New Category : Health

Health Officials Maintain Leadership Role In Economic And Health Dialogue Of The Americas And Partners With Harvard University

Mon, Mar 18th 2024, 10:16 AM

Minister of Health & Wellness, the Honourable Dr. Michael R. Darville, led a team of technical officers from the Ministry, including Chief Medical Officer - Dr. Pearl McMillan, Acting Director of Public Health - Dr.Phillip Swann and Policy & Planning Unit Officer - Dr. Cherita Moxey to the Economic and Health Dialogue of the Americas (EHA) Meeting held at Melia Cairbe in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (March 10-11)and a visit to Harvard University, Cambridge Massachusetts (March 13).

The EHA meetings continue to serve as a platform for countries to foster collaboration and strengthenpublic health systems and safeguard economies. The EHA sessions were attended by Member States,as well as the U.S. Department of State, U.S.Bureau of Global Security, PAHO and the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank. Public health experiences and challenges intensified by the ongoing COVID-19pandemic were shared, resulting in a workplan for coordinated responses to current and future healthcrises.

EHA is structured into four workstreams led by countries within the region. The Bahamas was nominatedin 2023 at EHA to co-lead workstream 2, focusing on the "Prioritization of Health Sector Transformation."Utilizing the renewed Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF), this initiative aims to identify and addressprimary challenges facing the region's health landscape. The Bahamas is the only country in the Englishspeaking Caribbean that has completed the three rounds of evaluation related to the EPHF assessment.Building on this success, The Bahamas has been invited to continue its co-leadership role for the 2024workplan.

On March 13, the delegation meet with faculty and staff at the Harvard University Beth-Israel DeaconessMedical Centre’s Disaster Medicine Program to finalize arrangements for establishing a Centre ofExcellence in Disaster Medicine in The Bahamas. This marked the culmination of more than a year ofnegotiations initially arranged by Bahamian Emergency Medicine and Climate Change and Health Fellow,Dr. Latoya Storr. The Centre of Excellence aims to enhance local and regional disaster preparedness andresponse systems, reflecting the Ministry’s goal of centralizing the health sector’s preparedness efforts.Later that afternoon, the delegation initiated discussions on partnership opportunities between the Ministryand the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for training and continuing education for Ministry ofHealth & Wellness staff.

The delegation returned home on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Minister of Health & Wellness, the Honourable Dr. Michael R. Darville, led a team of technical officers from the Ministry, including Chief Medical Officer - Dr. Pearl McMillan, Acting Director of Public Health - Dr. Phillip Swann and Policy & Planning Unit Officer - Dr. Cherita Moxey to the Economic and Health Dialogue of the Americas (EHA) Meeting held at Melia Cairbe in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (March 10-11) and a visit to Harvard University, Cambridge Massachusetts (March 13). The EHA meetings continue to serve as a platform for countries to foster collaboration and strengthen public health systems and safeguard economies. The EHA sessions were attended by Member States, as well as the U.S. Department of State, U.S.Bureau of Global Security, PAHO and the Inter-American Development Bank. Public health experiences and challenges intensified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic were shared, resulting in a workplan for coordinated responses to current and future health crises. EHA is structured into four workstreams led by countries within the region. The Bahamas was nominated in 2023 at EHA to co-lead workstream 2, focusing on the "Prioritization of Health Sector Transformation." Utilizing the renewed Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF), this initiative aims to identify and address primary challenges facing the region's health landscape. The Bahamas is the only country in the Englishspeaking Caribbean that has completed the three rounds of evaluation related to the EPHF assessment. Building on this success, The Bahamas has been invited to continue its co-leadership role for the 2024 workplan. On March 13, the delegation meet with faculty and staff at the Harvard University Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Centre’s Disaster Medicine Program to finalize arrangements for establishing a Centre of Excellence in Disaster Medicine in The Bahamas. This marked the culmination of more than a year of negotiations initially arranged by Bahamian Emergency Medicine and Climate Change and Health Fellow, Dr. Latoya Storr. The Centre of Excellence aims to enhance local and regional disaster preparedness and response systems, reflecting the Ministry’s goal of centralizing the health sector’s preparedness efforts. Later that afternoon, the delegation initiated discussions on partnership opportunities between the Ministry and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for training and continuing education for Ministry of Health & Wellness staff. The delegation returned home on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Transforming Foot Care Through Foot Fest 2024

