
- Remove rotten fascia boards and rain gutters
- Install new rain gutters
- Seal and case-out windows
- Paint entire gallery,walls & ceiling
- Remove all debris from the surrounding area
Interior of Lab
- Remove old, broken equipment and chairs
- Demo and cut interior walls to open up the main room
- Repair and run new electrical
- Repair plumbing and bathroom
- Replace all door knobs & deadbolts
- Seal, repair, and trim all windows
- Build, paint, and install cabinets and countertops
- Patch all walls, sand and paint
From an Empty Room to a Functioning Blood Lab
What began as an old room filled with broken equipment has been completely transformed into The Louise Biddle Memorial Blood Lab.
BFM teams and supporters came together to renovate the space from the inside out. Rotten fascia and gutters were replaced, windows repaired and sealed, electrical and plumbing repaired, walls opened up, the bathroom restored, cabinets and countertops built, and the entire space patched, painted and brought back to life.
But renovating a room was only the beginning. A blood lab needs equipment.
And once again, God provided.
Through BFM’s partnership with Project C.U.R.E., the medical container sent to Barbuda provided much of what was needed to help make the lab functional and equipped for patient care.
Today, what was once an unusable space is a beautiful, functioning blood lab serving the people of Barbuda
What This Means for Barbuda
The lab does not provide every type of blood testing that a comprehensive laboratory with certified laboratory technicians could provide. But what it does provide is life-changing for this small island.
Blood can now be drawn right here on Barbuda. Some testing can be performed on island, and blood requiring additional testing can be sent to Antigua for processing.
That means a Barbudan no longer necessarily has to physically travel to Antigua simply to have blood drawn.
Think about what that means.
No boat fare. No taxi to the hospital. No overnight accommodations. No meals and other travel expenses. And for someone who is elderly, sick, caring for children, or physically unable to make that journey, the difference is immeasurable.
More Than a Completed Project
When Dr. Deazle first told us, “A blood lab will save lives,” it sounded like an enormous dream.
Today, that dream is a reality.
The Louise Biddle Memorial Blood Lab stands as another example of what happens when a need is identified and people come together to meet it. What once seemed impossible became possible through generous donors, mission teams, medical partners, Project C.U.R.E., and so many people who believed in what BFM is doing on Barbuda.
This isn’t just a renovated building.
It is access to medical care.
It is dignity.
It is relief from an enormous financial burden.
And ultimately, it has the potential to save lives.
To every person who gave, served, prayed, donated equipment, or supported Bonnie Floyd Ministries and helped make this possible, THANK YOU!
The Louise Biddle Memorial Blood Lab is no longer a project in need. It is a completed project serving the people of Barbuda.
BFM Mission Teams
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