The 2007 Port of Spain Declaration on non-communicable diseases, endorsed by Heads of Governments, expressed strong support for eliminating trans fats from citizens’ diet. In 2022, CARICOM Ministers of Trade and Health committed to enacting legislation by December 2024 and to eliminating trans fats from the Caribbean food supply by December 2025.

It’s time to follow through!

View/download the Fact sheet

AVOIDING CONSUMPTION GOES BEYOND INDIVIDUAL CHOICE!

On an individual level, we can all reduce our intake of trans fats by avoiding fried, baked and packaged goods that contain hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils or list trans fats on their labels.

However, in reality, trans fats aren’t always listed on nutrition labels and it’s difficult to tell whether they are being used in street or restaurant food as compared to other fats.

For example, because hard margarine and vegetable shortening contain trans fats, anything made with these products —like biscuits, pies and breads —will likely contain trans fats as well.

That’s why it’s the responsibility of our government, to protect citizens from the harmful effects of trans fats.

Avoiding trans fats goes beyond individual responsibility! Governments need to protect their citizens.

Implementing regulations that limit industrially produced trans fats to no more than 2% of the total fat in all food products or banning partially hydrogenated oils altogether can help solve our trans fats problem. And this is a very achievable goal!

As of July 2024, 58 countries around the world (covering 3.7 billion people) – 9 of them in the Americas – have already enacted best practice policies to eliminate trans fats.

The Caribbean region is, unfortunately, falling behind in taking action despite its commitments.  But it’s not too late!

Eliminating trans fats from our food supply by December 2025 is a win that is still within reach once policymakers fulfill their commitments.

THE CARIBBEAN RELATIONSHIP WITH TRANS FATS!

So far, we only have commitments that have been made. The reality of our relationship with trans fats in the Caribbean is still quite dire despite so many other countries eliminating the harmful substance.

A Jamaican study conducted in 2023, revealed that almost 34% of very commonly consumed foods contained trans fats and about half of all products claiming to have not trans fats actually did. This proves that labels cannot be trusted as a means of detecting trans fats in our foods and further cements the need for policies that protect Caribbean people.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conducted an assessment on the economic impact of eliminating industrially produced trans fats in Barbados. They found that implementing a national ban in 2019 could have prevented USD 546,246.13 in future productivity losses.

So not only is policy necessary to protect our health, it is likely to contribute positively to our economies as well!

TRANS FATS ARE A DANGER TO CARIBBEAN HEALTH!

There are no health benefits to trans fats but there a slew of harmful effects.

The consumption of trans fats is indeed associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease. A comprehensive analysis in 2010 estimated that 537,000 global deaths from coronary heart disease were linked to trans fats intake, with 160,000 of these deaths occurring in the Americas and the Caribbean, 45% of which were premature.

But there are other risks to consuming trans fats:

Cardiovascular disease is another issue exacerbated by trans fats intake. Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), which carries cholesterol through the blood vessels. It is commonly called “bad cholesterol”. Trans fats also decrease HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein), commonly called “good cholesterol”, which carries cholesterol from the blood to the liver where it is broken down and removed from the body.

Type 2 Diabetes is also a risk affected by trans fats consumption as they impair the body’s ability to use insulin effectively.

Chronic Inflammation has also been shown by research to be significantly influenced by the intake of trans fats, contributing to an adverse inflammatory profile.

Obesity has been proven to be exacerbated by the consumption of trans fats as it increases weight gain and the accumulation of visceral fat.

Diminished Mental Performance is another risk of trans fats consumption. Research has revealed adverse effects on the brain and nervous system, and potential implications for cognitive function and mental performance.  A study on dementia patients unearthed a correlation between trans fats levels, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and the severity of cognitive disorders, suggesting a link to cognitive decline.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND TRANS FATS

Trans fats are called by several names and are listed differently on various food labels and nutritional lists. They can be called:

• trans-fatty acids (TFAs)
• unsaturated fatty acids
• trans-unsaturated fatty acids
• hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils

But what exactly are they? How are they produced?

Well, there are two types:

Natural trans fats are produced naturally in very small amounts in the guts of some ruminant animals like cows, sheep, and goats through bacterial transformation of unsaturated fatty acids derived from feed.