Wed, Mar 6th 2024, 02:31 PM

The Ministry of Health & Wellness Bahamas, in partnership with Barry University announced the official launch of “Foot Fest 2024”, a transformative health and wellness event focused on foot care. This free podiatry event which began on Sunday, March 3 in New Providence continues until Friday March 8, and will also extend its free services to the Grand Bahama community on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. FootFest 2024 will offer a range of free services to the public including foot exams and surgeries, foot treatments, diabetes and foot care educational sessions and health screenings. Continuing education and skills building classes will also be conducted during the week for clinical staff.

The Minister of Health & Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael R. Darville, and Ministry Permanent Secretary Mr.Colin Higgs, along with the Ministry’s Program Coordinator, Dr. Monique Mitchell and Barry University’sProgram Coordinator, Dr. Shanika Hill, warmly welcomed the dedicated team comprised of over 50podiatrists, surgeons, students and volunteers. They expressed gratitude to the public health clinics andprivate partners participating in Foot Fest 2024 and stressed the importance of foot care as an integralcomponent of overall wellness particularly for individuals managing chronic conditions like diabetes.

"This event exemplifies our commitment to enhancing the well-being of our citizens by addressing criticalhealthcare needs,” stated Dr. Darville. “This collaboration and community engagement provides aninvaluable opportunity for Bahamians to access expert foot care services and gain valuable insights intopreventive measures and proper foot care practices,” he added.

"We are excited to collaborate for the third time will the Ministry of Health & Wellness in this venture, andwe thank the volunteers, partners, sponsors and public health agencies for their support in making FootFest 2024 a reality," stated Dr. Hill.

For more information about Foot Fest 2024, visit www.bahamas.gov.bs/health or the social mediaplatforms of the Ministry of Health & Wellness.

The Ministry of Health & Wellness Bahamas, in partnership with Barry University announced the official launch of “Foot Fest 2024”, a transformative health and wellness event focused on foot care. This free podiatry event which began on Sunday, March 3 in New Providence continues until Friday March 8, and will also extend its free services to the Grand Bahama community on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Foot Fest 2024 will offer a range of free services to the public including foot exams and surgeries, foot treatments, diabetes and foot care educational sessions and health screenings. Continuing education and skills building classes will also be conducted during the week for clinical staff. The Minister of Health & Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael R. Darville, and Ministry Permanent Secretary Mr. Colin Higgs, along with the Ministry’s Program Coordinator, Dr. Monique Mitchell and Barry University’s Program Coordinator, Dr. Shanika Hill, warmly welcomed the dedicated team comprised of over 50 podiatrists, surgeons, students and volunteers. They expressed gratitude to the public health clinics and private partners participating in Foot Fest 2024 and stressed the importance of foot care as an integral component of overall wellness particularly for individuals managing chronic conditions like diabetes. "This event exemplifies our commitment to enhancing the well-being of our citizens by addressing critical healthcare needs,” stated Dr. Darville. “This collaboration and community engagement provides an invaluable opportunity for Bahamians to access expert foot care services and gain valuable insights into preventive measures and proper foot care practices,” he added. "We are excited to collaborate for the third time will the Ministry of Health & Wellness in this venture, and we thank the volunteers, partners, sponsors and public health agencies for their support in making Foot Fest 2024 a reality," stated Dr. Hill. For more information about Foot Fest 2024, visit www.bahamas.gov.bs/health or the social media platforms of the Ministry of Health & Wellness.

How Samsung is Solving the Digital Health Dilemma

Wed, Feb 28th 2024, 10:35 AM

The new Galaxy Ring is a part of Samsung’s Vision for an Intelligent Health Platform

Dr. Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics talks about Samsung Health platform and its newest addition: Galaxy Ring

Today, more than ever, people are defining their own wellness goals. From looking to stay fit or gaining more muscle mass, achieving better sleep, or caring for personal or family physical and mental health issues, everyone’s goals for better health look different. But one thing is common, the daily management and path towards these goals can be complicated and challenging, and most importantly, it is defined by you.

