Carib Scope

分类： health

  • Health : Towards strengthening the capacity of the National Ambulance Center (video)

    Health : Towards strengthening the capacity of the National Ambulance Center (video)

    On September 12, 2026, Haiti’s National Ambulance Center (CAN) gathered key domestic and international stakeholders at Port-au-Prince’s Royal Hotel to mark World First Aid Day with a day of strategic reflection and collective mobilization focused on transforming the country’s fragmented emergency response infrastructure. Convened under the theme “Strengthening the Emergency Response Chain in Haiti for a More Resilient Emergency Management System”, the event was led by CAN Director General Dr. Ricardo Jean Baptiste, with administrative support from his senior leadership team including Director of Administration and Budget Hansy Beethoven Joseph.

    Attendees included high-ranking officials and institutional partners spanning multiple sectors: Cheng Hao Hu, Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China) to Haiti; Haitian Minister of the Environment Valéry Fils-Aimé; Director General of Haiti’s National Civil Protection Emmanuel Pierre; emergency response units from the Haitian National Police; delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); Delmas municipal firefighting teams; and dozens of representatives from Haiti’s public and private health and emergency services sectors.

    In his keynote address to attendees, Dr. Jean Baptiste outlined a sweeping multi-part plan to overhaul CAN operations across all 10 of Haiti’s administrative departments. The first core component of the plan is a full systemic reorganization of CAN’s emergency call handling workflow, designed to streamline intake, inter-agency coordination, and dispatch of emergency services to communities in need. Second, Dr. Jean Baptiste confirmed planned investments in upgraded life-saving medical equipment to reinforce CAN’s clinical capabilities, with the explicit goal of raising the standard of care for Haitian residents facing acute medical emergencies. The third major initiative is an infrastructure expansion project that will see nine new regional CAN administrative offices constructed across the country. This expansion is intended to address longstanding gaps in working conditions for frontline ambulance staff and extend CAN’s formal institutional presence to underserved rural and regional departments.

    Dr. Jean Baptiste also used the occasion to publicly thank the ICRC for its critical ongoing support to CAN, highlighting a recently completed partnership that restored 13 idle CAN ambulances to active service. Funded through coordination with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health, the ambulance repair project has already delivered measurable gains to the network’s response capacity by increasing the number of fully operational vehicles available for emergency deployments.

    Following opening remarks, the day’s program progressed to two expert panels that centered on the most pressing challenges facing Haiti’s emergency management sector. The first panel, focused on the unique complexities of delivering first aid in Haiti’s growing migration context, featured a keynote presentation from Emmanuel Pierre and was moderated by Dr. Jeanty Fils Exalus, who also served as the event’s master of ceremonies. The second panel, which aligned with the day’s overarching theme of building a more resilient national emergency system, was moderated by Dr. Rose Anaëlle Pierre Jean, and brought together stakeholders to unpack both structural barriers to progress and untapped opportunities for system-wide improvement.

    The event concluded with the formal launch of a new national regulatory initiative: the National Program for the Registration and Certification of Ambulance Companies and First Aid Training Schools, presented by Midelson Emmanuel Jr. Juste, coordinator of CAN’s Legal Unit. The new regulatory framework aims to formalize the fragmented emergency response sector, enforce consistent professional standards for practitioners, and improve the overall quality of first aid and emergency care accessible to Haitian communities across the country.

  • Nurse Prevost urges Dominicans to prioritize health during festive season

    Nurse Prevost urges Dominicans to prioritize health during festive season

    As the Dominican Republic prepares for its annual independence festive season, a leading national nursing figure is sounding the call for all Dominican residents to center personal health and well-being as a year-round priority, not just a passing wellness goal. In an exclusive interview with independent news editor Richie Ferrol held on September 13, 2026, Priscilla Prevost, who serves both as a practicing family nurse practitioner and president of the National Nurses Council, laid out her public health message tailored to the upcoming period of widespread celebration.

    Prevost opened her remarks by acknowledging that communal gatherings and joyful celebrations are deeply woven into the cultural fabric of Dominican life, and the upcoming independence season will bring a marked increase in these social events across the country. She noted that amid the excitement of holiday festivities, it is all too common for individuals to set aside their usual healthy habits and overlook the long-term impacts of their daily choices.

