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Free community testing makes back to school easier

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By Deandrea Hamilton

Staff Writer

 

#TurksandCaicos, February 7, 2022 – Community testing on the weekend ahead of a return to face to face learning for thousands of Turks and Caicos children looked a lot younger, and the free opportunity was a blessing.

“It’s very important, especially for me because I have a lot of kids, so if I had to pay for each one of them, I think the cheapest service privately is $30, so that’s one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times thirty. That’s a lot of money so it’s very important,” said Takera Francis, who brought a cute troop of children at the Carolina Medical Center in down town Providenciales for the free testing.

Some schools have asked for children to be tested and for parents to present a negative Covid-19 test result prior to reentering the school campuses and classrooms on Monday.

“So we came to get them tested to come back in school to make sure that they are COVID-free and to also protect other students and teachers as well,” said Ms. Francis.

Turks and Caicos is into phase four of its roadmap to reopening schools and Ms. Francis confided that she felt comforted by the request from her school to have children screened. She is ready for children to return to face to face learning.

“If we could go to work, why they can’t they go to school?” she questioned.

From the children who hopped into the chair one by one, there was some hesitation, some fidgeting and nose rubbing in the testing process, but it was smooth, easy and digitized.

“If they wanted to go back to school, they needed to get tested.”

Results were snappy and evidence of the result was e-mailed to those who turned out.

Saturday’s free community testing was conducted by Carolina Medical Clinic, with testing kits provided by the Turks and Caicos Ministry of Health.  Omni Care Medical held one in the same area in early January.

Free community testing, hosted by the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association continues at the Harvest Bible Chapel on Leeward Highway east on Mondays from 9am to noon and Thursdays at the Church of St Monica.

Over the weekend, a special testing center was set up for eastern residents by the TCHTA at the Blue Haven Resort.

Rachel Taylor, TCI Minister of Education during her January 27, House of Assembly ministerial statement, announced that the majority of schools in the country will return to face to face education on January 31.

All schools with student populations under 200 children were approved to convene fully. Those with more students enrolled were to run a hybrid programme, making allowance for a return of all sixth graders at the primary school level and fourth, and fifth formers in the high schools to get back to full face to face learning.

The Omicron strain of the Coronavirus put the brakes on face to face learning to begin the 2021-2022 second semester, with TCI peaking at over 800 active cases in January.  Figures have since dropped dramatically and in the first week back to in person learning for most students, there have been no reports of outbreaks of Covid-19.

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Caribbean News

Haiti Food Insecurity Rising

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#Haiti#FoodInsecurity, March 25th, 2024 Half of Haiti’s population or nearly 5 million people are classified as food insecure for the period March to June 2024, a projected 50 percent increase up from 45 percent from August 2023 to February 2024. This is according to the Haitian Government in a March 23rd report, as informed by an update from an IPC1 analysis. The factors contributing to the continued decrease in food security, the report says, include the increase of the food basket by 22 percent as of February 2024 and the worsening Violence which disrupts food supply chains.

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Health

Dengue in Pregnant Women in Brazil Increased

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Dengue#PregnantWomen#Brazil, March 22nd, 2024 – Dengue cases among pregnant women in Brazil have increased significantly in 2024, at 5,151 in the first six weeks, compared to 1,157 in the same period in 2023, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. In response, a manual for prevention and specialized care for pregnant women with and at risk of dengue, was launched. These women are at risk of complications like stillbirth, growth restriction of the unborn child and maternal illness and death.This was revealed in a March 20 report from PAHO.

 

 

 

 

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Caribbean News

InterHealth Canada -Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital Celebrates Success in ‘The Diamond Challenge’

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(Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – March 15th, 2024): InterHealth Canada -Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital proudly announce the completion of ‘The Diamond Challenge’, a virtual competition that showcased the innovative improvement initiatives of six dedicated healthcare professional teams.

This competition spotlighted the organization’s commitment to patient safety and organizational excellence through creative poster displays. These displays, slated for exhibition across the Hospital, represent ongoing programs, new endeavours and industry changes in clinical practice and quality improvement. Quality improvement is the systematic approach that is guided by data to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery.

For over a year, participating teams meticulously prepared for ‘The Diamond Challenge, ‘ culminating in presenting posters and oral pitches before a panel of external judges. The initiatives, implemented between 2021 and 2023, were selected based on their demonstrable impact on and improvement of the Hospital’s operating environment. The judging panel featured prominent healthcare experts, including Richard Wylde, Deputy Director for Improvement at Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust, England; Dr. Ali Hojjati, Lead Advisor at Accreditation Canada; and Jaymi Chernoff, Director of Critical Care Network at Kelowna General Hospital, Canada.

“Continuously improving healthcare quality and safety is a key goal for healthcare systems, aiming to enhance efficiency, reduce expenses, and ensure excellent patient outcomes”, explained Isha Honore, Quality Risk and Patient Safety Manager. She added, “Improving healthcare quality is the responsibility of everyone, including staff and patients. Through this program, we successfully integrated a diverse team of professionals and patient advisors. Each person in the system offers valuable insights and vital contributions to maintaining quality and safety standards. The active participation and understanding of all team members ensure that quality improvement initiatives are effective, relevant, successful, and sustainable.”

Dr. Denise Braithwaite, Chief Executive Officer of InterHealth Canada- Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital, expressed her pride in the competition’s outcomes, saying, “The outstanding work presented by the Diamond Challenge teams serves as a testament to the unwavering dedication to enhancing patient care and safety demonstrated by our healthcare professionals. Their innovative initiatives exemplify our steadfast commitment to fostering a culture of excellence within our organization, driving us towards continued success in providing our community the highest standard of care.”

The top three initiatives concentrated on fostering a Culture of Safety, covering fall prevention, workplace violence, and infection control education projects.

As we celebrate the success of ‘The Diamond Challenge,’ we are dedicated to continuously refining our approach to healthcare quality and safety, leveraging the expertise of industry leaders to drive innovation and excellence.

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