If you are having trouble viewing this email click here to view the online version

Healthy Caribbean Coalition
Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter See us on You Tube

December 6 - December 11

Healthy Caribbean Weekly News Roundup
Healthy Caribbean Coalition

Featured

Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados Leading on Tobacco Control Coalition

Dr. Kenneth GeorgeOn December 8th, 2014 the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB) brought together key local civil society organisations to initiate a process that will lead to the official establishment of the Barbados Coalition for Tobacco Control (BCTC). The initiative was funded by the NCD Alliance (NCDA) and Medtronic Philanthropy through the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) - managed NCDA programme “Strengthening Health Systems, Supporting NCD Action”. Opening remarks were provided by Sir Trevor Hassell, HCC President and Chairman of the Barbados NCD Commission; Dr. Tomo Kanda, PAHO Advisor on NCDs and Mental Health; and Mrs. Gina Pitts, CEO of the HSFB. Dr. Kenneth George, of the Ministry of Health was present as an important partner, providing the MOH perspective and committing it's support to the work of the BCTC.

The Coalition will benefit from Mrs. Barbara McGaw, Project Manager - Tobacco Control, Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC). Mrs. McGaw was a key resource for the meeting and will continue to provide ongoing support. The JCTC has been extremely successful in Jamaica, working in partnership with the Jamaican Ministry of Health, advocating relentlessly against the powerful and well-connected tobacco industry since 2002.

Barbados ratified the FCTC in 2005. In 2008 the first tobacco control policy was implemented; aimed at increasing taxes on tobacco products by 100% and removing duty free concessions on tobacco products at ports of entry. In 2009 legislation was implemented prohibiting sale of tobacco to minors. Smoking in public places was banned through legislation enacted in 2010. Finally in 2012, taxes on tobacco products were increased by an additional 25% The work of the BCTC will be aimed at advocating for tobacco - free communities and reduction of illness and premature deaths attributed to tobacco use in Barbados.

News Roundup

Universal Health Coverage Day Universal Health Coverage Day is Here! - The HCC joins 500+ organizations around the world to launch the first-ever Universal Health Coverage Day today - December 12, 2014. This historic coalition will mark the anniversary of a landmark UN resolution urging all countries to provide universal access to health care without financial hardship. To learn more and show your support please visit Universal Health Coverage Day website here and follow Universal Health Coverage Day on Twitter and Facebook. Also, click here to download the NCD Alliance's latest policy brief: "UHC and NCDs: A Mutually Reinforcing Agenda”.

HCC NCD Advocacy Priorities for 2015

The HCC NCD Advocacy Technical Working group met on Tuesday December 9th to identify the NCD advocacy priority areas for 2015. The goal of the meeting was to build on the activities and outcomes of the NCD Alliance project in order to strengthen HCC NCD Advocacy moving forward into 2015.

HCC NCD Advocacy Priorities for 2015 The vehicle for the HCC NCD Advocacy over the duration of the NCDA project has been the HCC Advocacy Technical Working Group or TWG. The TWG was established in November 2013 to represent the NCD advocacy related interests of civil society in the context of the NCDA project (and in the longer term) and to drive the implementation of regional and national evidence-informed advocacy initiatives. As the NCDA project comes to a close in January 2015, the TWG will be consolidating challenges, successes and lessons learned; in order to move forward, building on the momentum of the national and regionally based advocacy work initiated.

This is increasingly relevant given the post 2015 development agenda and the pivotal leadership role that the HCC will play in the Caribbean in carving out a space for civil society led advocacy both locally and regionally in support of emerging NCD related development goals and meeting 25*25 targets.

A Record-breaking 2014 World Cancer Congress

A record-breaking 2014 World Cancer Congress

ICC and its host Cancer Council Australia announce the 2014 World Cancer Congress as a great success. A summary report will be available in early 2015, but in the meantime, click here for the highlights.

The World Cancer Congress website also has details of the speakers, activities and a photo gallery here.

HCC Director Laura Tucker Longsworth was present at the World Cancer Congress click on the collage of images below to view her photo gallery.

World Cancer Congress gallery

We Need Your Help

The HCC is seeking examples of alcohol advertising or marketing in the Caribbean. Please send any images, photographs or newspaper cuttings from your territory, to hcc@healthycaribbean.org.

