Bahamas News
BAHAMAS: Health Minister Notes Good Renovation Progress on Rand Memorial Hospital
#Freport, GB, December 17, 2019 – Bahamas – Minister of Health, the Hon. Dr. Duane Sands during a tour of the Rand Memorial Hospital on Friday said work will be done through the Holiday Season to get the Rand Memorial Hospital back in working order.
Joining the minister on the tour of the hospital were Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator the Hon. Kwasi Thompson, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, the Hon. Iram Lewis and Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams.
The tour gave the Health Minister a first-hand view of the renovation work presently being carried out at the Rand Memorial Hospital, which was hard-hit by Hurricane Dorian in September of this year. Severe flooding forced all of the wards in the hospital to be emptied. Those patients were eventually housed in fully-equipped makeshift tents by Samaritan’s Purse.
Minister Sands said “I want to assure the public that we will not do anything that will in anyway compromise the safety of our people,” said Dr. Sands. “So there will be mold remediation to ensure that any bacteria contamination is sorted out, that the structure is safe; and it will be restored.
“In the area of the Operating Room, the Recovery Room, the Central Sterile Surgical Supply area, there is not a whole lot of work left to be done, but it is a part of the entire remediation project.”
Minister Sands noted that Samaritan’s Purse has agreed to stay on until March 2020. “So, we would like to have a number of the services return to the Rand Memorial Hospital at that time. Realistically, we have to be out of those temporary facilities when hurricane season starts again.
A temporary operating and recovery room will be constructed in the area where the ambulances presently enter with emergency patients. The Health Minister is hoping that by as early as January, the Rand will be able to re-start elective surgeries.
He noted that the cost of the renovation of the Rand has been estimated to be around $20 million. “As we look at the value of this remediation and renovation work, it’s in the millions of dollars. The Ministry of Health has agreed to have all of the donations for health audited, and we will present that audited report once it is completed.”
The Minister noted that “very soon” some of the services that are currently being carried out by Samaritan’s Purse will be moved and replanted into a renovated Rand Memorial Hospital. “But in the meantime, let us not underestimate the value of the contributions by them and all of the organizations that have come forward in our time of need.”
Minister Sands noted that renovation work on the IAT building that was carried out since Hurricane Dorian has recently been completed, and it is expected that the Administrative teams, which have been in tents provided by Samaritan’s Purse, will move into the renovated building as early as this week. Out-patients clinics will be resumed from the same building.
Asked about the possibility of constructing a new hospital, Minister Sands said that is something the entire government supports. He pointed out that the Prime Minister has already made it clear that a new hospital is in the works for Grand Bahama.
“A new hospital has to be planned, it has to be conceptualized and we need to identify an appropriate site,” added Minister Sands. Grand Bahamians deserve all of the services that can be provided in The Bahamas, that means cardiac care, cancer care and services that are not currently provided, so we have to conceptualize what that facility would look like. We also need to know what kind of design would need to be used.
“We have to make sure that as we plan for the era of climate change, that when we invest in the structure of Grand Bahama, that it is one that will serve the people of Grand Bahama, not just for this year, but for the next generation; so it has to be thought out, carefully planned and I don’t imagine that such a facility we would have the ground breaking for [in] less than two years.”
Minister Sands says that the renovation work on the Rand Memorial has made tremendous headway and tremendous progress. All of it, he said, has been possible by the grace of Almighty God and with the help of so many committed and dedicated people to the project.
By Andrew Coakley
Release: BIS
Photo Caption:
Header: Minister of Health, the Hon. Dr. Duane Sands (left), along with Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator the Hon. Kwasi Thompson, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and reconstruction, the Hon. Iram Lewis, and Rand Memorial Hospital Administrator, Sharon Williams view one of the operating rooms at the Rand Memorial Hospital, during a tour of the main building, December 13, 2019.
Insert: Minister of Health, the Hon. Dr. Duane Sands points out some of the damage to beams in the male ward of the Rand Memorial Hospital to Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, the Hon. Iram Lewis, during a recent tour of the hospital, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Dorian in September of this year. Renovation work on the hospital continues to progress.
(BIS Photo)
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
