Developing a partnership to improve health care delivery to children <18 years with cancer and blood disorders in the English-speaking Caribbean: lessons from the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI)

Michelle Reece-Mills; Curt Bodkyn; Jo-Anna B Baxter; Upton Allen; Cheryl Alexis; Chantelle Browne-Farmer; Jenna Craig; Stephanie de Young; Avram Denburg; Kevon Dindial; Bonnie Fleming-Carroll; Tracey Gibson; Sumit Gupta; Jennifer Knight-Madden; Margaret Manley-Kucey; Sharon Mclean-Salmon; Oscar Noel Ocho; Kadine Orrigio; Stanley Read; Corrine Sin Quee; Brian Smith; Minerva Thame; Gilian Wharfe; James A Whitlock; Stanley Zlotkin; Victor Blanchette

doi:10.1016/j.lana.2023.100592

Developing a partnership to improve health care delivery to children <18 years with cancer and blood disorders in the English-speaking Caribbean: lessons from the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI)

Lancet Reg Health Am. 2023 Sep 11:26:100592. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2023.100592. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Authors

Michelle Reece-Mills¹, Curt Bodkyn², Jo-Anna B Baxter³, Upton Allen^{4

5

6}, Cheryl Alexis⁷, Chantelle Browne-Farmer⁸, Jenna Craig³, Stephanie de Young³, Avram Denburg^{5

6}, Kevon Dindial⁹, Bonnie Fleming-Carroll^{10

11}, Tracey Gibson¹², Sumit Gupta^{5

13}, Jennifer Knight-Madden¹⁴, Margaret Manley-Kucey³, Sharon Mclean-Salmon¹⁵, Oscar Noel Ocho^{16

17}, Kadine Orrigio⁵, Stanley Read⁴, Corrine Sin Quee¹⁸, Brian Smith³, Minerva Thame¹, Gilian Wharfe¹⁹, James A Whitlock^{5

13}, Stanley Zlotkin^{3

13}, Victor Blanchette^{3

5

13}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
² Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
³ Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
⁴ Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
⁵ Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
⁶ Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
⁷ Haematology/Oncology Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, Barbados.
⁸ Department of Paediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, Barbados.
⁹ Department of Paediatrics, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago.
¹⁰ Learning Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
¹¹ Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
¹² Department of Pathology, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
¹³ Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
¹⁴ Sickle Cell Unit, Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
¹⁵ Hematology/Oncology Unit, Bustamante Hospital for Children, Kingston, Jamaica.
¹⁶ Faculty of Medical Sciences, School of Nursing, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
¹⁷ PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Development in the Caribbean, School of Nursing, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
¹⁸ School of Clinical Medicine and Research, The University of the West Indies, Nassau, The Bahamas.
¹⁹ Department of Haematology/Oncology, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.

Abstract

In 2013, the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI) was formalised among The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, the University of the West Indies, and Ministries of Health in six Caribbean countries (Barbados, The Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago). The aim was to improve the outcomes and quality of life of children (<18 years) with cancer and blood disorders in the partner countries. Core activities included filling a human resource gap by training paediatric haematologists/oncologists and specialised registered nurses; improving capacity to diagnose and treat diverse haematology/oncology cases; developing and maintaining paediatric oncology databases; creating ongoing advocacy activities with international agencies, decision makers, and civil society; and establishing an integrated administration, management, and funding structure. We describe core program components, successes, and challenges to inform others seeking to improve health service delivery in a multidisciplinary and complex partnership.

Keywords: Advocacy; Caribbean; Database; Education; Haematology; Oncology; Paediatrics; Sickle cell disease; Training.

Publication types

Review