    Beyond framing health as a personal goal, Prevost emphasized that protecting and maintaining individual wellness is a shared collective responsibility that ripples out to benefit entire communities. She described the human body as a sacred vessel, encouraging people to treat it with greater intentional care. Contrary to common misconceptions that health focus only centers on diet, she explained that holistic well-being encompasses far more than eating nutrient-dense foods. Key components include making intentional, responsible choices around alcoholic beverage consumption, prioritizing consistent, adequate sleep each night, and nurturing supportive, positive social connections.

    Prevost also drew attention to the underrecognized impact of chronic exposure to negative environments and interactions, explaining that ongoing negativity can erode both a person’s overall emotional state and weaken their immune system function. Based on this, she encouraged all Dominicans to adopt sustainable, healthier daily habits and stay mindful of the interconnected factors that shape physical, mental, and emotional health outcomes.

    The nursing leader further stressed that reckless personal choices do not only affect the individual making them—they can carry severe, life-altering consequences for family members, coworkers, and the broader public. To illustrate this point, she cited the common high-risk behavior of drinking and driving during holiday seasons, noting that a single irresponsible decision can lead to devastating road traffic accidents that harm innocent passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians, not just the person behind the wheel.

    Closing her message, Prevost urged Dominicans to reflect on how individual choices shape collective community well-being, and to recognize the inherent value of each person’s ongoing contribution to national life. “Every decision that we make has consequences, whether for good or for bad,” she said, reaffirming that responsible personal conduct and sustained health investment are critical to allowing individuals to continue making meaningful, positive contributions to Dominican society for years to come.

  • 37 staaroperaties tijdens medische missie Boven-Suriname

    37 staaroperaties tijdens medische missie Boven-Suriname

    A collaborative medical team made up of Surinamese and Belgian healthcare providers has just wrapped up a six-day outreach mission that brought life-changing specialized care to underserved rural communities along the Upper Suriname River, completing 37 cataract surgeries and treating 148 dental patients. Among the cataract recipients was a 95-year-old woman who had previously lost her vision to the condition.

    The mission ran from September 6 to September 11, serving communities scattered across river villages stretching from Sukunale to Goejaba. The mixed team paired Surinamese and Belgian ophthalmologists with Belgian dental practitioners and dental students, with coordination led by Dr. Gaytree Baldewsingh of Medische Zending and ophthalmologist Jerrel Pawiroredjo from the Suriname Eye Center. Dr. Leen van den Abeele headed up the Belgian dental contingent. Organizers noted that the overwhelming turnout of patients waiting for care underscores the unmet need for specialized eye and dental services in this remote region.

    A temporary operating room was set up specifically for the mission at Ladoeani, the team’s main base of operations. All 37 cataract procedures were performed at this site, with most patients being low-vision elderly residents. Many of these patients face limited mobility, making the long trip to the capital Paramaribo for specialized care prohibitively difficult. In addition to restoring sight to dozens of people, the mission addressed widespread dental health issues across the river villages.

    Dental providers documented severe oral health problems that were surprisingly prevalent even among child patients. The team linked these widespread issues to rising consumption of sugar and sweetened sodas paired with insufficient access to oral hygiene education and resources. As part of the mission, participating dental students delivered hands-on tooth-brushing training and community education on the importance of consistent good oral hygiene to prevent long-term problems. Most of the dental procedures performed were extractions of teeth that had already suffered advanced decay and were causing painful complications that could not be reversed.

    The outreach initiative was made possible through private funding: Conrad Issa of Lucky Store covered the majority of the mission’s financial costs, while Anaula Nature Resort sponsored accommodation for the entire medical team. Looking ahead, organizers plan to reinstate these annual medical missions to remote inland villages as a permanent, structured program. The core goal of the program is to bring specialized ophthalmic care closer to residents who face significant barriers to accessing treatment due to their isolated geographic locations.

    Unmet demand for cataract and eye care extends far beyond the Upper Suriname River region. The Suriname Eye Center is already preparing for the second large-scale surgical mission of 2025, scheduled to take place in November in Nickerie. More than 600 patients are already on the waiting list for the upcoming mission, with organizers expecting to complete approximately 200 cataract surgeries during the outreach.

  • Drinking water in Haiti contaminated with lead at alarming levels

    Drinking water in Haiti contaminated with lead at alarming levels

    A newly released public health assessment has uncovered a severe, underreported crisis in Haiti: widespread lead contamination of the country’s drinking water that far surpasses international safety thresholds, triggering urgent calls for regulatory and infrastructural reform.

