Persons advised to pick-up uncollected vaccination cards at YHC
Baby wellness clinic services post natal care plays an essential role in early childhood health development. Pre-natal and early development phases of life can influence the onset of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity in later years.
Research has shown that chronic diseases often manifested in adulthood, are programmed during pregnancy and the early stages of growth and development.
Babies born towards the lower end of the normal weight range have an increased risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood. The risk is further increased by rapid weight gain after the age of two years.
Babies who are unusually heavy are also at increased risk of chronic diseases in later life.
Therefore it is important for parents of newborns to visit the baby wellness clinic services at Youth Health Care (YHC) offices at the Vineyard Office Park on W.G. Buncamper Road #33 in order to register their newborn and schedule regular evaluations of their child’s health development and growth up to the age of four.
Clinic opening times are from Monday through Friday (closed Tuesdays) from 8.00am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 5.00pm.
The Cole Bay Clinic, located at the entrance of the Charles Leopold Bell School, operates under the same opening hours 8.00am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 5.00pm as at the offices of Youth Health Care, and is only open on Tuesdays.
Parents of newborns and of young children are encouraged to make use of the baby wellness clinics in order to ensure that the growth of their child is in line with the respective age expectations and for them to receive their vaccinations at the appropriate age.
All services are free of charge for residents of the Dutch side of Sint Maarten.
YHC also has a large number of uncollected vaccination cards on file and persons are hereby requested to visit the office to pick them up. The names of persons are listed in the reception area at the Ministry of Public Health at the Vineyard Office Park.
The names are also listed on the Government Website at www.sintmaartengov.org under the link "Uncollected Vaccination Cards." Persons who have internet access can check out the over 700 names on the site to see if they are one of them.
Parents or guardians requesting additional information can call the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, Section Youth Health Care at 542-3003, 542-2078, or 542-3553.