Visit us online at www.mbs.gov.ag

Medical Benefits Scheme

L I N KMBS

MBS staff members are being urged to view the current downturn in the economy as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

Those were the words of Petra Williams, business consultant and owner of Crystal Business Solution, in an address to staff members as a result of an invitation from the MBS Superintendent Cottrille George. She encouraged staff to ask positive questions in trying to come to terms with the current economy. One question she suggest worth asking is “ how I can take advantage of this current situation”.

Ms Williams noted that owing to reduction in prices for certain commodities now is a good time for consumers to invest. Her suggestion to persons still living with their parents is to acquire land and house. This in her opinion was indicative of the reduction in

the cost of steel and cement and certain government incentives which make such purchases ideal at this time.

According to Ms Williams it is a false notion to believe that one should hoard ones money because of the down turn in the economy. She said by doing this we only make the situation worse thereby harming ourselves. She noted that the private sector was not currently undertaking any investments and hence the onus is on us as consumers to stimulate the economy through the purchases of goods and services.

In Ms Williams opinion the Antiguan economy will be affected by the effects of the down turn in the world’s economy and this will be further impacted locally by layoffs in the hotel sector, the car park development project in down town St. John’s and from the Stanford group of companies.

Buy your dream home now!

What's Inside30th Anniversary Calendar of Events >>>>>>> 2Update on PAN Project >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2Road Show 2009 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 3Road Show Pictorial >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 5Healthy Recipe Competition >>>>>>>>>>>>> 8Sleep and Blood Pressure >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 10Announcements >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 11Crossword Puzzle >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 12Office Joke >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 12

April – June 09 | Vol.1 Issue 5

MBS 30th Anniversary Calendar of Activities

Another phase of the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Project has been completed. Recently, the finals of the Secondary Schools Dollars Smart Healthy Recipe Competition was held bringing to a close the 2008/09 segment of the project. The Secondary Schools Dollar Smart Healthy Recipe Competition seeks to stimulate consideration for healthy meal options on a ‘shoe string’ budget with an emphasis on local ingredients.

Davina Anthony of Mary Pigotts Junior Secondary School won the judges favour with her Swepegg breakfast menu and Pinta Sauce

with Stripped Chicken lunch option. She was followed by Cherise Joseph of the Ottos Comprehensive Secondary School with her Pineapple Fish Blast dinner menu.

Orecia Dowe of the Antigua Girls High School was adjudged winner of the dessert category with her Sweet Potato Casserole and Avelino Alberto of the Mary Pigotts Junior Secondary School won in the beverage category with the Tacumber Leaf Drink.Several other schools participated in the competition including the Princesses Margaret Secondary School.

The PAN Project is a series of planned activities and programs that target children of the school

attending age groups in their school communities. The goal of the PAN Project is to stimulate increased physical activity and improved dietary habits amongst the target population through school and community based interventions.

Media Launch of 30 Anniversary Jingle

Monday, 10th August 2009Role Reversal Day –

Thursday, 27th August 2009Pharmacy Brown

Paper Bag Day Friday, 4th September 2009MBS Community Day (staff visit to nursing homes and schools) – Wednesday, 30th

September 2009Issuing of Pharmacy Keepsake

Thursday, 8th October 2009Customer Appreciation Friday, 9th October 2009

Staff Talent Night Saturday, 17th October, 2009

Anniversary Gala Dinner December 2009

Breakfast: Swepegg Ingredients ½ cup local seasoning (onion, sweet pepper, garlic, thyme)3 cups spinach4 sweet peppers, seeded for cups½ cup tomatoes, diced3 eggs, beaten¼ cup olive oilSalt to taste

Method Sauté the onion, garlic, sweet pepper, and tomatoes. Add spinach and mix thoroughly for 5 minutes. Add egg and salt and allow to cook until moist. Spread mixture in spinach cups. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Garnish with lettuce and tomatoes. Serve with whole wheat bread.

Makes 2 servings.Finals of the Dollar Smart Competition

Cherise Joseph and Davina Anthony winners of the Dallars Smart Healthy Recipe Competition.

20

Road Show 2009The use of community focused communications is one new strategy that has been identified as means of improving next year’s MBS Road Show. This suggestion was presented and accepted in a recent evaluation of Road Show 2009.

The MBS 2009 Road Show has also been hailed a success and new strategies are being looked at to improve next year’s event.

