Bahamas News
PM joins in on tours of medical facilities; reviews progress on the Freeport Health Campus
By ANDREW COAKLEY
Bahamas Information Services
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas — The Government of The Bahamas is committed to improving health care facilities throughout The Bahamas; and Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville is ensuring that health care facilities in the Northern Bahamas get the upgrades necessary to take health care to the next level.
Over the past few weeks Dr. Darville, along with Ministry of Health officials have been on a tour of clinics and hospitals throughout the country assessing those facilities, their staff complements, their needs and making recommendations for any required upgrades and
improvements.
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis accompanied Dr. Darville on some of those site tours. Most recently the Prime Minister and Dr. Darville toured health care facilities in the Northern Bahamas, namely Abaco, Grand Bahama, Bimini and the Berry Islands.
The Prime Minister was able to witness firsthand a monumental achievement in the life of the clinic in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, when the surgical theatre was used for the first time.
“It was an historic moment for this clinic,” said Dr. Darville, during the tour of the Marsh Harbor clinic. “Through a philanthropic effort, they are now doing cataract surgery here in Abaco. The people in Abaco are so grateful for this milestone. What some people may not know is that the Abaco clinic is a sister clinic of the one in Exuma. So, what you see in Abaco is pretty much the same as what you would see in Exuma.”
Prime Minister Davis got an opportunity to tour the operating theatre in the clinic on Friday, August 9, 2024. He noted that with the help of Liquid Legacy and the World Cataract Foundation, the government was able to offer surgeries, eye examinations and screenings, free to Abaco residents.
Dr. Darville thanked the staff at the Marsh Harbor clinic for the hard work they’ve put in to advance the procedures available at the clinic. He confirmed that the Ministry of Health and Wellness is deep into its project to renovate the 41 clinics throughout the Family Islands. The Health Minister has visited most of those clinics where he received updates on the progress of the works being carried out thus far.
On Saturday, August 10, 2024, Prime Minister Davis, Dr. Darville, Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey and Ministry of Health officials toured the construction site of the $210 million Freeport Health campus, located off East Sunrise Highway.
The completion of the Freeport Health Campus, according to Minister Darville, will unify the Rand Memorial Hospital with other medical facilities in the Northern Bahamas, including clinics in Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands.
“A lot of people don’t know, but the Rand Memorial Hospital is not classified as a full hospital,” explained Dr. Darville. “There are Memorandums of understanding with some sub-specialties that are tied in with the Princess Margaret Hospital. With this particular facility, we intend to resolve that and begin to open up this new Northern health facility to the Northern region, inclusive of Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands.”
The Davis Administration broke ground for the Health Clinic in May of 2023. Since then, steady progress in the construction of the multi-faceted facility has been taking place. During the tour of the work in progress, Prime Minister Davis noted that the facility will take a more holistic approach to advanced health care in Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas.
The health campus facility will be built over three phases.
Phase one will consist of a nearly 60,000 square foot clinic.
Phase two will include an inpatient surgical suite urgent care facility.
Phase three will involve the construction of an acute care hospital with 126 inpatient beds. One of the most important components of the new facility will be the opening of an oncology center, which will give Grand Bahama cancer patients the option of remaining on island during cancer treatments.
The first phase is expected to be completed by the middle of 2025.
“We intend to have this facility also serve as a research hub for international researchers in matters of new innovations in medicine, including regenerative medicine and longevity,” said Prime Minister Philip Davis, during the tour of the construction works.
“We have the doctor’s university just down the street that will hopefully be integrated in what we’re doing here.”
It was during the initial groundbreaking that Minister Darville pointed out that drawings had been made for nine new clinics throughout the Family Islands. He also noted that 41 clinics in the country were set to undergo renovations.
PHOTO CAPTION
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE ON FREEPORT HEALTH CAMPUS – Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis (center), along with Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville (right) and Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey (left), is given an update on the construction of the new Freeport Health Campus on Saturday, August 10, 2024. The first phase of the $210 million multi-faceted project is expected to be completed by mid 2025. (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.
