Bridgetown, Barbados, September 26, 2019 – CIBC FirstCaribbean pledged a further USD$1 million to the initiative that has seen 27 nurses from The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago successfully complete additional specialised training.
The donation supports phase II of the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI), which focuses on the improvement of outcomes and quality of life for children with cancer and other blood disorders across the region. CIBC FirstCaribbean signed another Memorandum of Understanding with the SickKids Foundation of Canada, which underwrites the regional effort to provide support for this additional specialised nurse training, as well as for research and advocacy over a five-year period.
In 2013, with the support of the SickKids Foundation of Canada, the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI) was established. It is a nonprofit partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health, and the Ministries of Health, hospitals and institutions of six Caribbean countries, including The Bahamas. This partnership focuses on building sustainable local capacity to diagnose, treat, and manage paediatric cancers and blood disorders.
CIBC FirstCaribbean initially pledged USD$1 million towards the effort over a seven-year period (2014 – 2020) through its charitable arm, the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation. In this latest partnership, the bank has pledged another USD$1 million to SCI between 2019 and 2024. During this time, phase II of SCI will see 13 more regional nurses begin training in September, in the specialised care of children with blood disorders and cancers. There will also be continued efforts to conduct critical research and work with governments and academic institutions to develop effective national and regional strategies to improve outcomes for children with blood disorders and cancer.
As a partner in nurse training, the bank has supported the development of a Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Nursing Education program at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing (UWISoN), Trinidad and Tobago. The program aims to build nursing capacity in the Caribbean by developing highly-skilled clinical nurses and leaders who advocate for patients and their families, conduct quality improvement initiatives, and mentor other health care providers to deliver safe and effective paediatric care.
To date 27 nurses from Barbados, The Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago have completed the specialised one-year diploma programme.
Chief Executive Officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean, Colette Delaney, hailed the bank’s support for SCI as “one of the most significant partnerships our bank has entered into. The life expectancy and quality of life of this region’s most vulnerable and valuable citizens – our children – who are battling this disease is being significantly impacted by the work of SCI.
“We are confident that phase II will build on those gains as we train more nurses, doctors and other medical professionals and facilitate research to support policy recommendations and advocacy,” said Ms. Delaney, who is also the Chair of the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation.
To ensure the work of SCI has a lasting impact, a special SCI advisory committee comprised of business leaders across the Caribbean will be dedicated to furthering the mission of SCI. The committee, of which Ms. Delaney is a member, will also work with businesses, charities, and governments, including Ministries of Health, to ensure there is enough capital to continue the work of SCI in the region.
Since the start of the initiative, SCI has installed seven telemedicine sites in hospitals in the six partner countries; trained four excellent, committed haematology/oncology Caribbean fellows; completed more than 450 case consultations; created clinical care guidance documents and supportive guidance documents, all adapted for the local settings; completed more than 70,000 specialized diagnostic tests; registered more than 600 patients in custom-built, local paediatric oncology databases; trained 27 nurses from five countries in the post-basic haematology/oncology diploma program at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing; and participated in knowledge translation activities aimed at sharing SCI’s approach, challenges and success. Underpinning these activities is critical research that will inform policy recommendations for the region.
CEO of SickKids Foundation Ted Garrard and Debra King, Director of Corporate Communications, CIBC FirstCaribbean sign the new MOU witnessed by SickKids Fellow Dr. Chantelle Browne-Farmer (back left) Bonnie Fleming-Carol, Associate Chief of Nursing & Inter-professional Education at SickKids (centre) and Dr. Upton Allen, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at SickKids.
Debra King, Director of Corporate Communications, CIBC FirstCaribbean presenting CEO of SickKids Foundation Ted Garrard with the pens used in the signing ceremony. Looking on is SickKids Fellow Dr. Chantelle Browne-Farmer (back left) Bonnie Fleming-Caro (partly hidden), Associate Chief of Nursing & Inter-professional Education at SickKids (centre) and Dr. Upton Allen, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at SickKids.
