The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

BAPTIST Health International (BHI), one the largest public healthcare institutions in South Florida, held a free health conference on Friday in Grand Bahama.

The conference was held at the Grand Lucayan Resort and attended by people employed in the various law enforcement agencies, local physicians, and insurance representatives in Freeport.

Anne Marie Rahming, international representative (the Bahamas) for Baptist Health, said that presentations on a number of health-related issues were addressed by physicians at BHI and local Bahamian physicians.

“We want the local community to be aware of the upgraded technology available at BHI and we decided to invite persons from the Police Force, Immigration, Customs and Defence Force so they can talk about their medical issues to both the foreign and local physicians that are here. This conference is free of charge and it is our way of giving back to them,” she said.

Among the conference presenters were Dr George Charite, a Family Medicine Specialist; Dr Kevin Bethel, Internal Medicine, of the Freeport Family Wellness Centre; Frank Carter, Director of the National Workers Health Plan; and Dr Raul R Martinez, Urologist at Baptist Health.

She said that they have partnered with various government agencies and departments to ensure that public health care is given to those in security forces who are in need of it outside the country.

“We don’t want persons coming to us if they have a local physician here. If their physician is unable to do a particular thing, then we want them to know we are an option in South Florida,” she said.

All cases referred to BHI, she said, will be treated. “We will assess them and ensure necessary treatment is given to them, and return them to their referring physician,” she explained.

According to Ms Rahming, BHI has also partnered with the National Workers Plan, and other insurance entities in the Bahamas such as Atlantic Medical and Bahama Health.

BHI is thinking of holding another health conference in Abaco in mid-2016. “Everything happens in Nassau, and we are trying to tap into the Family Islands,” she said.

Ms Rahming indicated that Baptist Health will be opening a major cancer institute in South Florida next year and has completed major expansion of their cardiac institute, which has been renamed Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute.

The $400m cancer centre, which will open in July 2016, will be the first proton therapy centre in South Florida.

Rebekah Brooks, International Representative Cayman Islands, said the new cancer institute at Baptist Health will be beneficial to patients in the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean who need radiation therapy. She said that the treatment targets only the areas affected by cancer, and not the healthy tissue. She noted that breast, skin and prostrate cancer are prevalent in the Cayman Islands.

“We only do chemotherapy in oncology services there, and we don’t do radiation therapy or a lot the of major surgeries. It will be amazing for them (patients in Caymans) because the centre in Miami is so close - only an hour away. We understand there is a specific gene for the Bahamian population that they found, and we have a breast centre at BHI,” she said.

BHI has seven full bloom hospitals and several urgent care centres in Florida. It has over 2,300 physicians in virtually all specialties. They have five major medical centres, including Baptist Health Cardiac and Vascular Center, BH Breast Centre, BH Nueroscience Centre, BH Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and Centre for Robotic Surgery.