Dr. Daniel Balk of Harvard Medical Faculty demonstrates point-of-care ultrasound techniques to Dr. Luc Mercelina of Louis Constant Fleming Hospital and Dr. Yelena George and Emiko Bird-Lake of SMMC.
St. Maarten medical professionals Gavin Cossiah, Dr. Felix Holiday, and Dr. Mershack Naawu pose with Dr. John Hardin (second from the right) of Harvard Medical Faculty.
CUPECOY--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) and Louis Constant Fleming Hospital staff physicians recently completed a two-day “Continuing Medical Education” programme on the use of point-of-care ultrasound to treat patients.
The programme was held on the campus of American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School of Medicine, and was taught by physicians from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, AUC said in a press release on Wednesday.
Point-of-care ultrasound refers to the use of portable ultrasonography at a patient’s bedside for diagnosis and treatment. It can also be employed at disaster sites and wherever else a patient is located.
Through lectures and hands-on work with portable ultrasound machines, the participating physicians learned how to use emergency ultrasound to address numerous medical emergencies related to cardiac, orthopaedic, obstetric, and other issues.
“This was an excellent programme that provided our physicians with up-to-date medical knowledge and practical experience to prepare them to provide high-quality care in an emergency. We look forward to partnering with AUC School of Medicine again to bring world-class education and training to St. Maarten,” said SMMC Medical Director Dr. Felix Holiday.
The programme was organised by Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine (CCDM) at AUC School of Medicine, in cooperation with Harvard Medical Faculty physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and SMMC. It was accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and participants were awarded certificates of completion.
This and other educational training activities are part of CCDM’s work to build regional capacity to care for patients impacted by a disaster or other emergency, said the release.
CCDM will host its second annual International Conference on Disaster Medicine and Hurricane Resiliency at AUC School of Medicine’s campus in Cupecoy March 26-29. Experts from around the world will share insights and expertise on preparing for and managing disasters, building disaster management capacity, and educating and training in the health professions.
The conference is open to the public and organisers are offering discounted ticket prices to St. Maarten residents. To purchase tickets, visit
https://ccdm2020.eventbrite.com. Enter the promo code “Caribbean” if you are a physician and “SXM” if you are not a physician to have your discount applied.