On the other hand, industrially-produced trans fats are manufactured by partial hydrogenation of liquid vegetable oils containing unsaturated fatty acids. Hydrogenation is simply the addition of hydrogen to these liquid oils in order to make them solid at room temperature.

Most trans fats come from ultra-processed products —extensively modified versions of natural foods because they give a more desirable taste and texture, and extend the shelf life of these chemically altered food products.

THE HCC’S FIGHT TO HELP ELIMINATE TRANS FATS FROM THE CARIBBEAN

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), in collaboration with Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) is supporting civil society advocacy for the elimination of industrially-produced trans fatty-acids from the Caribbean food supply.

In January 2024, the HCC launched a project with the primary objective being to collaborate with key regional and national partners to spur policymakers to action and build public awareness and support for the enactment of regulations in CARICOM Member States that will eliminate partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply, and limit trans fatty acid content to no more than 2% of total fat in all food products.

PARTNER LOGOS

Other contributing partners: The CARICOM Secretariat, The Caribbean Public Health Law Forum (CPHLF), The Law and Health Research Unit (LHRU) of the University of the West Indies, Barbados, The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University in Washington D.C, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), The Ministry of Health And Wellness, Barbados, Healthy Bahamas Coalition (HBC), Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), Lake Health and Wellbeing of St, Kitts and Nevis, The St. Lucia Diabetes & Hypertension Association (SLDHA) and The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, Saint Lucia.

The post Let’s Talk About Trans Fats and Why They Need To Go! appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

This regional-youth led activity emerged from the  “Caribbean Youth Voices in Health Advocacy Spaces – Healthy Food Policy Action”, the first of its kind youth meeting on Healthy Food Policies held in February 2024, aims to highlight youth support for school nutrition policies that regulate the sale and marketing of ultra processed products in and around schools. This policy should be supported by the implementation of Octagonal front of package warning labelling. 

Dr. Tiffannie Skerritt, CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Montserrat, led the charge locally, gathering together key stakeholders such as health practitioners, youth leaders and civil society organization representatives to discuss the concerning rise in childhood obesity and NCDs in Montserrat as well as strategies to build a healthier environment, including a healthier school food environment.

The event was covered by various local media houses:

• ZJB Radio – Spirit of Montserrat
• Bahamas At Sunrise
• The ZNS Network
• Alliouagana Express

She noted, “The forum was well supported by key stakeholders to include youth, civil society and policy makers. The forum provided an opportunity to revive the conversation around school nutrition policies and bring greater awareness to the need for front of package labelling. Key interventions summarized epidemiology data about childhood obesity in Montserrat, and obstacles delaying policy implementation in the past. Visionaries endorsed the draft policy and pledged their support in seeing it go ahead. Details from a student focus group expressing challenges to seeking healthier food options in their school environments were also presented.  Overall; attendees benefited from this youth led activity with local media coverage ensuring the message from this  was circulated via news broadcasts and articles.”

Click/tap to listen to listen to Dr. Tiffannie Skerritt on ZJB Radio Montserrat

Healthy Caribbean Youth members and members of the Healthy Bahamas Coalition led an engaging panel discussion in Rawson square in close proximity, symbolically, to the National Parliament Building. A panel of predominantly youth leaders shared the current challenges they face in navigating their school food environment and their vision for an environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice. The event was covered by Eyewitness News and ZNS News. 

Kaj Archer

Kaj Archer, who guided the team, noted that, “The Hope for the Future event provided a platform for the youth of The Bahamas to stand up and speak out about their fundamental right to healthy foods in school environments.

The youth panelists articulated their vision for the future, emphasizing accessible and affordable healthy food options, regulation of ultra-processed foods, and educational initiatives to foster healthy relationships with food among school-aged children. This event underscored the importance of involving youth in policy discussions that directly impact their development.”

On September 25 2024, youth from across the Caribbean will host similar events calling our regional leaders to lead, putting youth first. Ahead of this, youth took over social media on August 12 – International Youth Day to urge governments to prioritize healthy school food environments. On August 14th, key youth advocates and stakeholders from across the Caribbean hosted an Instagram Live discussing the topic further.

