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CARPHA, HCC and PAHO call on the Caribbean Community to “Reimagine Healthy Spaces” for Caribbean Wellness Day
September 9, 2022 – The Caribbean Community is celebrating Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) 2022 under the theme “Our Neighbourhood, Our Health”. In commemoration of the day, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), are calling on the region to “Reimagine Healthy Spaces” around three main themes – Active Societies, a Smoke Free Caribbean and Healthy Schools.
In a statement commemorating the occasion, Dr. Joy St John, Executive Director, CARPHA noted that, “We take this opportunity, at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, to create a renewed vision and re-commit to the practices and policies that we know support the health and wellbeing of our Caribbean people.”
Built spaces and urban planning laws can significantly impact the level of movement in society and is a crucial element in ensuring a healthier Caribbean.
“The commitment of governments towards the implementation of intersectoral public policies and programs so that all neighbourhoods have basic services, safe public transportation, areas where we can socialise, safe streets, places to walk and green spaces, is so important.” PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne said. “I want to recognize the efforts of many municipalities in the region that are working on making their municipalities healthy, responding to the needs of people, and facilitating strategies that improve the conditions of places where they are born, work, study and have fun,” she added. 
Another issue to be addressed during the “Reimagine Healthy Spaces” campaign is the negative impact that cigarettes have on both public health and the environment.
Dr. St John noted that, “Millions of trees are cut down annually to produce the number of cigarettes that the industry demands to maintain profits, while cigarette butts and packaging can contribute to environmental pollution.” She asserted that, “This reimagining of a smoke-free Caribbean, that limits the negative impact of the tobacco industry on our health and our environment is necessary, not just for our own health but for the health of the next generation.”
Sir Trevor Hassell, President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition noted that “Healthy Schools are a cornerstone of our neighbourhoods and a building block of a productive society. A Healthy school is smoke-free, promotes inclusive physical activity and is protected by healthy school policies.” He elaborated, “These policies would limit the sale and marketing of foods full of sugar, fats and salt both in and around schools, while increasing the availability of healthy foods and drinking water.” In keeping with this, the recently launched digital campaign, ‘#ActOnFacts – The Food in Schools Matters’, encourages public and policymaker support for the introduction of policies that puts the health of our children at the centre.
Caribbean Wellness Day
Caribbean Wellness Day is celebrated each year on the second Saturday in September to address the threat posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The day was originally conceived by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and is an integral part of the Port of Spain Declaration where the region united to fight the epidemic of NCDs. The event aims to increase awareness and promote activities to address non-communicable diseases including mental health issues.
The overall theme for Caribbean Wellness Day for the five year-period, 2020-2024 has been, “Power Through Collective Action”. It is this collective power that can be harnessed to affect the much-needed changes that can transform our spaces into enabling environments for a healthier Caribbean people. Collectively, the region has the power to bring the vision of a healthier Caribbean to life – one person, one neighbourhood, one nation at a time.
CARPHA, HCC and PAHO invite the public to join the celebration by visiting our social media pages to share your vision of Healthy Spaces. The campaign will feature key facts around the need for change, enable conversation in our communities and encourage our leaders to continue to build on the commitments made in the historic Port of Spain declaration.
Follow the campaign by using the hashtags: #CaribbeanWellnessDay, #CWD2022, #CWDHealthySpaces
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, March 27, 2023 – Situated on a Cay of its own, the LJM Maritime Academy (LJMMA) is the Bahamas’ only school of its kind and with sponsorships from Campbell Shipping, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Carnival Cruises, Disney Cruises, and more it boasts an extremely well-equipped campus. The Turks and Caicos Community College (TCICC) is now partnering with the LJMMA to bring those amenities to TCI students through TCICC.
Brendamae Cleare, President of the institution, joined in on a maritime stakeholder meeting introducing the partnership to the Turks and Caicos’ residents on Tuesday, March 21, detailing everything that the LJMMA had to offer.
“We have– classrooms, workshops, a bridge simulator room, a crane simulator, an engine simulator and we also have a GMDSS simulator and radar simulator as well,” she explained.
The simulator building was commissioned to the tune of $30 million and is only in phase one. Also included alongside the fancy simulators, which give students hands-on experience with the boat engines and cranes that they will work with in the future, there are temporary administrative offices, libraries, nurse’s stations and more.
Other buildings on the Cay include, a firefighting simulator and the school even has lifeboat simulators, which mimic what it would be like pushing the lifeboat off the side of a huge vessel and maneuvering it in the ocean.
