Through collaboration with PAHO, the Turks and Caicos Islands strengthened health emergency preparedness and environmental health capacities, enhancing resilience to hurricanes and other public health threats.  

Investments in risk assessment, emergency coordination, and preparedness planning enhanced readiness to manage hurricanes and other public health threats, supported by Strategic Tool for Assessing Risks (STAR) and Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) training in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Capacity built through HEOC training enabled the Ministry of Health and Human Services to respond effectively to hurricanes and floods, improving situational awareness, risk-informed decision-making, and coordinated health sector action. PAHO also supported the development of a multihazard health emergency plan and the finalization of a national cholera action plan, strengthening prevention, surveillance, and rapid response systems. These advances resulted in more resilient national health emergency systems.

In parallel, PAHO technical cooperation advanced food safety and environmental health systems. A comprehensive technical review of the Food and Drug Ordinance generated actionable recommendations to modernize national food safety and quality frameworks. Targeted virtual and in-person training enhanced environmental health officers’ competencies in indoor air quality assessment. Baseline air quality data from landfill sites now inform risk mitigation and policy decisions. Revised port health standard operating procedures aim to improve surveillance, coordination, and compliance with international standards at points of entry. Strengthened intersectoral collaboration across health and non-health sectors resulted in a more integrated, resilient environmental health system and built sustainable national capacity.

Photo caption: An air quality assessment in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Credit: PAHO consultant/Jose Carlos Espino Mendez