All children in the Caribbean deserve to learn and grow in healthy school environments that are not inundated with ultraprocessed products. It has been 17 years since the region’s leaders unified their vision for a healthier Caribbean through the Port of Spain Declaration. Now, it is time for them to revisit previous commitments, including healthier school food environments, #actonfacts and walk the talk for better nutrition in schools. They have the support of the region’s youth.
Danielle Walwyn
Advocacy Officer, HCC and Lead, Healthy Caribbean Youth (youth arm of the HCC)

The post Hope for the Future appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) is one of the regional responses geared towards increasing awareness and promoting measures among CARICOM Member States and their populations, to address the epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continue to severely impact the health, economy and development of the Caribbean region.

The theme is – Power Through Collective Action: Good Health is Our Right.

A Message from the President of the HCC

A Message from Dr Kenneth Connell – President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition on this the occasion of Caribbean Wellness Day 2024

A Statement from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition on Caribbean Wellness Day 2024

The HCC – an alliance of over 85 civil Society organisations across the Caribbean – is proud join with partners the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), CARICOM and Ministries of Health to celebrate Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 under the theme Power Through Collective Action: Good Health is Our Right.

As we look towards the 4th United Nations High Level Meeting on NCDs (HLM4) one year away in September 2025, and beyond to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the HCC recalls the vision and leadership of CARICOM Heads of Government seventeen years ago when they endorsed the Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs (POSD). This seminal document embodied the theme of Collective Action – recognising the need for a whole of society and whole of government response to NCDs and catalysing the global community around NCDs triggering the first UNHLM on NCDs in 2011. Although there has been some progress on the goals of the POSD, much remains to be done as evidenced by the 2022 WHO NCD Progress Monitor and the 2024 POS Tracking Grid (prepared by the Sir George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, UWI); and most concerning, by the continued unacceptably high burden of obesity and NCDs leading to preventable suffering and death of Caribbean citizens across our region.

This year’s CWD theme reminds us that Good Health is Our Right and we must continue to hold our leaders accountable to their commitments and play our respective roles in creating health-supporting environments. Over the next 12 months in lead up to the HLM4, HCC and our Caribbean CSO membership will join the global civil society community – under the banner TIME TO LEAD – calling on our political leaders to demonstrate fearless leadership in accelerating action on NCDs. As we did in 2018, HCC will unite with regional partners to agree on NCD advocacy priorities which will move us closer to achieving meaningful reductions in obesity and NCDs as we work towards achieving the SDGs.

On behalf of the Founding President and the Board of Directors of the HCC, we wish all Caribbean people a Happy Caribbean Wellness Day and look forward to leveraging the power of collective action to ensure every citizen’s right to good health as we work towards the prevention and control of NCDs in the Caribbean.

‘My Health My Right’ a Message from Members of the Healthy Caribbean Youth

Message from Dr Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General on Caribbean Wellness Day 2024

Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 is being observed on Saturday, 14 September, under the 2020-2024 theme, ‘Power through Collective Action’, and the 2024 sub-theme ‘Good Health is our Right!’

The observation of this day has its roots in the Port of Spain Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of 2007, which expressed the commitment of CARICOM Member States to ensure the good health and well-being of the people of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).  It promotes awareness of the impact of NCDs on the people of the Caribbean, along with measures to reduce the incidence of NCDs.

Influencing and empowering individuals to make healthier choices requires collective action and a multisectoral approach. National policies to support education on healthy food options, physical activity, and access to quality health services throughout the life course remain cornerstones to effectively address these diseases.

The Caribbean Community has been working to address NCDs, a leading cause of death in the Region, along with agencies such as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), an alliance of civil society to combat NCDs.  The Community’s initiatives to actively support the rights of citizens to good health include the ‘Tobacco-Free Caribbean’ and ‘Caribbean Moves’ initiatives.

CARICOM Heads of Government have prioritised addressing crime and violence as a public health issue. Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who leads on Energy and Security (Drugs and Illicit Arms) in the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, hosted a regional symposium in April 2023. A follow-up forum is to be hosted by the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, in November this year, as the Community continues to focus on this scourge of violence, which impacts our right to health and safety.