    Published by local researchers in September 2026, the analysis found the average lead concentration in Haitian drinking water sits at 65 micrograms per liter (µg/l), with peak measurements reaching as high as 90 µg/l. For context, the World Health Organization (WHO) sets a maximum safe allowable limit of just 10 µg/l, meaning the most contaminated samples in Haiti have nine times the lead that global health guidelines deem safe.

    Lead researcher Henry Robert Duclair, a scholar at Quisqueya University, has identified three overlapping root causes that have created this ongoing public health threat. First, decades-old water distribution infrastructure across much of the country still relies on lead-based pipes, which leach the toxic metal directly into the water supply as the pipes degrade over time, according to additional analysis from environmental group Haiti Climat. Second, poor management of waste and agricultural resources has contaminated the country’s groundwater reserves: poorly maintained septic tanks, unregulated raw wastewater discharge, unlined landfills, and widespread overuse of chemical fertilizers all leach pollutants, including lead, into underground drinking water sources. Third, Duclair emphasizes that Haiti’s lack of strict, enforced regulatory frameworks to monitor and control drinking water quality has allowed the crisis to grow unnoticed and unaddressed for years.

    Currently, Haiti has no binding national regulations governing lead levels in drinking water, nor any systematic monitoring mechanism to track the quality of groundwater reserves that supply much of the country’s population. Contamination is particularly severe in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, where the majority of residents rely on local water networks and groundwater sources for daily consumption.

    Public health officials warn that ongoing exposure to elevated lead levels carries severe, long-term health consequences. Chronic lead poisoning is linked to increased risk of hypertension and life-threatening cardiovascular disease, causes permanent kidney damage over time, and carries severe neurotoxic effects that can permanently harm cognitive development in children and cause neurological damage in adults. Haiti’s Ministry of Health has been urged to ramp up vigilance and launch immediate intervention efforts to address the contamination before it causes a widespread public health disaster.

  • Doctors’ social media advertising under review

    Doctors’ social media advertising under review

    Against a backdrop of rapidly expanding digital self-promotion by medical professionals, the Council of the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago (MBTT) has launched a comprehensive update of its regulatory guidelines governing how doctors can advertise their clinical services. This sweeping review addresses a range of emerging issues, from unregulated social media marketing and exaggerated treatment outcome claims to undisclosed financial incentives that could mislead patients.

    Dr. Ian Ramnarine, a cardiothoracic surgeon and MBTT Secretary, confirmed the review in an interview with the *Sunday Express*, noting that the exponential rise in doctors marketing their practices across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other digital platforms has created an urgent need to modernize outdated rules. While medical advertising has long been a sensitive regulatory concern for the board, the mainstream adoption of social media has upended existing frameworks, pushing leadership to re-evaluate what constitutes acceptable professional practice.

    “The Medical Council takes this issue extremely seriously, and it is far more complex than many realize. Drawing a clear line between permissible communication and harmful misleading promotion is critical, because our core mandate is protecting public health. Every part of these guidelines needs to be crafted with extreme care,” Ramnarine explained.

    He added that foundational ethical standards for advertising already exist, developed in a collaborative partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association (TTMA). Now, in response to the digital shift, those foundational standards have been updated for the modern era, and the full MBTT board is set to conduct the final review of the draft framework.

    When asked which specific practices have sparked the most regulatory concern, Ramnarine highlighted three key problem areas: false or unsubstantiated claims about treatment success, branded advertising centered on individual doctors, and the failure to disclose financial conflicts of interest that incentivize doctors to push specific products or procedures to patients. Currently, the regulatory body is still refining definitions of what exactly counts as inappropriate or unethical advertising, with multiple open points still under active discussion.

    The updated guidelines will cover all forms of doctor-led promotion, including organic social media posts, paid sponsored content, promotional videos and patient testimonials. Several high-stakes questions remain unresolved, however: the board is still debating whether individual doctors should be allowed to advertise specific procedures, particularly elective cosmetic treatments. Current rules prohibit individual clinicians from promoting specific services, a restriction that only applies to institutional medical providers – that ban is now up for re-evaluation.

    Another open question centers on whether advertising price points, discounts, limited-time special offers and promotional service packages will be permitted. Ramnarine noted that a full ban on this type of promotion remains the most likely outcome, though the discussion is still ongoing.

    Ramnarine also emphasized a core ethical principle that will anchor the new guidelines: medicine is an individualized practice that requires a full patient assessment, formal diagnosis and personalized treatment plan. Any promotion of a procedure that is not clinically appropriate for a patient, but that generates personal financial profit for the clinician, will be explicitly classified as both inappropriate and unethical.