Several other new techniques were identified in an effort to stimulate greater participation from the surrounding communities in which MBS Road Show health fairs are being held. These new techniques will be used to supplement the promotional Healthcade; a motorcade through the streets of Antigua advertising the up coming fairs. This year’s MBS Healthcade, held Saturday, 27th June 2009, through the streets of the capital St. John’s provided the MBS with a unique opportunity to promote the health fairs to the large number of shoppers in the city that weekend.

The MBS 2009 Road Show health fairs were held in four communities this year, namely: Villa, Falmouth, Bolans and Barbuda, attracting in excess of 1600 patrons, offering MBS a far greater opportunity to screen individuals than a single venue would provide.

Individuals who attended the MBS Road Shows were able to have their cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and vision checked, breasts and prostate examined and

receive nutrition counseling, based on the calculation of their body mass index. Glaucoma screenings were also available. According to MBS’ Medical Officer Dr. Leslie Walwyn “MBS diagnosed new cases of diabetes and some beneficiaries learnt that their diabetes was not under control.” She added that those beneficiaries were informed of appropriate action to address the issue, empowering them to take corrective action.

Dr. Walwyn also noted that new potential cases of prostate disease were also discovered during the

MBS 2009 Road Show screenings. She revealed also that “many new male beneficiaries participated in the prostate screenings, with the men from Barbuda providing a great example to their counterparts in Antigua, where a disproportionate number of males were screened”.

Children were also catered for at the MBS Road Shows through a variety of physical exercises and nutrition based activities.

Organizers of MBS 2009 Road Show identified the inaugural MBS 5K Run/ Walk as being extremely

Snapshot of the 2009 MBS Healthcade

30

Written and produced by Vernon ‘Dr. Solo’ Benjamin

In nineteen seventy-nineHealth for all was conceptualizeAnd Medical Benefit was bornA revolution in healthcareA socialize programme beyond compareAfter 30 years this institution lives on

Chorus Thirty years of MBSPreserving lives is our interestThirty years of MBSPresenting healthcare at its bestThirty years of MBSHealth for all in our societyThirty years of MBSReaching out to our communityWe are thirtyWe are thirty So come celebrate with we

RepeatWe are thirtyMBS is thirtySo come celebrate –our thirtieth – anniversary.

Thirty Years of MBS

MBS 30TH AnnIverSAry

JInGle

successful having attracted in excess of four hundred participants. This success solidifies MBS’ new position as a promoter and executor of competitive sporting events which have the sole goal of getting people to participate in greater physical activity.

At the opening ceremony of the MBS Road Show, 18th June 2009 three persons were honoured. The Superintendent of MBS Cottrille George was recognised for his visionary role of taking MBS into new territory to the benefits of the people the organisation serves. MBS’ Chief Pharmacist

Vernon ‘Solo” Benjamin was also honoured for his creative and musical support of the MBS Road Show. Key note speaker at the opening of the MBS Road Show Sir Dr. Prince Ramsey was the third honouree. He was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the health sector and his work in HIV/AIDS. Sir Prince shared invaluable information on HIV/AIDS with attending beneficiaries at the opening ceremony. Although HIV/AIDS is not one of the diseases covered by MBS, it is nonetheless, a chronic disease which is having adverse effects on the population of Antigua and Barbuda.

Participants in the inaugural MBS 5K Run Walk.

MBS recognises Dr. Prince Ramsey for his sterling contribution to the Health Sector.

MBS recognises its Superintendent Cottrille George for his vision and leadership.

40

Phot

o G

alle

ry: R

oad

Show

200

90

5

Phot

o G

alle

ry: F

athe

r's D

ay 5

K R

un/W

alk

2009

06

Photo Gallery: Father's D

ay 5K R

un/Walk 2009

07

Ingredients 4 eggs2 mushrooms1/3 medium green bell pepper1/3 medium onion1 Tbsp. olive oil1 cup water1 Tbsp. tomato paste½ tsp. vinegar½ tsp. fresh grated ginger1 tsp. sugarsalt to tastepepper to taste

MethodBeat eggs, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet, sauté onions, peppers, mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add egg mixture and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Remove mixture from heat and pour into an oven dish, bake for 5 minutes at 200° C. Slice egg loaf into ½ inch slices, drizzle sauce over slices.

Sauce: Mix water, tomato paste, vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Bring to boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.Makes 2 servings.

