Grand Bahama
PAHO Support of Environmental Health Assessment on Grand Bahama
Jan 9, 2015 - 3:54:58 PM

Minister for Grand Bahama the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville (left), with PAHO/WHO representative Dr. Gerry Eijkemans (centre), and Ministry of Grand Bahama Permanent Secretary Melvin Seymour.

United Nations public health agency, with over 100 years of experience working in the Americas, supports the Bahamas with an Environmental Health Assessment on Grand Bahama

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the PAHO/WHO country office for the Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Ministry for Grand Bahama in June, 2014, signalized the mobilization of technical support for the Grand Bahama Health Assessment Project.

A representative from the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) will join the PAHO/WHO country office for the Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands in providing technical assistance in an environmental health assessment for the surrounding communities from January 7th - 17th, 2015.

The IRAS is an interfaculty research institute within the Medicine and Sciences faculties of Utrecht University (one of the largest universities in The Netherlands and one of the top academic research institutions in the world).

This visit is the first in a series of visits from the IRAS to the Bahamas, which will bring together personnel with comprehensive backgrounds in human health risk assessment, exposure assessment, toxicology, environmental epidemiology and global health collaboration.
The partnership with the PAHO/WHO country office for the Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands and the IRAS will result in information being gathered and collected from a series of stakeholders, as well as sampling methods determined necessary by IRAS, to ensure further progress of the project.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine any environmental or public health risks that may have in the past and/or presently affect the persons residing in these areas due to historical or current industrial activities; and to provide key recommendations for the improved public health of these communities.

Since then, an important and healthy relationship has evolved, and although the priorities have shifted, PAHO/WHO has enjoyed a long history of engaging and supporting the Bahamas and Turks Caicos to ensure better health and quality of life in the general population.

Residents of Lewis Yard, Pinder's Point, and surrounding areas are advised that representatives from PAHO/WHO and IRAS will be present in your area within the coming week.

About PAHO/WHO
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with more than 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter- American System. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system.

About PAHO/WHO in The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands
The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) was first established in The Bahamas in 1978 as a sub-regional office of the Jamaica Office. By 1982, it was upgraded to full Country Office Status.

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