    The review also covers how to regulate common marketing tools such as before-and-after treatment photos, patient success testimonials and claims of high treatment success rates. The board is also expanding existing conflict of interest disclosure rules: currently, disclosure of financial ties is already required for doctors presenting at scientific conferences and continuing medical education events, where presenters must clearly state any benefits they receive that relate to their presented work. The new guidelines will extend this requirement to doctors promoting commercial health products, including supplements, skincare items and other patient-facing wellness goods.

    Additional unresolved topics include whether doctors will be banned from criticizing competing medical practices or comparing their services directly to other clinicians in advertising, as well as what specific sanctions will be imposed on clinicians found to violate the new rules. Both issues remain under active review, Ramnarine confirmed.

    For context, the MBTT already maintains an established formal complaints process for concerns about unethical doctor behavior, governed by the national Medical Board Act that regulates medical practitioner registration and oversight. Instructions for members of the public to submit reports of unethical advertising are already posted publicly on the MBTT official website.

    When asked how the board will balance clinicians’ right to grow their practice with the critical need to protect patients from misleading medical claims, Ramnarine said clear, proactive regulation is non-negotiable. He noted that the draft guidelines have been developed through extensive multi-stakeholder consultations to ensure all perspectives are considered. Once the draft is submitted to the full board, all public and stakeholder comments will be compiled, reviewed by the MBTT ethics committee, revised, and recirculated for further input before finalization.

    While Ramnarine confirmed that a near-final draft could be circulated to board members within the next two weeks, he cautioned that this timeline does not guarantee a finalized set of rules will be released to all practicing doctors before the end of September. Once the guidelines are formally approved, Ramnarine added it is standard practice for the board to offer clarification for doctors looking to bring existing advertisements and social media profiles into compliance with the new rules. In line with the board’s core mandate, Ramnarine reaffirmed that unregulated medical advertising is not an option: “Advertising cannot be unregulated. Clear guidelines must exist to protect patients.”

    The MBTT’s existing code of ethics for medical advertising, which the updated rules will replace, currently includes the following key provisions: practice location signage may only include the doctor’s name, professional qualifications, area of specialization, office hours and appointment requirements, and may only be sized for basic identification; all claims about clinician competence, experience, service quality and treatment outcomes must be factually accurate and supported by formal certification or evidence of appropriate training; promotional materials may not include financial incentives to attract patients, nor may they include third-party endorsements or testimonials about the clinician or their services; doctors may not advertise under a pseudonym, and all advertising must use their full legal name as registered with the MBTT; doctors may not attach their name to the promotion of commercial organizations, and any public comment on issues related to a linked medical, pharmaceutical or biomedical organization requires full disclosure of the professional relationship and a clarification of whether views represent the doctor or the organization.

  • If we want a healthier Caribbean tomorrow, we must give children and  young people a meaningful role in shaping it today.

    If we want a healthier Caribbean tomorrow, we must give children and  young people a meaningful role in shaping it today.

    An opinion piece from three young Caribbean public health advocates has put forward a bold new framework for advancing regional wellness, arguing that meaningful youth engagement—rather than top-down guidance on individual behavior—is the foundation of a healthier Caribbean future.

    Written by Chelsea Antoine, Latifah Holder and Danielle Mullings, all members of the youth advocacy network Healthy Caribbean Youth, the op-ed challenges the long-held assumption that improving public health starts with dictating to young people what to eat, how to stay active, and how to manage their well-being. Instead, the authors argue that systemic change must come first: young people need accessible resources, supportive environments, and formal seats at the decision-making table to drive sustainable change for themselves and their communities.

    Across the Caribbean region, the authors note, young people face widespread structural barriers to healthy living that public health messaging often ignores. Young residents are consistently told to prioritize nutritious diets, but fresh, healthy food remains out of reach for many due to cost and limited access in underserved communities. They are urged to stay physically active, yet safe, inclusive public spaces for recreation and exercise are often unavailable or poorly maintained. And while mental health awareness has grown in recent years, stigma still silences open conversations, and many young people remain unsure where to turn for affordable, reliable support.

    “We cannot keep telling young people to make healthier choices without asking whether we are making those choices practical, affordable and accessible,” the authors write.