That’s why at Samsung, we’re working to empower more people to manage their health - and those they care for – their way, with a comprehensive, yet simplified approach to everyday wellness. Our vision is to improve the health of billions through connected care centered around the home by connecting devices, services and people – like only Samsung can.
 
One of the biggest challenges the healthcare industry is facing today is fragmented data and how to bring it all together. Samsung is uniquely positioned to undertake this with one of the largest, most diverse connected device ecosystems. Now with Samsung Health, we’re connecting different devices and partner solutions within one cohesive platform, making it simpler to track health conditions on a Galaxy wearable.

By collecting data through advanced sensor technology, you’ll receive a deeper, more holistic understanding of your health with improved insights and integrated third party health data. And as always, your personal data on the Galaxy devices remains secure thanks to the Samsung Knox security platform.

Like any good data model, how you leverage the information is key. In this new mobile era of AI, Samsung is focused on remaining at the forefront of maximizing information. With the intelligence of AI, the most transformative technology of the century, users will receive more personalized insights and tailored health experiences through Samsung Health’s extensive global dataset from 64M monthly active users. And while every user’s wellness journey is unique, we believe they all start in the same way – by gaining a deeper understanding of their health through more comprehensive insights, spanning the longest time possible.

This is why we’ve continued to build a portfolio of tools that help track their health conveniently, continuously and accurately. This approach comes to life in our wearables portfolio with upcoming features like My Vitality Score[1] and Booster Card[2], combining more data with new intelligent analysis to deliver even more personalized and actionable guidance day and night.

With more data and greater intelligence, users will receive even more insights for preventative wellness end-to-end solutions, starting with sleep.  We’ve developed a variety of features that offer users a deeper understanding of their sleep quality and other aspects of their health during sleep. For example, the sleep apnea feature, which recently received De Novo clearance from US FDA, will detect signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea – and often undiagnosed and untreated – chronic medical condition, so they can address it with their healthcare provider.

This is just the beginning. We’re working with partners to connect these capabilities to real world solutions and services that expand access to healthcare in the home. For instance, you can create a more optimal sleep environment with a smart mattress that can fine-tune the ideal sleep temperatures for rest.
 
Samsung recognizes that gaining a deep understanding of one’s personal health can result in significant long-term wellness benefits for our users. As we look to deliver on our vision of providing users with a comprehensive yet simplified approach to everyday wellness, we realize choice is a big factor. Obtaining accurate, detailed and advanced information on personal health conditions is the foundation of helping better track and action change. 

Mobile devices will become the primary access point for AI, and through Samsung Galaxy – with our broad and comprehensive product portfolio, heritage of innovation, and philosophy of open collaboration – we’re well positioned to accelerate its global expansion.  That’s why we’re thrilled to be introducing Samsung Galaxy Ring later this year - bringing Samsung’s accumulated innovations to the smallest form for comfortable 24/7 wear. As a new addition to our wearables portfolio, Galaxy Ring will offer users an all-new way to simplify everyday wellness, empowering them with greater insights and more ways to understand themselves day and night. With Galaxy Ring, users can embrace an unrivalled experience during every step of their wellness journey, all while being delivered in lockstep with Samsung’s broader vision for a more connected, integrated and seamless digital wellness platform.
 
Samsung will continue to enrich and expand Galaxy AI experiences across our product categories and collaborations to bring forward mobile experiences that defy imagination. The launch of Galaxy Ring is just one of Samsung’s many initiatives that exemplifies this and delivers on our vision of improving the health and wellness of billions, starting at home, with you. Through the power of intelligence, partnerships and advanced technology, we're helping more people better understand themselves and make the small changes that have a big impact, every day. With this, the power of Galaxy AI, and many more exciting health and wellness solutions and updates on the horizon, we can’t wait for you to see what we have in store.
 
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.

