Wide Range of Speakers to Explore Pandemic Issues at Cayman Islands Annual Healthcare Conference

Medical
professionals from Cayman’s three hospitals, the wider healthcare
community and prominent overseas medical institutions as well as
Government officials will be speaking on a variety of topics related
to the COVID-19 pandemic at the 11th
Annual Cayman Islands Healthcare Conference. The conference takes
place on Saturday, 17 October as a virtual event, and is open to the
public via Zoom and live streams on CIGTV, the CIGTV YouTube Channel
and the Cayman Compass Facebook page.

The
theme for this year’s Conference is “Re-envisioning Life with a
Pandemic”. Topics such as “COVID-19 Facts, Myths & Latest
Trends”; “Working Through a Pandemic: A Backstage Pass”;
“COVID-19 and Cancer Care”; and “The Certainty in the
Uncertain: Strengthening Mindcare during a Pandemic” will be
presented and discussed. In addition, there will be a panel
discussion called COVID-19 Community Experiences which will feature
various stakeholders and community groups in Cayman sharing what they
have gone through over the past few months.

Sutton
Burke, Clinical Director/Psychotherapist at Infinite Mindcare will be
speaking about mental health during a pandemic. Understanding the
uncertainty of life; worry of the future; acceptance; the impact of
“needing to know”; building mental resilience; and the importance
of rituals, structure, scheduling are topics that will be covered in
her presentation.

"We
are living in a time and place of radical change and uncertainty, a
change that was unexpected,” said Ms. Burke. “It is natural to
fear and resist change but it comes at the expense of our mental
health. Working on strengthening our mindcare during this time will
help us accept the reality of the world, while still taking action to
thrive and feel fulfilled."

The
Health Services Authority (HSA) has been utilising various forms of
telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, including telemedicine
robots, video chats and telephone to consult with and triage
patients. Dr. Delroy Jefferson, Medical Director at HSA, will be
discussing this important topic at the conference.

“Telemedicine
has served to bridge the gap between patients, physicians and the
health systems, enabling everyone, especially symptomatic patients,
to stay at home and communicate with physicians through virtual
channels,” said Dr. Jefferson. “In the context of COVID-19 it
plays a crucial role as a clinical tool, potentially helping to
reduce the spread of the coronavirus to the populations and to the
frontline medical staff. The Cayman Islands is a regional fore runner
in the embracing of this technology. Beyond its importance in the
context of COVID-19, telemedicine has allowed the Cayman patient to
access overseas specialists, facilitating tertiary input into the
management of some major acute injuries as well as the management of
chronic disorders. Most health insurance companies within the Cayman
Islands already appreciate the significant associated cost savings.”

Dr.
Javier Perez-Fernandez, Medical Director of the Critical Care Unit
Baptist Hospital, and a recognised world authority in the management
of patients with COVID-19, says many sources of information about the
virus might be misdirecting, causing fear or even altering some
facts. In his presentation “Age-Related Risks and COVID-19”, he
will be presenting facts on the pandemic and the virus itself,
including novel treatments, advanced technologies implemented in the
management of patients and the Baptist Health South Florida
experience with over 7,000 COVID-19 patients with a special emphasis
in the elderly population.

“The
COVID-19 pandemic continues affecting the entire world. With more
than 32 million people infected and close to one million deaths, it
has modified our way of living and marked our lives once and forever.
Special attention has been given to the vulnerable populations, those
with chronic debilitating illnesses and those with advanced age. The
impact of the disease in the elderly cannot only be measured by the
clinical consequences but by others such as modifications of their
contact with their loved ones, their daily activities and their
housing,” explained Dr. Perez-Fernandez.

The
11th
annual Cayman Islands Healthcare Conference is sponsored by the
Ministry of Health, Health City Cayman Islands, Cayman Islands Health
Services Authority, Compass Media, Kelly Holding Events &
Communications, Baptist Health International, Cancer Treatment
Centers of America, Doctors Hospital, Infinite Mindcare, 3T MRI and
Ocean Med.

To register for the 2020 Healthcare Conference, visit www.healthcareconference.ky or contact Laurie-Ann Holding on laurieann@kellyholding.com or 1 (345) 623.8824.