GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) was observed across the region on September 8 to promote good health and well-being.
In 2011 the CWD was expanded to become Wellness Week in the Americas commencing on September 8 and running until the 14. This was part of the Political Declaration of the United Nations Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
This year’s theme is “Healthy Communities for All,” and the slogan is “Building healthy communities for everyone.”
The CARICOM Heads of Summit on Chronic Diseases in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, September 2007, established Caribbean Wellness Day.
Caribbean Wellness Day is observed every year on the second Saturday of September.
Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department from the Sint Maarten Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, calls on the nation to contribute in creating opportunities in promoting and supporting good health and well-being during wellness week and apply what they have learnt to their daily lives.
Inaugurated in 2008, Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) is an annual event which provides an opportunity to increase the awareness of the non-communicable diseases burden in the Caribbean; mobilise and strengthen public, private, and civil society partnerships for NCDs; promote multi country, multisectoral activities in support of wellness; and showcase national and community level activities to promote healthy living and encourage residents to develop good health practices.
CPS commends all local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), foundations, institutions and organizations who join in contributing towards influencing a difference by making efforts to educate and bring change to existing methodologies/vision thinking on the best interest of patient and family members.
Building a healthy community calls for all persons to be proactive and vigilant ranging from patients, providers, planners, strategists, financier and decision makers etc., a collective approach and thinking are roads to success considering the limited resources.
The first four years, 2008-2011, focused on raising awareness of Caribbean Wellness Day at the national, regional and international levels.
In 2012, a decision was taken to focus on preventing and controlling NCDs throughout the life course during 2012-2015.
Caribbean Wellness Day observance was to be integrated into national NCDs Programmes to ensure sustainability by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