At ICN2, Civil Society Charts Alternative Path to Nutrition Based on Food Sovereignty

The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), an intergovernmental conference organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to address malnutrition in all its forms, was held in Rome, Italy, on November 19-21, 2014, 22 years after the first ICN. Nutrition is considered a technical matter by most. Indeed, the conference negotiations attempted to de-root nutrition from its intimate relations with the nature of food systems as well as its broader social, economic and political determinants. In contrast, nutrition is a profoundly political issue not only for its deep implications on people’s rights, livelihoods and health, but also because of the consequences that choosing among alternative paths to nutrition may have on the nature and pattern of globalization. Read more

Population Services International (PSI) Social Marketing for NCD Prevention Training

Social Marketing for NCD Prevention TrainingPopulation Services International (PSI) recently conducted two days training on Social Marketing for Non-communicable Disease Prevention in Kralendijk, Bonaire for JOGG Directors from Bonaire, St Eustatius, Saba, other health professionals and youth advocates. JOGG (Dutch acronym for Jongeren Op Gezond Gewicht (Young People at a Healthy Weight) is a social marketing initiative which is part of the Covenant on Healthy Weight, a joint venture between 27 nationwide organisations in the Netherlands.

For more information on the JOGG program click here or to take a look at its Caribbean programs, see videos on YouTube here and on Facebook here.

To learn more about PSI’s international work in NCD’s click here and here for more information on activities taking place in the region.

Countries Pledge Action to Reduce Child Obesity in the Americas

Countries of the Americas took a giant step forward in the fight against the rising epidemic of obesity when they unanimously signed the new 5-year plan of action for the prevention of obesity in children and adolescents.1 This was signed during the 53rd Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which was also the 66th Session of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas. Alongside other measures, the plan calls for fiscal policies and regulation of food marketing and labelling, improvement of school nutrition and physical activity environments, and promotion of breastfeeding and healthy eating. Its goal is to halt the rise of the obesity epidemic so that obesity prevalence in each country does not increase further. Read more

Strokes Found Rising in Pregnant WomenStrokes Found Rising in Pregnant Women - Even as the rate of strokes in Americans age 65 and older is falling, it is rising sharply among pregnant women, researchers reported Monday. Pregnancy-related strokes are “rare and deadly and increasing,” said Dr. Lisa Leffert, the lead author of the report and the chief of obstetric anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital. Increasing obesity rates among women of childbearing age; inactivity in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s; and older maternal age are contributing to the rise in hypertension and, consequently, strokes, experts say. Read more.

Cigarettes Cause One-Third of U.S. Cancer Deaths - Figure doesn't include secondhand smoke, cigars, pipes or smokeless tobacco. Despite large declines in smoking rates, cigarettes still cause about one-third of cancer deaths in the United States, according to a new study. "Our results indicate that cigarette smoking causes about three in 10 cancer deaths in the contemporary United States. Reducing smoking prevalence as rapidly as possible should be a top priority for U.S. public health efforts to prevent future cancer deaths," researchers from the American Cancer Society wrote. Read more.

NCD Alliance E-Alert, news from the NCD Alliance

NCD Alliance Webinar Wednesday 17th December - The NCD Alliance will be holding our next webinar on Wednesday 17th December at 10:00 – 11:30 am EST/16:00 – 17:30 CET. Please note that there will be only one webinar broadcast. The powerpoint slides and recording will be made available on the NCD Alliance website after the webinar. the webinar will be discussing:

  • Updates on the Global Coordination Mechanism (GCM)
  • Outcomes from the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)
  • Outcomes from the World Cancer Congress
  • UNICEF Facts for Life Chapter consultation process
  • Looking ahead to 2015

In addition participants can to submit questions prior to the webinar by emailing us at info@ncdalliance.org by 15th December. Participants will also be able to send questions and feedback during the webinar. Register here

NCD Articles on WebMD

  • Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment: Side Effects - Numerous side effects can happen during treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Read more
  • Changing Views on Dairy With Diabetes - Dairy foods might play a role in lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes, new research suggests. But it's not a remedy. Read more
  • Heart Disease Warning Signs - Diabetes raises your risk of heart problems. How to spot the symptoms of a heart attack and other conditions. Plus, prevention tips. Read more
  • How to Trim Inches From Your Waist - Too much body fat can raise your risk of diabetes. Learn the key to shedding pounds, and why belly fat is worse than other kinds. Read more

HCC News Roundup Archive - If you have missed any of our News Roundups you can view previous Roundups on our News Roundup Archive webpage here.

HCC Featured - Previously featured Members, events and news can now be found on our HCC Featured webpage here.

Healthy Caribbean Coalition
Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter See us on You Tube

Healthy Caribbean Coalition

The HCC is a regional network of Caribbean health NGOs and civil society organizations with the remit to combat chronic diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors and conditions. Our membership presently consists of more than 50 Caribbean-based health NGOs and over 55 not-for-profit organisations and, in excess of 200 individual members based in the Caribbean and across the globe.

To join the HCC email us at hcc@healthycaribbean.org.

If you do not want to receive future emails from the Healthy Caribbean Coalition please send an email with Unsubscribe in the subject line to unsubscribe@healthycaribbean.org.

HCC Secretariat, Caribbean Catalyst Inc., River Road, St. Michael, Barbados, BB11155

The work of HCC would not be possible without core funding from Sagicor Life Inc

Sagicor Life Inc.