Breakfast Category Winner Egg Loaf by Claudia Richards

Ingredients 1 peeled, cored , cooked and mashed breadfruit (may be substituted with 2 ½ pounds yams or eddoes) 1 lb slightly cooked white fish fillets 1 onion minced 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives thymeBasil leaves¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper3 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk (coconut milk if desired) 4 tablespoon butter ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese1 small can potato stick (for topping)

MethodPreheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a sauce pan and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add ¼ of sautéed season mix to bowl containing cooked mashed breadfruit, and combine. Retain remainder for fish sauce.

In a skillet, melt remainder butter. Add in flour to form a roux, stirring constantly. Slowly add in the milk and the remaining sautéed onions and garlic. Add chopped parsley, chives, thyme, basil and cook for I minute. Add slightly cooked flaked fish, salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. In a buttered 2 1/2-quart casserole dish, pour half of the breadfruit mixture. Add fish sauce to dish and top with remaining breadfruit mixture. Smooth with a spatula or back of a butter knife. Sprinkle the top with grated cheddar cheese. Bake for 35 minutes, or until cheese bubbles. Top with potato sticks for the last five minutes of cooking time. Serve hot.Makes 6 servings

Lunch Category Winner Breadfruit Casserole by Patricia Christian

Winners of 2009 MBS Healthy Recipe Competition08

Ingredients ½ bundle spinach, chopped3 / 4 plantains, large, sliced diagonally2 tomatoes, large, diced2 ½ cup cheese, grated1 cup breadcrumbs1 onion, large1 sweet pepper, large1 clove garlic, chopped½ cup water2 Tbsp. tomato paste1 Tbsp. olive oilSalt to tastePepper to tasteDash of thyme

MethodGrease a 9 inch baking dish and set aside. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add onions, sweet pepper and garlic and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. add salt and pepper to season. Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add water, diced tomatoes to pan and lightly toss. Let simmer for 5 minutes, then add tomato paste, salt, pepper and thyme and simmer for another 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. In a prepared baking dish layer plantains in bottom of dish, top with ½ cup of cheese. Then layer with spinach sauce, top with remainder of cheese, then breadcrumbs and some thyme leaves for garnish. Bake at a 350° F for 30 to 45 minutes.Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients 1 cup mango, ripe sliced1 cup golden apple, sliced½ cup mango juice½ cup golden apple juicehoney to taste3 mint leaves

MethodAdd sliced mango, apple slices, juices, and honey to blender. Blend until smooth. In a glass with ice place mint leaves. Pour blended juice over ice and serve.Makes 12 servings.

Dinner Category WinnerPlantain and Spinach Bake by Anya Brazier

Beverage Category WinnerGolden Mango by Dwaine Joseph

Winners of 2009 MBS Healthy Recipe Competition 09

Healthy eating…Healthy livingDo you want to learn how to cook tasty,

healthy meal options? Well the time is here

for that. Kick off time -Tuesday 18th August

and Thursday 20th August at 4:00pm in the

MBS Conference room.

learn how to prepare tasty low sodium,

and low fat meals in just 6 weeks. This

is planned just for you by the Prevention

Department. Choose your day either

Tuesday or Thursday, 4:00pm.

Please sign up at the front desk in the Main

Office or give Mrs. Smith a call at ext. 6357

or 725 – 6357.

Not getting enough sleep could increase a person’s risk of developing high blood pres-sure, said US researchers who monitored over 500 middle aged people for 5 years. They hope that the discovery of this new risk factor will help prevent more people developing high blood pressure and suggest more re-search is done to see if improv-ing sleep patterns reduces the risk. The study was the work of lead author Dr Kristen L Knutson of the University of Chicago, and colleagues, and is published in the 8 June issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. High blood pressure accounts for 7 million deaths worldwide and affects about one third of Americans, wrote the authors in their background information. Researchers already know of a possible link between self-re-ported hours of sleep and high blood pressure but this appears to be the first study to look at both cross-sectional (taking a snapshop of a group of people showing different patterns of the same variables) and longitudi-nal (following a group of people over time) measurements of sleep and blood pressure. The study was part of a larger investigation called Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) which took blood pressure measure-ments in 2000 and 2001 and in

2005 and 2006. For this study, the participants were 578 Afri-can Americans and whites aged from 33 to 45 years at the start. Sleep was also measured using a sensor worn on the wrist that measures movement patterns characteristic of sleep and wakefulness (actigraphy). The sensor was worn on three consecutive days between 2003 and 2005 and gave measures of sleep duration and sleep main-tenance (a measure of sleep quality). The results showed that on average, participants slept for about 6 hours a night and only 1 per cent averaged 8 or more hours a night. After excluding those partici-pants who were on blood pres-sure medication, and adjust-ing for age, race and sex, the results also showed that:

Participants who had less »sleep and lower quality sleep were significantly more likely to have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings (ie from the cross-sectional point of view less and poorer sleep predicted higher blood pressure across the group).Less and lower quality »sleep was also significantly more likely to be linked to adverse changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure over a 5

year period (ie from the longitudinal view the lower sleep figures predicted the increases in blood pressure figures over time, all P<.05).After 5 years, each hour »less of sleep was linked to a 37 per cent higher chance of developing high blood pressure.African Americans tended »to sleep less than whites and also tended to have higher blood pressure.

The authors concluded that:

“reduced sleep duration

and consolidation predicted

higher BP [blood pressure]

levels and adverse changes in

BP, suggesting the need for

studies to investigate whether

interventions to optimize sleep

may reduce BP.”

They said that identifying a new

lifestyle risk factor for high blood

pressure could help develop new

ways to prevent or reduce it.

Speculating on what the

underlying mechanism might be,

they suggested that insufficient

sleep affects the way the body

responds to stress and this

might lead to raised blood

pressure.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD Medical News Today

Association Between Sleep and Blood Pressure in Midlife

01

WELCOME TO ThE FAMILYClifford Samuel and his wife Arlene Lake-Samuel welcomed their first child on 13th July 2009. Kerah Abby Samuel was born at 9:03 pm weighting 6 pound 2 ounces.

The MBS Board of Control, Management and staff of MBS congratulates Clifford and Arlene on their new born.

Marriage

Congratulations to MBS Board of Control Secretary Linda Saddler on her recent nuptials. Linda and her husband Athlee George were wed on 25th April, 2009. The MBS Board of Control, Management and staff of MBS sends hearty congratulations to Linda and Athlee.

Dey having church serviceWell ah don’ really care

Cause dem Medical Benefits peopleBound to be dere.

Me mus go ah picnicEnjoy de sun an’ sea

Wid dem Medical Benefits peopleAh don’t want to be.

Dey having a luncheonWid plenty ah nice food

Sit wid Medical Benefits peopleLord ah not in de Mood.

So ah going miss de partyAh not going on de wark

Me nar play no game wid dem Up in ah de park,

Well ah resisting eberythingAn’ Ah don’ really care

But wait me ah narl ah wan Medical Benefits peopleFor near five years.

So me ah go get miserableAn’ tap pon de shelf

An’ mek dem Medical Benefits peopleJust go enjoy dem self.

Medical Benefits People

By Bondolyn Swift-Matthew

Sharpening Our Saw The following staff members benefited from corporate training opportunities during the last quarter:

Dr. Leslie Walwyn: 69th Scientific Session of the American Diabetes Association, 4–10 June 2009, Louisiana, USA.

Kerrian Benjamin: Understanding the Role of Pharmacist in Patient Care, 22-25 May 2009, Tortola.

hue Brown: Cisco Net Devises, Sun Set Learning Institute, 13–24 April 2009, Virginia, USA.

Sandra Jonas: Operational Auditing – Introduction through Advance, 20-22 April 2009, Antigua.

Jason Sealey: 15th International Conference on diabetes and HIV: The Chronic Duo, 26-29 March 2009, Jamaica.

MBS Diabetes Village

Coming soon

3 - 4 September 2009

11

1

2 3

4

5 6

7

8 9 10

11

12

13 14

15 16

OfficeJOKE The results of the X-rayPatient: Doctor, what does the X-ray of my head show? Doctor: Absolutely nothing!

Source: www.ahajokes.com

MBS Road Show 2009The first three persons to submit a correct and completed version of this crossword will receive a prize.

Down1. Showcased local fruits and

vegetables at road show venues.

3. Winning Breakfast.5. This partner also participated

in the Barbuda Road Show.6. We travelled to Barbuda by

plane and by _______.9. His winning bib number in the

5K Run Walk10. Spoke about when the

kidneys stop working.12. Healthcade venue.

Across2. Key note speaker at the

opening ceremony4. Refurbished the healthcade

float.7. Starting point for 5K Run

Walk.8. Day 5K Run Walk was held.11. Has won healthy recipe

competition before.13. This item was given to

beneficiaries after breast examinations

14. Last Antigua Road Show venue.

15. He came out of retirement to assist us.

16. First MBS employee to pass the 5K Run Walk finish line.

12