Latest News
Bellevue’s renovated family room to be named after Leon Bailey
March 04, 2025
Suzette 'Camille' Buchanan, CEO of the Bellevue Hospital, announced their newly renovated family room will be named after Jamaican international Leon Bailey following his $500,000 donation to the project.
Buchanan revealed this yesterday during a ceremony where they unveiled the renovated space at the hospital's facility.
Buchanan explained Bailey had kick-started the renovation process after a donation through his organisation, the Leon Bailey Foundation.
The footballer had taken part in the hospital's Labour Day clean-up and beautification activities last year, where he had made the initial donation.
"On Labour Day last year, I got a call from Leon Bailey. He said to me 'I want to donate to Bellevue and not just donate to Bellevue, I want to come to Bellevue and be a part of whatever is happening at Bellevue'," Buchanan recalled.
"I want to thank Leon Bailey especially for starting this and saying yes, 'I want to make a meaningful impact at the Bellevue Hospital' and so, we are extremely grateful," she continued.
The room will serve as a lounge for family members of the hospital's patients to visit their loved ones, and also features online access for family members who are not able to attend in person.
Bailey, who could not attend the unveiling ceremony due to club obligations with Aston Villa, congratulated the hospital remotely on a phone call.
He said the renovation proved an important success for his foundation and stands a sign of his commitment to giving back to Jamaica.
I just want to send my best wishes and I want to thank you all for being here today. It means a lot for me, my family and everybody else," Bailey said.
"I really love my country and I really love to be a part of this programme so I'm really appreciative of these opportunities. I just want to say, I wish you all the best and with my support, I try to do as best as I can to be an ambassador."
Ramone Baxter, a representative of the Leon Bailey Foundation, said the renovation project will not be their last contribution to Bellevue as they seek to continue their charitable projects with the hospital.
"It is not a one-off thing. It is going to be a continuous venture and we're going to improve as we go along. As I said, yearly, we like to come together and sit down and think, 'How can we assist our country? How can we give back to Jamaica?'," Baxter stated.
Bailey is expected to visit the hospital later this month where the renovated room will be officially named in his honour.