    This core argument is why the 2026 Caribbean Wellness Day theme—*Engage, Empower and Elevate Youth*—carries such critical importance for the region, the advocates explain. Wellness is not an individual responsibility alone, they emphasize: it is a collective mission that requires cross-sector collaboration, inclusive policy design, cultural acceptance, and accessible health services that create the conditions for young people to thrive.

    Against a backdrop of growing regional challenges—including rising rates of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), persistent food insecurity, and the evolving impacts of climate change—empowering young people means more than just handing them basic health information. It requires equipping them with the knowledge, confidence, and institutional support to make informed decisions about their own well-being. It also means normalizing open conversations about mental health, the authors stress: asking for help and speaking honestly about emotional struggles is not a sign of weakness, and invisible mental health challenges deserve the same level of attention and investment as physical health conditions.

    Central to the authors’ vision is the idea that young people must be recognized as more than just recipients of public health programs. “To elevate means recognising that young people are not simply beneficiaries of health interventions. We are ambassadors of change, innovators, advocates, leaders and partners in improving health outcomes across our communities and the Caribbean,” they write.

    For regional wellness to become a lasting reality, the authors argue, it must be elevated to a top regional priority. Policymakers, private sector businesses, educational institutions, and civil society organizations all have a role to play in building environments where healthy choices are not just encouraged, but are the most practical and accessible option for all residents.

    The Caribbean region, the authors note, holds a unique opportunity to reimagine wellness for its specific context. Shared challenges from NCDs, food insecurity and climate change create a natural collective foundation for developing tailored, homegrown solutions that meet the region’s unique needs.

    In closing, the advocates emphasize that a healthier Caribbean cannot be built by only urging individuals to make better choices. Systemic change requires centering the people who will shape the region’s future: “Ultimately a healthier Caribbean cannot be created by simply telling people to make better choices. So, let us engage young people. Empower us, elevate us, because we are not waiting to become the future of the Caribbean. We are already helping shape it today.”

    The three authors bring decades of combined regional and global public health experience to the call. Antoine is a public health and project management professional at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), where her work focuses on monitoring and evaluation, youth engagement, and health advocacy to advance equitable, healthy communities across the region. Holder is a public health specialist with expertise in program and project planning, focused on NCD prevention, health education, and community engagement, with a commitment to delivering impactful public health campaigns for Caribbean communities. Mullings is a multidisciplinary expert who leverages technology and storytelling to advance health, education and youth empowerment; she serves on Jamaica’s National Artificial Intelligence Task Force and the RJR Gleaner Youth Advisory Board, and has collaborated with leading global institutions including UNICEF Jamaica, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and Transform Health to amplify Caribbean perspectives in international development.

  • (Youth) Op-Ed: Caribbean Wellness Day 2026 Healthy Caribbean

    (Youth) Op-Ed: Caribbean Wellness Day 2026 Healthy Caribbean

    Across the Caribbean, public health discourse has long centered on telling young people what choices to make for better wellness — what foods to eat, how much to exercise, and how to manage mental health. But a new perspective from three youth health leaders argues that meaningful change will only come when young people are given agency to shape the future of wellness in their communities, rather than being passive recipients of guidance. This shift is at the heart of the 2026 Caribbean Wellness Day theme: “Engage, Empower and Elevate Youth.

    For too many young Caribbeans, the barriers to healthy living go far beyond a lack of knowledge. Even when young people understand the benefits of nutritious eating, affordable, accessible healthy food remains out of reach for many. When encouraged to prioritize physical activity, they often lack safe, well-maintained public spaces to be active. And when it comes to mental health, systemic stigma and unclear pathways to care still leave many young people struggling to find support. These systemic gaps mean that simply telling young people to “make better choices” ignores the structural obstacles that stand in their way.

    Wellness is not an individual responsibility alone; it is a collective undertaking that requires cross-sector collaboration, supportive social cultures, enabling physical environments, accessible healthcare services, and inclusive policies that create space for young people to thrive. Engaging young people means more than just soliciting their input once a policy is drafted — it requires centering their voices from the earliest stages of decision-making, creating spaces where their lived experiences can shape policy and drive community change.

    Empowering young people means equipping them with the knowledge, confidence, and support to make informed choices about their health. It also means normalizing help-seeking behavior and open conversations about mental health, recognizing that invisible struggles deserve the same attention and care as visible physical health conditions. Elevating youth, meanwhile, means reframing their role: young people are not just beneficiaries of public health interventions — they are change ambassadors, innovators, advocates, leaders, and equal partners in advancing better health outcomes across the region.

