PAHO inaugurates Emergency Operations Centre in Barbados to strengthen Caribbean health security – PAHO/WHO
Bridgetown, Barbados, May 2, 2025 (PAHO)-The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) officially opened the Emergency Operations Center of Carissa F. Etienne (EOC) in its Barbados office, an avant-garde installation designed to coordinate the preparation and emergency response of health throughout Barbados, the Caribbean of the East and the Caribbean of Valeros de Arart.
«This EOC represents a shared commitment to the preparation, resilience and protection of the health and well -being of the Caribbean people,» said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of Paho, through a video message at the inauguration. «It is a living tribute to the vision of the director of the PAHO, Emeritus of Dr. Carissa Etienne and the unwavering dedication to public health in the Americas.»
The establishment of the EOC responds to the vulnerability of the region to emergencies of various origins, including hurricanes and storms, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, shoots and pandemics. Events such as Hurricanes Maria (2017), Irma (2017), Dorian (2019) and Beryl (2024), the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent (2021), and the Pandemic Covid-19 has stressed the need for greater coordination and rapid response capabilities.
«The Covid-19 Pandemia taught us that the preparation cannot wait,» said Dr. Barbosa. «With this center now operational, and just in time for the 2025 hurricane season, we are better equipped than ever to act quickly, save lives and build a more resistant future.»
«Barbados, like many other Caribbean countries, has a long and invaluable relationship with PAHO in the emergency response area,» said Dr. Jerome Walcott, Minister of Health and Welfare of Barbados, welcoming the EOC establishment. «As the effects of the climatic crisis and the events of multiple jumps become more frequent and complex, a broader and more coordinated response is required,» he added. Serving 13 countries and territories that face a high level of vulnerability to multiple dangers, the EOC improves Paho’s ability to fast and equitable responses. Located in Barbados, it acts as a center for the PAHO Subregional Health Emergencies team, collaborating with the PAHO regional EOC and partners as Ministries of Health and the United Nations.
The EOC is designed to address these closer challenges where they occur, providing operational support, information management, resources allocation and implementation of an increase in emergencies.
In non -disaster situations, the EOC will monitor and identify emerging health crises, strengthen integrated event -based surveillance and will serve as a platform for capacities development and operational preparation. It will also facilitate simulation exercises to ensure the preparation of various health emergencies.
«This emergency operations center is a critical and timely investment in the health security of the region. Strengthens our collective capacity to coordinate fast responses, monitor emerging threats in real time and provide timely support to the Ministries of Health and Key Partners in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and, by extension, the Caribbean of the Caribbean,» said Dr. Barbosa.
The leadership of Barbados in public health made him the ideal host. «We praise Barbados for their exemplary solidarity, constantly offering experience and resources to the neighbors,» said Dr. Barbosa. «This center is not simply infrastructure, these are people, systems and associations that take life to those who work within it, and those who work with it throughout the Caribbean.»
Carissa F. Etienne EOC is now operational and is ready to support health emergency responses throughout the Caribbean, ensuring that the region is better equipped to act quickly and effectively in the face of health crises.
