Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, – “Risk communication is an important tool in managing health threats such as Ebola, which posed a threat to Caribbean society, and now Zika” stated Dr. C. James Hospedales. The Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) was addressing Chief Medical Officers participating in a Risk Communication training workshop on June 18 – 19 in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Dr Hospedales added that the issue of risk communication remains very relevant at the regional and national levels.
The two-day workshop provided delegates with an avenue to share national and regional experiences in response to communicable diseases. Participants discussed the threats created by stigma, as well as principles and practices of risk communication. The senior officers also participated in simulation exercises using current and potential public health risks and also discussed dealing with the media and social media in emergency situations.
The Risk Communication Workshop, which was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is one of several satellite events hosted by CARPHA during the period of the Agency’s 61st Annual Health Research Conference. The training was facilitated by Mr. John Rainford, Director of The Warning Project.
Other satellite events taking place prior to the start of the Conference are:
- Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub Meeting
- Monitoring and Evaluation Workshop
- Stakeholder Dialogue on Improving the Healthiness of Food Environments in the Caribbean
- Data Analysis Using EPI INFO™ 7 Training Workshop
CARPHA, in collaboration with the Government of Turks and Caicos Islands, will host the 61st Annual Health Research Conference from 23-25 June at Beaches Resort. More information about the Conference can be found at http://conference.carpha.org/