WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, March 16, 2010 – Dole Food Company, Inc. announced today that it inaugurated this week a mobile medical unit, which now offers some rural communities of the Atlantic Coast of Costa Rica access to preventive medicine and specialized health attention.
This mobile medical unit consists of a container divided into 3 fully-equipped medical rooms, which provide patients with a wide range of medical services such as: general medicine, gastroscopy, ultrasound scan, ophthalmology, pediatrics, blood donation, osteoporosis analysis, vaccination campaigns and laboratory exams. The unit was donated to the Lions Club of Costa Rica who is now responsible, with Doles support, for managing the unit, coordinating the medical staffs planning and organizing health campaigns.
Even though Costa Ricas social security system is well developed and has local clinics in most of the communities of the Atlantic Zone, this mobile medical unit will be an additional tool to bring specialized medical services to remote areas, services that are mainly provided in urban areas. We expect this new unit to treat over 10,000 people per year, said Danilo Romn, General Manager, Standard Fruit de Costa Rica.
This unit was co-funded by Dole and Spar, an Austrian supermarket chain, through an extra contribution made by consumers during a campaign run in Austria between February and May 2009.
After the school was built in Ecuador in 2008 together with a Norwegian customer, this joint initiative with Spar further demonstrates the common interest of Dole and its customers in supporting the communities living in production areas. Dole will continue to develop similar partnerships whether in the social or environmental area, said Sylvain Cuperlier, Vice President, Director of Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility for Dole.
Dole, with 2009 net revenues of $6.8 billion, is the worlds largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, and is the leading producer of organic bananas. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.
Source: Dole Food Company Inc.