The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) was informally established in 2008, arising out of the the 2007 Declaration of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The HCC was then officially registered as a not-for-profit organisation in 2012. The HCC is the only Caribbean NCD alliance of over 100 health and non-health civil society organisations (CSOs).
The HCC works closely with regional and international leaders in NCD prevention and control to leverage the power of civil society by strengthening and supporting its membership in the implementation of programmes aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with NCDs.
The HCC has the following organisational affiliations:
- Official Relations with the Pan American Health Organisation(PAHO) – 2012-2016/ 2016-2020
- Organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Councilsince 2017
- Member of the World Heart Federation(WFH)
- MOU with the University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWI OC)
Mission
to harness the power of civil society, in collaboration with government, academia, and international partners, and private enterprise as appropriate, in the development and implementation of plans for the prevention and management of chronic diseases among Caribbean people.
Vision
The reduction of death and disability from chronic diseases among people in the Caribbean.
Values or Guiding Principles
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) carries out its mission with the minimum of structure and bureaucracy; guided by the themes of action, inclusivity, simplicity and flexibility. It is an inclusive Caribbean civil society network providing opportunities for civil society and public, private organizations both nationally and regionally, and their members, with core values of transparency and integrity, to come together in response to the pandemic of NCDs. The HCC focuses on population-based public health programmes. It is an alliance that upholds and pursues the strongest democratic principles and it gives significant consideration to equity issues, favouring the more vulnerable and disadvantaged. It provides encouragement towards the exchange of experience and knowledge through the provision of an environment that enhances personal and professional development that empowers people.
Strategic Objectives 2017-2021
The HCC 2017-2021 Strategic Plan five strategic pillars: accountability, advocacy, capacity development, communication, and sustainability.
These strategic pillars and their associated high-level objectives provide the basis for the development of annual operational plans with specific outputs, deliverables (products and services), activities, inputs, and resource needs, as well as a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework.
The HCC 2017-2021 Strategic Plan charts a course for the work of the Coalition in the coming five years. The streamlining and prioritising of key actions will lay the foundation for HCC’s contribution to the region’s achievement of national, regional, and international NCD targets, reduction of inequities, and, ultimately, reduction in NCD-related premature mortality, as we navigate through the post-2015 development era.
In the Caribbean, the four major NCDs – cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases – and their four common risk factors – tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity – are the leading causes of death and illness. The region has the highest mortality from NCDs in the Region of the Americas(1); they cause 3 of every 4 deaths. Forty percent of deaths due to NCDs occur prematurely, in persons under 70 years of age, and most premature deaths are caused by heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, followed by cancer. Hypertension is the leading contributor to heart attack and stroke, and diabetes prevalence in the region is twice the global average(2). As in other regions, mental disorders contribute to significant morbidity in the Caribbean; a review of mental health in disaster situations in the region presented data – albeit limited – on psychotic, mood, and anxiety disorders; suicide; and dementia (3)
Legal status
The HCC is a not for profit organisation registered in Barbados, governed by rules and regulations determined in a transparent and inclusive way by its members.
Organisational Structure
The HCC is a regional organisation with a Secretariat located in Barbados. Our core staff consists of a full-time Executive Director, a part time Digital Content Coordinator and long-term volunteers in the following areas: mobile Health, e Health and social media, social media content, and public relations and marketing.
The HCC is governed by a Board of Directors – all passionate experts in the field of NCD prevention based throughout the Caribbean, and are elected every 2 years. Professor Sir Trevor Hassell is Chairman of the Board. Sir George Alleyne, Director Emeritus of PAHO is Patron of the HCC, and Dr. James Hospedales, Executive Director Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), is Special Advisor to the HCC. See organisational structure here.
Membership
Membership of the HCC presently consists of more than 100 Caribbean based CSOs. Membership is open to all voluntary associations and informal networks in the Caribbean and extra-regionally where individuals and groups engage in activities of public consequence, and have similar objectives, goals and interests as the Healthy Caribbean Coalition. Members include nongovernmental health organizations, professional health and other associations, faith based organizations, neighbourhood organizations, cooperatives, charities, unions, social movements, and special interest groups.
Membership by individuals is permitted irrespective of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation as well that by institutions or organizations outside the Caribbean region. Institutions/organizations or individuals with links to the tobacco industry and those that take part in activities and have goals deleterious to public health are not accepted as members of the coalition. No fee is attached to being a member of the HCC.
See our membership categories and listings here.
1. PAHO. Health Situation in the Americas: Core Indicators 2016. Washington DC: PAHO/WHO, 2016. http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/31289/CoreIndicators2016-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
2. Port of Spain Declaration Evaluation Research Group on behalf of PAHO/WHO and CARICOM. Evaluation of the 2007 CARICOM Heads of Government Port of Spain Declaration. September 2016. http://www.onecaribbeanhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ACCELERATING-ACTION-ON-NCDS-POSDEVAL-Report.pdf.
3. Abel W, Baboolal N, and Gibson R. The epidemiology of mental health issues in the Caribbean. Chapter 5 in PAHO. Mental health and psychological support in
disaster situations in the Caribbean: Core knowledge for emergency preparedness and response. Washington, D.C.: PAHO, 2012. http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_topics&view=readall&cid=7295&Itemid=40870&lang=en.