Photo: Gene Dawkins, principal of Friendship All-Age School in Westmoreland, welcomes Dr. Charles Anderson of Caribbean Medical Mission during a cocktail reception at Travellers Beach Resort on Tuesday. In the background are, from left, Doctors Rudolph Willis, Robert Clarke and Berman Saunders.

DR. CHARLES L. Anderson, seventh NAJASO Chairman, (1995-1997) succumbed to a stroke on October 28, 2015. Dr. Anderson was from the town of Mt. Regale, in the parish of St. Mary, Jamaica.

Dr. Anderson held a degree in Family Medicine from SUNY, Buffalo. During his early research years, he conducted extensive immunology research which has been published in the Journal of Immunology. As cofounder of Medical Group of Western New York, a multi-speciality private practice that was located on Washington Street in Buffalo.

This practice made it easy for patients to have their healthcare provided on a single campus. The mini-medical campus was the forerunner to the Medical Corridor and Washington St. has been aptly designated Dr. Charles L. Anderson, Sr. Way.

Dr. Anderson was the Medical Director of Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services of Buffalo for 36 years from 1976 to 2009 developing two medical programmes that have been used extensively throughout New York State.

The protocols used a medically supervised program to meet the complete medical and mental needs of indigent alcohol and chemically addicted clients.

These two programmes helped reduce the ever-revolving hospital emergency room visits, thus decreasing the prohibitive costs to the hospitals, the state and other service agencies.

This doctor has worked diligently in community service in Buffalo and abroad. He is one of the original members of B.U.I.L.D. Buffalo (Build, Unity, Independence, Liberty, and Dignity) www.buildofbuffalo.org and served as area Vice President from 1968-1969.

Dr. Anderson is the co-founder of Project Respect and the National Medical Association, Buffalo Chapter. As a member of Caribbean Medical Mission and HELP Jamaica Medical Mission, he has provided free medical care throughout the Caribbean. Dr. Anderson was most recently honoured with NAJASO’s Presidents Award at the NAJASO 38th Annual Convention and Awards Banquet held in July 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Anderson was the Chairman of the Board of the Jamaican and American Association of Buffalo (www.jaab.org), a member organisation of the National Association of Jamaican and Supportive Organizations (NAJASO). He was also Chair of NAJASO’s Health Mission and licensed to practice medicine in his beloved Jamaica. Dr. Anderson has received numerous awards and honours. Among his awards is a Paul Harris Fellow Medal from the Rotary Foundation
of Rotary International.