News
Department of Behavioural Health Services Mental Health Awareness Month 2025: Reframing Mental Health and Strengthening Our Community
PRESS RELEASE
FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands 2nd May 2025 – As Mental Health Awareness Month approaches, the Department of Behavioural Health Services invites all Turks and Caicos Islanders to engage in meaningful activities throughout May to foster a healthier, more connected community. This year, we proudly embrace the theme “Community”, highlighting the importance of our collective strength, how we support one another and show up when someone is struggling.
Hon. Kyle Knowles, Minister of Health & Human Services, recently spoke about the importance of community, and how we, as a nation, must address mental health as part of our everyday lives. As the Minister shared, “Mental health is not just about a diagnosis or a clinic visit, it is about everyday life. Whether it is the parent trying to stay strong for their family, the employee feeling overwhelmed at work, or the student dealing with self-doubt, mental health is something that affects us all.”
Throughout this month, we want to emphasize that mental health is not just about what happens in clinics; it is about us, about building a community where people know they aren’t alone, and where help is accessible when needed.
How Can You Get Involved?
The Department has planned several exciting and impactful events to help create more awareness, offer support, and foster real connections. We are excited to invite you to actively participate in the following:
- Psychological First Aid Training (May 1st– 31st)
In partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), we are offering an online Psychological First Aid course throughout May. This course will equip you with the tools needed to support others in distress, whether at home, in the workplace, or in your community. We encourage everyone to take part in this training. By doing so, we can ensure that help is always within reach for those who need it.
- Wear Green Fridays (Every Friday in May)
Every Friday throughout May, we ask you to wear green as part of our campaign to raise awareness and show solidarity for mental health. Wearing green is a simple but powerful way to send a message of support, understanding, and hope. We invite you to share your photos on social media using the hashtag #ShiftingMindsTCI and join us in making mental health part of our daily conversation.
- Morning Pause and Panel Discussions
We are hosting morning pause and panel discussions events across the islands, where we will tackle important mental health topics and give the community a chance to engage directly with experts in the field. These sessions are a safe space for everyone to learn, share, and reflect on mental health in a real and supportive environment.
Panel discussion topics include:
- May 7th(Providenciales): Mental Health and Working in Paradise at Fortis TCI
- May 14th(North Caicos): Mental Health Across the Ages at the Kew Community Center
- May 20th(South Caicos): Understanding Anxiety and Treatment at the South Caicos Community Center
- May 21st(Grand Turk): Understanding Anxiety and Treatment at the Grand Turk Community Center
- School Engagement and Outreach
We will also be engaging with local schools to spread the message of mental health and provide resources for both students and staff. Through these engagements, we hope to create a foundation for early education around mental well-being, helping to normalize conversations from a young age.
Shifting Minds TCI: Reframing Mental Health
This month also highlights our upcoming campaign Shifting Minds TCI: Reframing Mental Health. We are committed to reframing the way we view and talk about mental health in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The campaign is a call to action to stop the silence and start real conversations about mental health, breaking down stigma, and building a culture of support. Our mission is simple: to make mental health a regular part of our conversations, so no one ever feels alone.
A Message from Hon. Kyle Knowles, Minister of Health & Human Services
Minister Knowles since his appointment has emphasized the importance of community, especially when it comes to mental health. He continues to advocate for stronger resources and support systems in the Turks and Caicos Islands. He said, “We are placing real value on mental well-being, supporting programs, training, and outreach that bring people together and build that sense of community care that has always been part of who we are.”
This is a time for us to come together as a community, to shift how we think and talk about mental health, and to take action that will make a lasting impact.
Your Role in the Change
Minister Knowles also reminds us that we all have a role to play in shifting mental health conversations: “Reach out to someone. Not because it’s Mental Health Month, but because we all need each other more than we sometimes say. Whether through a simple message, a listening ear, or offering a helping hand, each small gesture counts.
Let’s make May more than just a month of awareness. Let’s make it the start of lasting change, a commitment to a healthier, more connected community, where mental well-being is a priority, not just during the tough times, but every day.”
For more information, please contact the Department of Behavioural Health Services. Zone 1 (Grand Turk/South Caicos, Salt Cay) 649338 3613 Zone 2 (Providenciales, North & middles Caicos) 649 338 3616. Also, be sure to visit our website www.gov.tc/dmhsd and follow our social media accounts www.facebook.com/TCIDBHS and @TCIDBHS on Instagram.
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.
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