The Community’s efforts to increase agricultural production is intended to support good health by making more fresh food available and affordable, thereby reducing the demand for imported foods which are preserved and contain unhealthy levels of salt and fats.

As we mark Caribbean Wellness Day, I urge all Member States to continue their efforts to address the Region’s health challenges through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. I also encourage everyone to make those changes, such as consuming more fresh food and increasing activity levels, that will help to improve your health.

A healthy and happy Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 to all!

Caribbean Wellness Day 2024 | Official Statement by Dr. Lisa Indar Interim Executive Director, CARPHA

Regional Messages on Caribbean Wellness Day

The post Caribbean Wellness Day – Messages from Across the Region appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

Dear Students of 2030,

2030 isn’t just a milestone—it’s a turning point for global development; it marks our global check-in on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 3:Good Health and Well-being. As you step into this new school year during this critical year, let’s rewind to 2024. We were a group of youth health advocates from across the Caribbean who fought passionately for healthier school food environments. Back then, students like yourselves were growing and learning in spaces that did not support your physical and mental well-being—a clear violation of your right to health. We could not just stand by and do nothing. So, we worked tirelessly to address these challenges, creating a vision for a healthier future—a future we hope has become a reality for you in this year of global accountability.

Food Environments
In our school environments of 2024, ultra-processed foods—foods high in Salt, Sugar, Fat (including trans fats) and other additives —dominated school menus. These unhealthy foods were widely available and aggressively marketed in schools. Branded giveaways, brightly coloured product posters, and fast-food companies sponsoring school events were commonplace. Even social media was not safe, as children were constantly exposed to ads featuring popular personalities promoting these harmful choices.

Why was this a problem? The constant exposure to unhealthy food ads directly influenced children’s eating habits, driving them toward unhealthy choices that increased their risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). By 2024, one in three Caribbean children was living with overweight or obesity, and nearly 75% of deaths in the region were linked to NCDs. We hope that by 2030, these statistics have shifted for the better, and that your generation is now thriving in healthier environments—ones shaped by the commitments made by our region and global leaders.

Policy and Youth Advocacy
CARICOM leaders acknowledged the gravity of NCDs as early as 2007 in the Port of Spain Declaration, yet progress remained slow. A major issue fueling the high rates of obesity and NCDs was the absence of strong policies to safeguard school food environments. In many countries, implementation and enforcement lagged, leaving children exposed and vulnerable to unhealthy food options..

Caribbean youth—including advocates like us—took a stand in response. We held policymakers accountable for their commitments, demanding more action through public campaigns and dialogue. In Barbados, for example, youth advocates contributed to developing the School Nutrition Policy, which was implemented in 2023. Additionally, the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition launched the “Cool School Nutrition Tour” in early 2024, youth advocates visited schools nationwide to educate students on the policy’s benefits. The advocates also launched an article for International Youth Day that year, highlighting the firm stance against fast-food companies that sought to undermine these efforts.

In Jamaica, youth from the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) and UNICEF Jamaica were actively involved in consultations on their country’s School Nutrition Policy. When authorities failed to confirm the policy’s implementation for the 2024-2025 academic year, youth advocates launched an open letter demanding urgent action from the Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY).

In February 2024, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY), JYAN, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), and UNICEF Jamaica to hold the very first regional youth meeting on healthy food policies. Youth from 13 CARICOM countries united to advocate for comprehensive school food regulations, including selling and marketing ultra-processed foods. Our voices were loud, clear, and united.

Looking Ahead
By 2030, we envision a Caribbean where all CARICOM countries have implemented comprehensive school nutrition policies regulating the sale and marketing of foods high in salt, sugar and fat. We see you having access to healthier meals, clean drinking water, and plenty of opportunities for physical activity at school. Health education will be woven into your curriculum, empowering you to make informed choices about your well-being. The progress we’ve made so far gives us hope for this healthier future.

As we reflect on the past, we hope you, today’s youth, continue to demand more from your leaders. Remember that every child has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and governments must protect that right as signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Your bold advocacy is not just essential but integral to our collective success.