    The Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s Hope for the Future 3.0 initiative offers a working model of this approach in action. Across six Caribbean islands, the youth-centered program invites children and young people to explore the impacts of ultra-processed foods, food marketing, and the systemic forces that shape their daily choices. In Trinidad and Tobago, for example, the program does not just lecture young people on what is healthy or unhealthy. Instead, it encourages them to critically analyze food marketing, question the food environments they encounter daily, and imagine what a healthier school environment would look like through the initiative’s “My Dream School” component. This approach avoids blaming young people for the systemic barriers they inherit and instead gives them the tools to transform those barriers for the better.

    Caribbean wellness must be elevated to a top regional priority. Policymakers, private sector businesses, educational institutions, and civil society organizations all have a role to play in collaborating to build environments where healthy choices are not just encouraged, but practical, affordable, and accessible enough to become the norm. The Caribbean faces converging challenges — a rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), growing food insecurity, and the growing impacts of climate change — that unite communities across the region around a shared goal of developing tailored, context-specific solutions.

    In the end, a healthier Caribbean cannot be built by simply telling communities to make better choices. It must be built by centering the people who will inherit the region: young people. They are not waiting to become the future of the Caribbean — they are already shaping it today.

  • Free mental health support available across Saint Lucian communities

    Free mental health support available across Saint Lucian communities

    Even as Saint Lucia continues its slow progress chipping away at deep-seated stigma surrounding mental health, many residents may be unaware that low-cost and completely free mental health support is already available in nearly every corner of the island. Speaking to local outlet St. Lucia News at a recent Suicide Prevention Awareness Fair held Thursday, veteran community mental health nurse Maria Charles outlined the scope of existing services, their limitations, and how locals can access the care they need.

    As a 17-year veteran of the island’s Community Health Nursing Services, Charles helps run the free client-centred counselling program that operates out of community health centers across the country. Unlike structured clinical therapy that follows a provider-led agenda, these sessions are tailored to what each patient wants to address, putting control of the conversation firmly in the hands of the person seeking support.

    Charles explained that community counselling acts as an accessible first entry point for people navigating mental health challenges. Nurses on the ground are equipped to help patients manage common, mild concerns such as everyday anxiety, and can connect those requiring more intensive specialized care to appropriate clinical pathways through formal referrals. For conditions such as moderate to severe depression that require the care of a licensed clinical psychologist, Charles noted that in-house community services do not currently offer this level of specialized care. However, most patients can be referred for free treatment at the island’s central Mental Wellness Centre – though long wait times at the public facility sometimes leave patients with no option but to seek paid care from private providers. For those looking for a middle ground between free public services and full-price private care, the local organization Turning Point offers sliding-scale counselling at just $15 per session, a far more affordable alternative for uninsured or low-income residents.

    Over her 17 years working in the field, Charles has observed significant shifts in public attitudes toward mental health. Across the general population, far more people are willing to openly discuss their mental health struggles than in previous decades, a marked improvement that has encouraged more people to seek initial care. Still, notable gaps remain: men in particular are far less likely to complete follow-up care after their first appointment, a trend Charles says points to persistent gendered stigma around seeking help.

    Despite progress expanding access to basic care, the public mental health system still faces significant structural hurdles. Public services suffer from widespread under-resourcing, including a persistent shortage of practicing mental health counselors and practitioners working within public hospitals and community centers. Charles pointed to low pay and unfavorable working conditions, compared to the private sector, as key factors that discourage mental health professionals from joining the public service, perpetuating the staffing shortage.

    Even amid these systemic challenges, frontline practitioners like Charles remain committed to expanding access to affordable, compassionate care for all Saint Lucians who need support.