The Maritime Academy was birthed in 2011 when executives at Campbell Shipping including Lowell J. Mortimer (which is the only Bahamian-owned shipping company Cleare says), realized that there were no Bahamians working on their ships and were determined to change that.
“We had the college of the Bahamas, which is now the University of the Bahamas. We had a technical and vocational institution. We had banking and tourism colleges, but nothing like maritime but [we said] why not maritime?”
And the LJMMA so was born, named after its founder Mortimer. In its first year, it fielded over 180 applications and accepted just over 40 students. It is semi-regimented, which means strict rules for students, just as they would have to abide by on vessels.
The institution is accredited by the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of the Bahamas, the Bahamas Maritime Authority, the Institute of Materials, Minerals, Mining and others.
Cleare said the vision of the school was to become a globally recognized institution of excellence, in maritime education and training.
#MontegoBay, March 27, 2023 – The Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies have undertaken a variety of improvement projects, to enhance Negril’s standing as a tourist destination.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said since 2017, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has committed $465 million to projects in Negril, including road rehabilitation, beautification works, drain cleaning, renovation of the Negril Fire Station and the Hanover Parish Church.
“We can also include the purchase of an ambulance for the Negril Fire Station for use in the resort area, the upgrading of the main community centre and the installation of the popular Negril Jam-Iconic sign, just to name a few,” Mr. Bartlett stated.
The Minister was speaking at a Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy consultation meeting, held at the Negril Community Centre, Norman Manley Boulevard in Westmoreland on March 23.
Mr. Bartlett noted that the government is aware that there is still much work to be done particularly concerning the improper disposal of garbage, harassment, crime and violence, and non-compliance with rules, regulations, and licensing requirements.
“Be mindful however, that an enhanced Negril space is a collective responsibility and many of these issues are social, rather than economic and require a shift in the mindset of the people and businesses that reside in and benefit from the town’s tourism economy,” he stated.
Mr. Bartlett informed that the Ministry and its public bodies are willing to work with stakeholders to address “these issues and tackle Negril’s social, civic, and environmental concerns in a tangible way”.
He added that the Negril Destination Assurance Committee will be central to this process.
In the meantime, the Minister said Negril is an integral part of the tourism product, bringing in one-third of all tourism revenue and being the island’s second largest direct employer of tourism workers.
Mr. Bartlett stated that over the decades, Negril has become one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world, with its unique features, including the well-known seven mile stretch of beach.
“The ‘capital of casual’ is the place to do everything or nothing at all and leave knowing you have had a great trip,” Mr. Bartlett said.
Negril’s Seven-Mile Beach has been voted many times over as one of the best in the world, known for its dramatic sunsets, silky white sands, clear turquoise waters, and spontaneous island spirit.
Contact: Garwin Davis
Release: JIS
#Kingston, March 27, 2023 – Lots of fun and exciting activities are in store for patrons attending the sixth annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival on Saturday (March 25) in Newcastle, St. Andrew.
Director, Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald Riley, told JIS News that the event will feature diverse coffee by-product displays, including candles, rubs, scrubs, and foods.
“We will [also] be having a mixology competition, which is coffee with an infused liquor, [and] we will be having barista competition, which is the different ways in which coffee is made,” she informed.
Mrs. McDonald Riley pointed out that the Coffee Festival will not be just about drinking the popular beverage.
“We have over 35 persons who will be showcasing different coffee products [in the Festival Marketplace],” she indicated, adding that there will also be a Kids Village for children to enjoy various fun-filled activities.
Mrs. McDonald Riley said another major highlight is the entertainment package, which will feature performances by Etana, DBurnz, the Silverbirds Steelpan Orchestra, and the Charles Town Maroons.
Persons attending the event are required to park at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) in Papine, and
utilise the arranged shuttle service.
“We have some beautiful shuttle buses that will be taking you up in the hills, and we have tour operators. Once you take that shuttle bus, there will be excitement. The idea is that you’ll be given a tour by a certified tour guide, who will be able to tell you all of what’s happening in that area,” Mrs. McDonald Riley advised, adding that the journey will be an interesting 45 minutes.
Tickets are available for purchase online at www.touchstonelink.com or from authorised ticket vendors, including Blue Brews Bistro, Rituals Coffee House, Starbucks, Cannon Ball Café, Café Blue, Island Coffees Café, and Deaf Can Coffee.
The prices are $5,000 for adults and $3,000 for children, 12 years and older.
Contact: Shanna K. Salmon
Release: JIS
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