December 9, 2022 | Port of Spain, Trinidad | Leonard Stone | CARU e THERE
The Community Hospital, a health facility operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Union of the Caribbean, recently expanded its medical services to Trinidad and Tobago. The hospital, which began as a clinic in 1948, continues to demonstrate Jesus’ healing ministry through an outstanding team of medical professionals, said Pastor Kern Tobias, president of the Union of the Caribbean and chair of the Adventist Hospital Board.
“I know it hasn’t been easy over the years here, but thank you Community Hospital for providing quality services to so many people nationwide and beyond,” said Kern Tobias. “For many people here, the hospital represents more than just a facility, more than a place to receive medicines or other lab results, it represents hope and life for patients, partners and visitors. »
The hospital has made an upgrade by installing 12 new high-tech dialysis chairs to replace its outdated models, due to the growing number of dialysis patients, said Dr. Stephen S. Carryl, MD, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Community Hospital. Dr. Carryl was named chief executive officer of the hospital six months ago after serving as chief of surgery, chief of perioperative services and director of bariatric surgery at Harlem Hospital Center, New York, USA.
Two-and-a-half years after health expositions were halted due to the pandemic, the hospital began offering free doctor visits and health education to more than 600 people in Trinidad in October as part of its strategy to help people living in neighboring communities.
Dr Carryl said the hospital has faced challenges but is working to improve its services, not only on the hospital site but also in the surrounding communities. “We are establishing a new program in which we will be the first and only hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean to have an inpatient rehabilitation center,” he told a general meeting.
To facilitate the new rehabilitation services, a behavioral health unit has been incorporated into the hospital’s wellness services led by Dr Joann Williams, Dr Carryl said. “Every patient who comes to the Community Hospital receives a psychosocial evaluation to determine what else is going on in her life. There is no other private hospital in Trinidad that offers such a service, Dr. Carryl added.
In addition, this year the hospital signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), an Adventist educational institution in Trinidad, and offers a medical clinic that operates daily on campus. “The clinic is not just for students, but will soon include an urgent care service that will be available to the community,” said Dr. Carryl.
The 45-bed hospital opened in 1962 and has taken a prominent place in the island’s health ministry, church leaders said. National leaders of the time paid tribute to the Adventist Church for its commitment to medical ministry and to the public with its critical care specialists. The institution complements the government medical services offered in the general hospitals of Port of Spain and San Fernando.
“Sixty years is a real journey, but with God’s help, [l’hôpital] we will continue to provide quality care to the community because we are the best when it comes to quality care,” said Dr. Carryl. The Adventist hospital also hosts support groups available to patients, their families and the Trinidadian community and Tobago through chaplaincy services.
To learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Community Hospital, visit the site caribbeanunionadventists.org
Translation: Patrick Luciathe
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