    ### Full List of Accessible Mental Health Support Services in Saint Lucia
    Compiled by the Community Health Nursing Services Unit under the Ministry of Health and Elderly Affairs, the following free and low-cost services are available to residents:
    1. **Free Community Health Centre Services**: A full range of mental health support is available at community health centers across the island, including home visits, diagnostic evaluations, admission screenings, emergency care, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, psychosocial rehabilitation, medication management, treatment administration, and formal referrals to specialized care. Note that some centers operate on specific clinic days each month, and a small number are currently closed; officials recommend visiting the nearest open center if your local facility is closed. Contact details and clinic schedules for all participating centers are as follows:
    – Anse La Raye: 468-7810/7800, first Tuesday of every month
    – Babonneau: 468-7723/7722, first Wednesday of the month
    – Belle Vue: 468-7977/7976, second and fourth Tuesday of the month
    – Bexon: 468-7782/7781, fourth Thursday of the month
    – Canaries: 468-7763/7761, second Tuesday of the month
    – Castries: 468-8880/8881, third Friday of the month
    – Ciceron: 468-7704/7705, second Thursday of the month
    – Delcer: 468-7757/7758, second Monday of the month
    – Dennery: 468-7664/7650, first Wednesday and third Monday of the month
    – Desruisseaux: 468-7717/7719, second and third Tuesday of the month
    – Entrepôt: 468-7936/7937, second Friday of the month
    – Etangs: 468-7768/7766, fourth Tuesday of the month
    – Fond Assau: second Thursday of the month
    – Fond St Jacques: 468-7772/7771, second Wednesday of the month
    – Grace: 468-7754/7753, every Wednesday
    – Gros Islet Polyclinic: 468-7635/7633, third Thursday of the month
    – Grand Rivière: 468-7700/7703, fourth Tuesday of the month
    – Jacmel: 468-7728/7727, third Thursday of the month
    – Laborie: second Tuesday of the month
    – La Croix: 468-7736/7738, fourth Wednesday of the month
    – La Clery: 468-8533/8531, fourth Tuesday of the month
    – La Fargue: 468-7794/7793, first Thursday of the month
    – La Guerre: 468-7743/7744, third Monday of the month
    – Micoud: 468-7956/7957, first Friday, first Thursday and second Friday of the month
    – Monday: 468-8542/8540, second Monday of the month
    – Mongouge: 468-7787/7786, third Tuesday of the month
    – Mon Repos: 468-7707/7708, first Tuesday and fourth Thursday of the month
    – Richfond: 468-7926/7027, second Thursday and third Wednesday of the month
    – Saltibus: 468-7778/7776, first Tuesday of the month
    – Soufriere Hospital: 468-7613/7603, second and fourth Thursday of the month
    – Ti Rocher, Castries: 468-7748/7746, second Tuesday of the month
    – Ti Rochier, Micoud: 468-7714/7712, third Monday and second Thursday of the month
    – Vanard: 468-7732/7733, third Monday of the month
    – Vieux Fort: 468-7988/7985, second Monday, third Friday and fourth Monday of the month

    2. **24/7 Crisis Hotline: Dial #203**: A free, confidential crisis line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone experiencing a mental health emergency. Dialing #203 from any mobile or landline connects callers immediately to a trained crisis responder.

    3. **Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)**: This free program is available to all public service workers navigating professional or personal challenges. Designed to support government employees’ well-being, it offers up to six one-hour counselling sessions addressing a wide range of concerns including job stress, emotional challenges, substance abuse, health issues, domestic violence, marital conflict, grief, medical stress, anxiety, depression, financial instability, and trauma. The service is free for all eligible government employees. To connect, contact 468-2269/2260, 285-6252, or 453-1305.

  • CARICOM Secretary-General calls for stronger focus on youth wellness

    CARICOM Secretary-General calls for stronger focus on youth wellness

    On the occasion of Caribbean Wellness Day 2026, marked September 12 under the unifying theme “Our Mind. Our Body. Our Wellness. Empowering Caribbean Youth,” CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett has issued a urgent, clear call to prioritize the holistic health and well-being of the Caribbean region’s young population, emphasizing that their current decisions and behaviors will define the trajectory of the entire bloc’s future.

    Dr. Barnett opened her official message by reframing the common understanding of wellness, explaining it extends far beyond the mere absence of disease. True wellness, she argued, requires consistent, intentional investment across three interconnected domains: mental, physical, and social well-being. It also demands collective responsibility to build the systemic conditions that let all community members flourish, rather than placing the full burden on individual choices.

    The push for youth-centered wellness action comes amid a growing public health crisis tied to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continue to place an unsustainable heavy burden on Caribbean health systems and communities. Official 2024 regional data cited by Dr. Barnett shows NCDs account for roughly 75% of all deaths across the Caribbean. While these chronic conditions are often framed as health issues that only affect older adults, Dr. Barnett warned that their root risk factors emerge early in life, and rates of NCD risk indicators are rising sharply among the region’s youth.

    Recent regional public health analysis referenced by the Secretary-General paints a sobering picture of youth health across the bloc: more than half of all young adults are either overweight or living with elevated blood pressure, 40% report consuming harmful amounts of alcohol, and nearly 60% do not meet minimum physical activity guidelines. Dr. Barnett stressed that the drivers of these troubling trends are far more complex than poor individual decision-making. A range of structural factors shape youth health outcomes, including environmental conditions, social norms, cultural contexts, and economic inequality.