 The new Galaxy Ring is a part of Samsung’s Vision for an Intelligent Health Platform Dr. Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics talks about Samsung Health platform and its newest addition: Galaxy Ring Today, more than ever, people are defining their own wellness goals. From looking to stay fit or gaining more muscle mass, achieving better sleep, or caring for personal or family physical and mental health issues, everyone’s goals for better health look different. But one thing is common, the daily management and path towards these goals can be complicated and challenging, and most importantly, it is defined by you. That’s why at Samsung, we’re working to empower more people to manage their health - and those they care for – their way, with a comprehensive, yet simplified approach to everyday wellness. Our vision is to improve the health of billions through connected care centered around the home by connecting devices, services and people – like only Samsung can.   One of the biggest challenges the healthcare industry is facing today is fragmented data and how to bring it all together. Samsung is uniquely positioned to undertake this with one of the largest, most diverse connected device ecosystems. Now with Samsung Health, we’re connecting different devices and partner solutions within one cohesive platform, making it simpler to track health conditions on a Galaxy wearable. By collecting data through advanced sensor technology, you’ll receive a deeper, more holistic understanding of your health with improved insights and integrated third party health data. And as always, your personal data on the Galaxy devices remains secure thanks to the Samsung Knox security platform. Like any good data model, how you leverage the information is key. In this new mobile era of AI, Samsung is focused on remaining at the forefront of maximizing information. With the intelligence of AI, the most transformative technology of the century, users will receive more personalized insights and tailored health experiences through Samsung Health’s extensive global dataset from 64M monthly active users. And while every user’s wellness journey is unique, we believe they all start in the same way – by gaining a deeper understanding of their health through more comprehensive insights, spanning the longest time possible. This is why we’ve continued to build a portfolio of tools that help track their health conveniently, continuously and accurately. This approach comes to life in our wearables portfolio with upcoming features like My Vitality Score[1] and Booster Card[2], combining more data with new intelligent analysis to deliver even more personalized and actionable guidance day and night. With more data and greater intelligence, users will receive even more insights for preventative wellness end-to-end solutions, starting with sleep.  We’ve developed a variety of features that offer users a deeper understanding of their sleep quality and other aspects of their health during sleep. For example, the sleep apnea feature, which recently received De Novo clearance from US FDA, will detect signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea – and often undiagnosed and untreated – chronic medical condition, so they can address it with their healthcare provider. This is just the beginning. We’re working with partners to connect these capabilities to real world solutions and services that expand access to healthcare in the home. For instance, you can create a more optimal sleep environment with a smart mattress that can fine-tune the ideal sleep temperatures for rest.   Samsung recognizes that gaining a deep understanding of one’s personal health can result in significant long-term wellness benefits for our users. As we look to deliver on our vision of providing users with a comprehensive yet simplified approach to everyday wellness, we realize choice is a big factor. Obtaining accurate, detailed and advanced information on personal health conditions is the foundation of helping better track and action change.  Mobile devices will become the primary access point for AI, and through Samsung Galaxy – with our broad and comprehensive product portfolio, heritage of innovation, and philosophy of open collaboration – we’re well positioned to accelerate its global expansion.  That’s why we’re thrilled to be introducing Samsung Galaxy Ring later this year - bringing Samsung’s accumulated innovations to the smallest form for comfortable 24/7 wear. As a new addition to our wearables portfolio, Galaxy Ring will offer users an all-new way to simplify everyday wellness, empowering them with greater insights and more ways to understand themselves day and night. With Galaxy Ring, users can embrace an unrivalled experience during every step of their wellness journey, all while being delivered in lockstep with Samsung’s broader vision for a more connected, integrated and seamless digital wellness platform.   Samsung will continue to enrich and expand Galaxy AI experiences across our product categories and collaborations to bring forward mobile experiences that defy imagination. The launch of Galaxy Ring is just one of Samsung’s many initiatives that exemplifies this and delivers on our vision of improving the health and wellness of billions, starting at home, with you. Through the power of intelligence, partnerships and advanced technology, we're helping more people better understand themselves and make the small changes that have a big impact, every day. With this, the power of Galaxy AI, and many more exciting health and wellness solutions and updates on the horizon, we can’t wait for you to see what we have in store.   About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.