In 2024, countries like Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago have either taken steps to regulate school food environments or are in the process of doing so. However, partial measures are not enough. It is critical that comprehensive, evidence-based policies—shaped by your voices—are fully implemented. The consequences of not enforcing these policies will significantly negatively affect the region.

CARICOM leaders took a historic stand in 2007 with the Port of Spain Declaration, demanding urgent action on NCDs. Seventeen years have passed since that declaration—and by the time you read this, 23 years will have passed. The time for talk is over. Now, it is up to our current CARICOM leaders to rise to the challenge, build on the foundations laid by their predecessors, and prioritise our region’s health. Their leadership now will determine the future health of generations to come.

Our Hope for the Future
As you celebrate Caribbean Wellness Day on September 14, 2030, and reflect on this pivotal year of global accountability, we urge you to recognise your power in shaping the health and future of our region. Progress has been made, but setbacks have also occurred. It is up to you to carry the torch forward, advocating for change where it is still needed and ensuring that the health and well-being of Caribbean youth remain a top priority. You are not just the future. You are the present. Your actions and demands matter. You have the right to good health, and with your courage and determination, you can help create a future where every child in the Caribbean has the opportunity to thrive.

With hope for a healthier tomorrow,

Youth Health Advocates of 2024
Simeca Alexander-Williamson, Simone Bishop-Matthews, Ashley Foster Estick, Kaela Gerald, Dorial Quintyne, Offniel Lamont, Danielle Walwyn, Fiona Zhang on behalf of Healthy Caribbean Youth

The post Letter to the Students of 2030: Hope for The Future appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

The primary goal of the HCC Communications under the Global Health Advocacy Incubator project remains to tackle childhood obesity and by extension non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through healthy food environments across the Caribbean with a focus on Barbados and Jamaica. This has been achieved through the development and implementation of communication and advocacy campaigns, guided by a strategic plan to reach target audiences including policymakers, the media and lay-persons. Our markers of success have been grounded in regional governments policy readiness and implementation.

The HCC continues to communicate with various target audiences through several channels. These include social media including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X formerly known as Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and digital, including our website, email blasts, RoundUp newsletter, and our webinars. The HCC has engaged both traditional and online media in our efforts to reach our target audiences. The media, being one of our primary audiences we have engaged through our webinars, hang-outs, one-on-one meetings, training sessions, sensitisations and now through the sponsored Caribbean Media Awards.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) expanded its awards this year, to include a Healthy Nutrition Food Policy Award under two (2) themes; Television and Print for the 35th National Gas Company (NGC) Caribbean Media Awards (CMA) of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). This activity culminated the 55th Caribbean Broadcasting Union’s Annual General Assembly, which took place in Placencia Belize. The Awards recognizes the work of the media produced and published in 2023. Following the criteria, nominations were released in June 2024. Nestled in the Umaya Hotel, the Awards took place on the night of Tuesday August 13th, 2024. The Nation Publishing Company, having coped its first ever CMA, was awarded in the print category and the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS) emerged the winner under the television themed category. Special mention was given to RJR Gleaner Communications Group (Print Themed Award).

The event was live telecast hosted by Great Belize Productions Limited – Channel 5. Presentations, Trophies and Certificates were made in fifty-five (55) categories. A record number of these – twenty-four (24) were themed categories supported by category sponsors including:

• UNDP CariSECURE2.0
• Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC)
• The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre
• The Sagicor Financial Company Limited
• The Caribbean Development Bank Basic Needs Trust Fund
• The Nature Conservancy Caribbean Division
• The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management
• SAEDI Consulting Limited

The organisation with the largest number of wins was RJR Gleaner Communications Group from Jamaica with sixteen (16) awards and four (4) special mentions across its media services. Great Belize Productions – Channel 5 was second with eight (8) wins and two (2) special mentions. Trinidad and Tobago was well represented with Trinidad Express fielding five (5) awards and garnering four (4) special mentions. TTT Limited received four (4) awards and a special mention. The Guardian Group was successful in five (5) categories with two awards for CNC-3; two (2) special mentions for television service and one (1) for the print-arm-Guardian newspaper.

