Virginia Kondas, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) at UHealth Tower in Miami and 1199SEIU Florida member leader, was proud to play a key role in a healthcare relief mission with fellow union caregivers earlier this year in Jamaica.

She joined an expert team of 1199SEIU national leaders, licensed clinicians and support personnel from New York and other states in the mission coordinated by the New York Relief Network<https://www.nyreliefnetwork.org/> in response to Hurricane Melissa which slammed into Jamaica in late 2025, leaving devastation and lasting damage in its wake.

The 1199SEIU team focused on delivering urgent medical care, distributing critical supplies, and assessing ongoing healthcare needs across severely impacted communities in the Black River area. They served hundreds of storm victims from toddlers to the elderly.

Kondas and her union team members were housed approximately one hour away from the disaster area, at the only available hotel equipped with solar power, allowing for reliable access to electricity in a region where power outages and lack of running water still remain widespread.

Catastrophic damage to the area’s healthcare infrastructure made the mission that much more critical. Each day the teams arrived at their locations residents were urgently waiting for essential care and basic medications. Untreated wounds, for example, were still especially common and a great danger for patients, many of whom had to travel great distances to receive care.

Kondas and her 1199SEIU teammates brought as many medical supplies and their own instruments as possible, with the AFYA Foundation<https://afyafoundation.org/join-the-coalition/> generously supplying the bulk of the supplies.

“This mission was very gratifying making human connections and doing whatever we can to help one another.  That’s what our union is all about and I’m thankful for the opportunity to join other 1199SEIU members and leaders. By helping those in need we all got back more than we gave.”

DeQuasia Canales, 1199SEIU Florida Executive Vice President, says it’s no surprise Kondas stepped up to serve the storm victims. “Virginia isn’t just an accomplished medical professional, but an amazing person and union member. Our 1199SEIU family is very fortunate to have her and so many incredible members coming together to take care of each other, our patients and our communities.  That’s our mission every day.”

To help the ongoing relief efforts in Jamaica, visit www.nyreliefnetwork.org or www.afyafoundation.org .