Heart Health Top Priority for Valentine’s Day at Bahamas Waste

Thu, Feb 22nd 2024, 09:23 AM

Spreading health and love to its team members was the order of Valentine’s Day for Bahamas Waste on February 14 as the company held a “heart health” day where employees got free health checks and took part in a number of fun activities.

Employees were given the opportunity to get their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose tested, free of charge as well as priceless diet and exercise advice from a certified personal trainer and nutritionist.

Bahamas Waste Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jasmine Davis said the company’s management team decided that this year there would be an event on each holiday, with the health fair being the first.

“So, we just decided let’s do a heart health day,” Davis said. “It’s know your numbers, get some healthy snacks, etc. We packed bags of fruits and other healthy snacks and then we also brought a nutritionist and a nurse to do the health screenings. After you get your health screening the nutritionist tells you your next steps and what you should be doing. He’s also a certified personal trainer so he’s there giving exercise tips and everything to just help you along your health and fitness journey.”

In addition to the health screening, employees were treated to great food, music and fun activities, including a 360 photobooth where they were able to capture the memories with their colleagues.

Ambrose Austin was doing electrical work in the area when he realized there were free health checks ongoing and said it was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.

“It surely helps me to save money,” Austin said, just after getting his free wellness check. “It’s an opportunity I would not pass up on. Because if I went to the doctor, I would have had to pay for all of this. They said I’m in good shape. It’s interesting that they did it on Valentine’s Day as well because I believe in love and love is the key. This is a way to show love.”

Bahamas Waste Receptionist Victoria Simmons has been with the company for 23 and said the health fair was a good initiative, especially for the company to show that its also interested in the wellbeing of its employees.

“It is enhancing for the staff,” Simmons said. “I got my health checked and I’m great. It is a really great thing the company did, especially for the staff to see how everyone’s doing health wise.”

Testing for blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol have proven useful in catching signs of potential noncommunicable diseases. A 2020 report by the World Health Organization revealed that 74 percent of deaths in The Bahamas were a result of noncommunicable diseases.

Davis said Bahamas Waste finds it of the utmost importance to support and encourage its staff to manage and monitor their health.

Spreading health and love to its team members was the order of Valentine’s Day for Bahamas Waste on February 14 as the company held a “heart health” day where employees got free health checks and took part in a number of fun activities. Employees were given the opportunity to get their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose tested, free of charge as well as priceless diet and exercise advice from a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. Bahamas Waste Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jasmine Davis said the company’s management team decided that this year there would be an event on each holiday, with the health fair being the first. “So, we just decided let’s do a heart health day,” Davis said. “It’s know your numbers, get some healthy snacks, etc. We packed bags of fruits and other healthy snacks and then we also brought a nutritionist and a nurse to do the health screenings. After you get your health screening the nutritionist tells you your next steps and what you should be doing. He’s also a certified personal trainer so he’s there giving exercise tips and everything to just help you along your health and fitness journey.” In addition to the health screening, employees were treated to great food, music and fun activities, including a 360 photobooth where they were able to capture the memories with their colleagues. Ambrose Austin was doing electrical work in the area when he realized there were free health checks ongoing and said it was an opportunity he couldn’t miss. “It surely helps me to save money,” Austin said, just after getting his free wellness check. “It’s an opportunity I would not pass up on. Because if I went to the doctor, I would have had to pay for all of this. They said I’m in good shape. It’s interesting that they did it on Valentine’s Day as well because I believe in love and love is the key. This is a way to show love.” Bahamas Waste Receptionist Victoria Simmons has been with the company for 23 and said the health fair was a good initiative, especially for the company to show that its also interested in the wellbeing of its employees. “It is enhancing for the staff,” Simmons said. “I got my health checked and I’m great. It is a really great thing the company did, especially for the staff to see how everyone’s doing health wise.” Testing for blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol have proven useful in catching signs of potential noncommunicable diseases. A 2020 report by the World Health Organization revealed that 74 percent of deaths in The Bahamas were a result of noncommunicable diseases. Davis said Bahamas Waste finds it of the utmost importance to support and encourage its staff to manage and monitor their health.