The theme for this year’s Annual General Assembly was the Media and the Environment. This theme, being quite expansive covers key areas of interest of the HCC including the food environment in which a healthy and nutritious environment supported by healthy nutrition food policies allows individuals to grow, live, learn and thrive and climate change; which impacts heavily on the kind of food environment we have at our disposal. Food security relies heavily on and is impacted by climate change.

• The BGIS award – “Grow Green Barbados: Episode 3 – Organic Farming” – Aisha Reid, Mikul Elcock, David Bynoe, Esther Jones,  KathyAnn Husbands
• Nation Publishing Company (Barbados) It’s War – Donna Sealy
• Special Mention: RJR Gleaner Communications Group (Jamaica) – “Hungry Belly Children Can’t Learn” – Andre Williams

The HCC will also sponsor two (2) journalists for the 2024 awards (36th CMA) which has been announced will take place in Barbados in August 2025. This will be promoted at the Healthy Food Policy Virtual Sensitisation for Media Managers, Journalists and Partners in October 2024. The HCC was represented by Communications Officer Sheena Warner-Edwards in Belize, throughout the General Assembly. Participants experienced the culture of Belize through the food and the people. Both the Opening Ceremony and the Awards were streamed from Channel 5across HCCs social media channels.

Here are some photos from the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOH3Ow9mg_w

CBU Media Monitoring

• https://www.caribroadcastunion.org/cbu-events/cma/
• https://www.caribroadcastunion.org/2024/06/04/ngc-35th-cbu-caribbean-media-awards-announcement-of-nominees/
• https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20240817/rjrgleaner-group-continues-caribbean-media-dominance
• https://edition.channel5belize.com/winners-announced-at-record-breaking-35th-caribbean-media-awards/
• https://www.cbc.bb/news/local-news/cbc-cops-regional-media-awards/
• https://emonewsdm.com/sagicor-financial-company-ltd-supports-caribbean-broadcasting-unions-caribbean-media-awards/
• https://www.tv6tnt.com/news/7pmnews/ngc-35th-cbu-caribbean-media-awards/article_ab8b6898-5ab3-11ef-b9a5-9bfe1e50398a.html
• https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/gml-bags-two-cbu-journalism-awards-three-special-mentions-6.2.2082717.e8035f9f03
• https://magneticmediatv.com/2024/08/historic-health-professions-amendment-ordinance-and-regulations-2024-officially-signed-into-law/
• https://climatetrackercaribbean.org/featured/climate-tracker-fellows-shine-at-35th-cbu-awards/
• https://www.ttt.live/cbu-awards-2024/
• https://edition.channel5belize.com/caribbean-journalists-converge-in-belize-for-cbu-agm-media-awards/
• https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/caribbean-tourism-organization-announces-2024-media-award-winners

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The initiative, unveiled on Friday, aims to provide a structured yet supportive work environment where patients can receive training in various vocational skills, paving the way for their reintegration into society.

The project, designed to offer a structured yet supportive work environment for individuals with mental health challenges, will focus on skills such as carpentry, joinery, woodworking, furniture making, cabinetry, and furniture repair and refurbishment.

Maureen Graham, chairperson of the Legacy Foundation’s board of trustees, described the workshop as “a haven of opportunity” for hospital patients, and a critical component of the psychiatric hospital’s inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programme.

“We believe that investing in such programmes is not just an act of charity, but rather a fundamental responsibility,”
Graham told the brief ceremony to launch the initiative. “By modernising, retooling, and upgrading this workshop, we aim to create an environment where participants can develop skills, build confidence, and take meaningful steps towards reintegrating into society.”

David Leacock, director of the hospital, emphasised the crucial role of sheltered workshops in the recovery process, stating that they were a stepping stone on the journey to recovery for those with mental health challenges and disabilities. Leacock added that the workshops also allowed these individuals to rediscover their strengths and experience the dignity that comes with making a contribution to society.

“These workshops are not merely places of employment, they are a sanctuary for empowerment and transformation,” the hospital director said.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, suggested that the initiative was a perfect example of the power of partnership. Collaborative efforts such as these, Ishmael said, were essential in helping vulnerable people. (SB)

The post New sheltered workshop offers hope for psychiatric patients appeared first on Barbados Today.

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