    She outlined key systemic barriers that make healthy lifestyles out of reach for many young Caribbean people: rapid unplanned urbanization, widespread poverty, persistent youth unemployment, shrinking access to affordable nutritious food, and a chronic lack of health-supporting public infrastructure. Young people growing up in marginalized, vulnerable communities face the steepest barriers, often lacking access to safe recreational spaces for physical activity, affordable healthy food options, and accessible mental health support services.

    With young adults making up roughly one-quarter of the Caribbean’s total population, Dr. Barnett emphasized that this demographic is too often overlooked in regional NCD screening, prevention, and research efforts—a gap that must be closed immediately to protect the region’s long-term health. Empowering young people to prioritize wellness, she argued, cannot be reduced to campaigns that only push individual behavior change. Meaningful progress requires a coordinated whole-of-society approach that centers youth input and addresses root structural causes.

    Already, CARICOM is working alongside two key regional and global health partners—the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)—to strengthen cross-sector strategies for NCD surveillance, prevention, and control. A core focus of these ongoing efforts is expanding youth-friendly health policies and services, and integrating young people as equal partners in every stage of public health action, from designing initiatives to implementing and evaluating them.

    “The voice of CARICOM youth matters. The choices made and actions taken by young people today will impact the future of our Region. Young people must be encouraged to continue to speak up for healthy food choices and safe spaces for physical activity,” Dr. Barnett said in closing her message. She added that when young people are empowered and actively engaged in public health decision-making, they are a powerful force for building a healthier, more resilient Caribbean for all generations. She ended by urging every resident across the region to use Caribbean Wellness Day 2026 as a starting point to embed sustainable healthy habits into their daily lives.

  • Anthrax suspicions in Haiti: Are there confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic and is there a health emergency?

    Anthrax suspicions in Haiti: Are there confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic and is there a health emergency?

    In response to an ongoing investigation into suspected cutaneous anthrax cases in a southwestern Haitian community, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health has announced that no confirmed anthrax infections have been detected within its borders, while ramping up preventive epidemiological monitoring across high-risk areas.

    Public Health Minister Víctor Atallah clarified that the enhanced surveillance measures are proactive precautions, not a declaration of national public health emergency. The government’s core goal is to boost local health service capacity to detect any potential cases as early as possible and immediately activate established response protocols. “The Dominican Republic has no reported cases of anthrax, nor is there a public health emergency,” Atallah emphasized in his official statement. “We have strengthened surveillance as a preventative measure, and our health services are fully prepared to promptly identify any suspected cases.”

    The current situation unfolding across the border in Haiti has prompted this precautionary action. Haitian health authorities are currently examining 13 suspected anthrax cases in Baliverne, a town located in the Dame-Marie commune of Haiti’s Grand’Anse department. Local reports confirm two deaths among the group under investigation, though formal testing has not yet confirmed anthrax as the cause of these fatalities. Investigators are currently looking into contact with sick livestock as the most plausible source of potential exposure.

    For context, anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which primarily impacts herbivorous animals including cattle, sheep, and goats. Humans can contract the pathogen mainly through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated animal-derived products. A key characteristic of the disease that reduces public risk is that it does not typically spread from person to person, meaning the infection risk from casual contact with an infected individual remains very low. Global public health guidelines note that effective preventive measures center on coordinated epidemiological tracking and animal health monitoring, particularly oversight of unregulated cross-border movement of live animals and animal products.

    To implement its enhanced surveillance framework, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Directorate of Livestock to strengthen cross-agency monitoring and early detection protocols. The country is also working closely with relevant international public health bodies to align its response with global best practices. Additional steps include updated training and reinforced reporting guidelines for frontline healthcare workers, requiring them to immediately flag and report any potential suspected anthrax cases. The nation maintains full in-country diagnostic capacity through its Dr. Defilló National Reference Laboratory, eliminating delays for sample testing.

    The Ministry has issued a public statement urging Dominican residents to only follow information released by official health sources, and reiterated that all current measures are purely preventive. These steps, the ministry notes, are a standard component of the country’s established public health surveillance and emergency preparedness systems. Moving forward, the Dominican Republic’s public health sector will continue monitoring the cross-border situation in close coordination with national partner institutions and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).