News
Beaches Resort Celebrates World Health Day With Exciting Health Fair!
Turks and Caicos, April 12, 2017 – Providenciales –Over 50 Team Members at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa received free health screenings on April 7, 2017 in celebration of World Health Day. Following in line with the international theme for World Health Day, “Depression; Let’s Talk”, Beaches TCI provided informative displays on depression while also focusing on healthy lifestyles to prevent disease through a health drive.
The event was hosted by the Public Relations Department in collaboration with the Environmental Health Services (EHS) Department of the resort and attended by Ministry of Health representatives from the Health Promotion Unit alongside a Beaches resident nurse.
Speaking on the health drive, Leader of the EHS team for Beaches TCI, Shuntal Gibson said; “We are here educating the staff because we want to keep our staff healthy because here in the Turks and Caicos we have a lot of staff that visit the nurses’ station and complain about high blood pressure and high blood sugar so we are trying to find ways to ensure that they remain healthy.’
Team members were tested for high blood pressure and blood sugar while Health Promotion Unit Officer Maclean Robinson provided pamphlets and other reading material on nutrition, substance abuse, mosquito borne illnesses and mental health.
EHS Coordinator Stefon Tyndall said, “A lot of things fall under our umbrella but first and foremost we should be worried about our customers which includes our staff, their overall health and safety is imperative and pivotal to the hotel. Having them know about their own personal health is crucial because we have to ensure that people are OK.”
Nora Tyndall, Care and Treatment Nurse at the Health Promotion Unit commended Beaches Turks and Caicos for hosting the health drive and promoting healthy lifestyles among staff members.
Tyndall said several persons knew of their hypertensive or diabetic statuses while others were unaware of any ailments. Commenting on the high rate of Hypertension and Diabetes in the TCI, Tyndall said, “It is a very good initiative you have endeavored to do. During the screening we have seen many persons who have high blood pressure and high blood sugar, some of them are known hypertensive and known diabetics but they are not taking their medications.”
Tyndall and Beaches TCI resident Nurse Madeline Climo advised staff that showed signs of hypertension and diabetes to take proper precautions to ensure a life of health and longevity. Tyndall said; “They need to drink a lot of water, they need to exercise and they need to look at having more greens and nuts in their diet.”
Public Relations Manager for Beaches TCI, Elanor Krzanowski said, “Productivity and wellness goes hand in hand when it comes to the successful operation of our resort so we felt that it was important to bring in those health care professionals to conduct analysis and tests on diseases that are prevalent in the community to ensure that our staff know their numbers and their status. We are very grateful to have partnered with the public health sector and EHS to conduct this initiative and we look forward to working with those entities on future health drives.”
Krzanowski said that Beaches TCI looks forward to hosting future events that promote healthy lifestyles among staff members.
To find out more about Beaches Resorts: visit http://www.beaches.com/all-inclusive/
#BeachescelebratesWorldHealthDay
#WorldHealthDayTCI
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
-
Bahamas News1 week agoMonument Beverage Co. Caribbean Wines & Spirits Uniquely Bahamian Newest Product
-
Bahamas News1 week agoLady Kayla Crowned Goombay Punch Cup Sailing Champion of 2025/2026
-
News1 week agoFacts According to the Turks & Caicos Premier About His Constitutional Amendments
-
News1 week ago80 DAYS. $80 MILLION. – PDM Demands Answers from Government
-
News1 week ago“The Contract is The Problem, Not The Hospitals”
-
News1 week ago
Premier Lays Out Cost of Hospital Dispute
-
News5 days agoPAY FIRST. QUESTION LATER.
-
Education6 days agoDr. Candice Williams Appointed First Vice-President of Regional Higher Education Association