PAHO-CAIC Workshop: Caribbean Private Sector Response to Chronic Diseases

(Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 8–9 May 2008, jointly sponsored by PAHO and the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce / CAIC)

Background Papers (PDF)
a. Executive Summary for HIV/AIDS (2 pp, 451 Kb)
b. HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy (Denmar Garments Manufacturers, Inc.)
(4 pp, 116 Kb)
c. Maintaining a Healthy Diet (Healthy Foods, Import & Agriculture) (2 pp, 85 Kb)
d. New Strategies Needed to Fight Obesity in the Caribbean (Dr. Fitzroy Henry, Director, Caribbean Food & Nutrition Institute / CFNI) (54 pp, 978 Kb)
e. What is health & wellness? The Seven Dimensions of Wellness (2 pp, 49 Kb)
f. Workplace Wellness Background
(11 pp, 267 Kb)
g. Workplace Wellness Executive Summary (12 pp, 75 Kb)

Presentations (PowerPoint PDF)
1. About the Workshop (Grace Thalma, Facilitator) (11 slides, Kb)
2. Agriculture Investment Forum
(Dr. Maxine, Guyana) (12 slides, 434 Kb)
3. Healthier, Happier, and More Productive Employees: Reducing the Risk of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (CNCDs) (United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention / CDC) (33 slides, 872 Kb)
4. Investing in Health & Wellness for the Tourism Sector (Sue Springer, British Healthcare Trades Association / BHTA)
46 slides, 316 Kb)
5. Perspectives on HIV/AIDS Collaboration & Lessons Learned (Derrick Cummings, United States Agency for International Development / USAID, Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention (GHARP) project & Guyana Private Sector Advisory Board on HIV/ AIDS)
(18 slides, 1378 Kb)
6. Status & Response to CNCD Epidemic (Dr. Alafia Samuels, PAHO/CPC CNCD Team) (72 slides, 2803 Kb)
7. Trade Agreements and Health: Addressing Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (Sandra Plummer, Deputy Programme Manager, Health Sector Development, Caribbean Community /CARICOM Secretariat) (39 slides, 517 Kb)
8. Walking and Bicycling: Creating Healthy & Competitive Cities (Gil Peñalosa, Executive Director, Walk and Bike for Life) (246-slide training course, divided into 10 parts, ranging from 4 to 20 Mb)
I | II | III | IV | V |
VI | VII | VIII | IX | X
(complements 3 other courses given by Mr. Peñalosa at the Physical Activity Workshop)
9. Unilever Choices Programme (Mrs. Roxane de Freitas, Managing Director, Unilever Caribbean Limited) (38 slides, 1630 Kb)
10. Workplace Wellness (23 slides, 144 Kb)

- Recommended List of Links (1 p, 49 Kb)

(The material below is taken from facilitator Grace Thalma's presentation.)

Objectives

• Encourage the Caribbean private sector to take a more active role in the reduction of chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) by implementing measures to reduce the risk of these diseases affecting its own employees as well as the wider community.
• Changed private-sector policies & practices that favour chronic noncommunicable diseases
• Adoption of certain areas from the Caribbean Summit Declaration*: 6 areas
• Regular circulation & use of health information
• Workplace health promotion programmes
• Promotion of physical activity & healthy living
• Increased partnership of private sector and government
• Give support to a Caribbean Wellness Day**: 13 September 2008.

Expected Outcomes

• Identification of the roles and responsibilities of the Caribbean private sector in the reduction of CNCDs.
• An action plan that identifies workplace wellness programmes and activities.
• A statement from the Caribbean private sector in support of the initiative by the end of the conference, to represent the commitment of the private sector to CNCD reduction and to be presented at the Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting later this year.

Workgroups

• Workplace Wellness Programmes
• Healthy Foods Import and Local Foods
• Media and Communication
• Physical Activity and Caribbean Wellness Day
• Workplace Policies and Practices
• Fundraising: Regional and Local levels

* For more information, see the Summit coverage on the CARICOM website and also the September 2007 issue of the PAHO chronic disease newsletter.
**For more information, see the July 2008 issue of the PAHO chronic disease newsletter.

PAHO Links
- CARMEN Network
- Chronic Disease Newsletter
- Chronic Disease Activities