The 2011 Caribbean HIv Conference starts today in The Bahamas; special PANCAP session on migranst and HIV on Sunday

This is one conference I would have loved to attend, but unfortunately, I can’t make it. In the meantime, I’ll be following media outlets closely to see if they are reporting anything. But, i wanted to share one session that I think people should attend. As we become more integrated economically, we are also experiencing an increase in migration across these islands. Now, we have always been a people on the move–regionally and internationally. Therefore, it’s important that governments consider the health of migrants in their countries and not just their citizens.

PANCAP is hosting a session asking:  “How To Improve Access to HIV Services for Migrants in the Caribbean?”

The discussion of migrants and HIV will focuses on the legal and policy aspects of accessing HIV services for migrants in the Caribbean, as well as community and social approaches in addressing immigrant issues. The main objective of this special session is to produce recommendations that can improve access to HIV services for migrants at the legal, policy, financial, social community and service levels.

Just as we expect other governments to have the best interest (in terms of health in this case) as they reside abroad, we also need to look inward to assess how much resources we are and can dedicate to the immigrants on our doorsteps, be they from the country next door or the one across the sea.

The session takes place at 11am on Sunday in the Room Grand F at the Atlantis Resort and Casino.

PANCAP Happenings at the 2011 Caribbean HIv Conference

The Caribbean HIV conference begins tomorrow. And for the past two weeks, I’ve been getting e-mails about various events at the conference. Here’s what PANCAP will be offering.

 PANCAP Happenings at the Conference

Friday 18 November (Imperial Ballroom)
PANCAP Awards of Excellence and Recognition
Opening Ceremony of the 2011 Caribbean HIV and AIDS Conference

Saturday 19 November – Poster Presentation (Grand B – 04)
Fostering a Harmonised HIV Response in Caribbean Countries: Alignment of Country Strategic Planning With the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework
Dr. Ingrid Cox-Pierre, Strategy and Resourcing Officer, Care and Treatment, PCU

Saturday 19 November – Poster Presentation (Grand B – 08)
Implementing a Multi-Country HIV Workplace Programme in Caribbean Countries: A PANCAP Approach
Dr. Morris Edwards, Head, Strategy and Resourcing, PCU

Sunday 20 November – Poster Presentation (Grand B – 10 )
Creating an enabling environment for universal access to care, treatment and support through regional model HIV anti-discrimination policy and legislation
Ms. Ayana Hypolite, Strategy and Resourcing Officer, Stigma and Discrimination

Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 November – Poster Display (Grand E – 21)
Creative partnerships to resolve unmet HIV prevention needs of students at regional tertiary level institutions
Dr. Morris Edwards, Head, Strategy and Resourcing, PCU

Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 November – Poster Display (Grand D – 48)
Improving standards of psychosocial care and support for people living with HIV and most at risk communities in the Caribbean through professional guidelines
Ms. Ayana Hypolite, Strategy and Resourcing Officer, Stigma and Discrimination

Saturday 19 November – Concurrent Session (Grand G)
Ensuring Positive Health, Dignity & Prevention are Embedded in NSPs
Ms. Valerie Beach-Horne, Strategy and Resourcing Officer, Prevention

Sunday 20 November – Oral Presentation (Grand B)
Legal Responses to Governance issues in PANCAP
Ms. Volderine Hackett, Head, Strategic Information and Communication, PCU

Monday 21 November – Oral Presentation (Grand E)
Implementing Best Practice in HIV Prevention Programmes
Ms. Valerie Beach-Horne, Strategy and Resourcing Officer, Prevention

Sunday 20 November – Special Session (Grand F)
How to Improve Access to HIV Services for Migrants in the Caribbean
Dr. Robert Cazal, Project Coordinator, PANCAP/GIZ/EPOS Project “Improving Access of Migrant Populations to HIV Services in the Caribbean”

Pray for the families of those who lost their lives in St. Lucia

My heart and prayers go out to the people of St. Lucia as they mourn the death of more than 17 people in a bus crash. The Prime Minister has declared a three-day mourning across the islands. This is a terrible tragedy. But is also reminds us that road safety is just as important as any other. Unintentional accidents cause many injuries and deaths across our beautiful islands. Those of us from islands with hills and mountains know the dangers of driving with the mountain on one side and the sea on the other. Continue to pray for the families affected.

http://dominicanewsonline.com/news/all-news/caribbean/update-st-lucia-pm-declares-weekend-of-mourning-political-campaign-suspended-following-tragic-bus-crash/

Does this make you want to talk to someone about teen pregnancy?

As a budding researcher, one of the things I am most curious about investigating is the extent to which US-developed public service announcements affect decision-making of Caribbean youths. In essence, considering the large amount of original content and ads we are exposed to, do they have any effect on what we do? Particularly in the context of health behavior. For example, the Ad Council and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Pregnancy is rolling out new ads intended to reduce the rates of unplanned pregnancy among unmarried youths ages 18 to 24. The ad uses humor to emphasize the importance of birth control and end with the line: “You didn’t give up on sex. Don’t give up on birth control either. We know already that teen and young adult pregnancy rates are high in our communities. Do the commercials make you think twice? Does it make you want to talk to someone about this topic? Or is it just some other commercial that you flip through?

Limited Competition: Fogarty International Research Collaboration – Behavioral and Social Sciences (FIRCA-BSS) Research Award (R03)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement facilitates collaborative behavioral and social sciences research between scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) In the United States  and investigators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Special consideration will be given to proposed research that addresses significant global health problems, particularly those of high relevance to a LMIC or region, and that includes research capacity building as a major aim of the proposed project.

This is an excellent opportunity for collaborations between Caribbean-based and U.S.-based researchers.

The full details can be found here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-036.html