 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Jesse Léonce. This edition stops stories. The Ministry of Health launches a chronic health passport to aid patients of NCDs. St. Lucia continues to make strides in the global effort at preserving the ozone layer and another powerful voice from the artistic realm. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has taken a significant step in public awareness of chronic non-communicable diseases, that is NCDs, as it observed Caribbean Wellness Day. The Ministry launched a chronic health passport designed to help patients manage their conditions. Lisa Joseph reports. In the Caribbean, chronic non-communicable diseases, NCDs, are the cause of the majority of premature adult deaths and pose a serious threat to health and development. NCD mortality in the Caribbean is the highest in the Americas. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, all prevalent in St. Lucia, are caused by biological factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, high blood sugar and high blood cholesterol. Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for heart disease and has been shown to affect 25.8% of the population in St. Lucia. With a noted decline in visits to wellness centers due to COVID-19, the Ministry of Health is reaching out to persons with NCDs who are now administering self-care. The Ministry has launched the chronic health passport. The senior medical officer for non-communicable diseases explains. Empowering our patients so that they could self-manage while at home when they're probably unable to come to see their physician or they probably feel that they can manage. So we embarked upon the launching of the chronic disease passport, which is called a guide to healthy lifestyle. And this guide will help patients and give them coping skills in terms of management of the diseases. Dr. Philbert says the chronic health passport is also useful to family members and caregivers. The Ministry of Health launched the chronic health passport as part of activities observed in Caribbean Wellness Day. The observant was agreed upon by Carrickham Heads of Government in 2007. Over the past 12 years, the overall theme for Caribbean Wellness Day was love that body, with a focus on preventing and controlling NCDs throughout the life course. For the next five years, 2020, which is this year, up to 2024, the region will continue with the life course approach but will take into consideration a whole of society commitment. The new overall theme for the next five years will be power through collective action and the sub-theme will be stronger together 2020. Caribbean countries in 2011 committed to reducing NCD deaths by 25% by the year 2025. From the Government Information Service, Lisa Joseph reports in. In the meantime, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARFA, is this year aligning the Caribbean Wellness Day sub-theme with the Pan-American Health Organization's Mental Health Awareness Campaign. Worldwide mental disorders are now recognized as the fifth major non-communicable disease and a major public health threat to economic development in the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization, one in four persons globally will be affected by a mental disorder or neurological disorder in their lifetime and 450 million are affected by these disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia and substance dependency. In the Caribbean, mental health disorders are the leading cause of disability and a major contributor to the burden of NCDs. In Jamaica, the burden of mental illness is predicted to cause US $2.76 billion in lost economic output from 2015 to 2030. The current COVID-19 pandemic is also affecting different people in different ways and is having a major impact on persons' mental health and well-being including these persons who have existing mental illness. CARFA says investing in interventions designed to improve health can help reduce the burden of these illnesses. Wednesday 16th of September 2020 is observed international day for the preservation of the ozone layer. In a statement to Mark the occasion, Permanent Secretary in the Department of Sustainable Development, Tanita Montut notes the significant strides at the national level that have contributed to the success of the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol finalized in 1987 is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. St. Lucia joined this effort acceding in 1993. Since joining the Montreal Protocol, some of our key achievements thus far include. Under the terminal phase out management plan, St. Lucia successfully eliminated the import and use of CFC in 2008, two years ahead of the 2010 phase out date for developing countries. We have significantly reduced our consumption of a second major group of ODS called hydrochlorofluorocarbon, HCFC, by 40% compared to 2010 level through the implementation of a license and quota system to control HCFC imports. That was Anita Montut, the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Sustainable Development. She adds that St. Lucia is committed to completely phasing out this group of substances by 2013. The St. Lucia government is also instituting a ban on assembling equipment, comprising ozone-depleting substances, making it illegal to import such equipment. The island has also taken steps to reduce its environmental impact of ozone-depleting refrigerant gases. Under St. Lucia ODS phasing out program, over 120 refrigeration and air conditioning technician have been trained in good refrigeration and management practice, including the recovery and recycling of refrigerants. We continue to ensure capacity building for our support agencies, and in this regard, custom officers have been trained in the application of the ODS licensing and quota system as well as identification and testing of refrigerants. Through the Montreal Protocol, 98% of ozone-depleting substances have reportedly been eliminated, and an estimated 2 million cases of skin cancer have been avoided globally. Montut assures St. Lucia's continued efforts at preserving the ozone layer. This year, we will embark on another journey to reduce the importation and the use of another group of powerful greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs by acceding to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which was adopted in 2016. This new amendment will contribute to the ongoing efforts to reducing global warming and climate change. This continued pledge was made during a special message by the Permanent Secretary in observance of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on September 16. From the Government Information Service, Lyssa Joseph reporting. Thank you, Lyssa, for that report. We continue with news Poetry Live Voices of the Underground continued with another episode on Sunday night as part of the National Arts Festival Art Reach. We have a report. The Poetry Live hosts Hanson Narciss and Tracy Pilgrim George broke the corner to Jeremy Street and Cass Street for the second episode of the Voices of the Underground series featuring scenes of the CDC sidewalk, the market and bustling traffic they gave the background of the street name. We are currently on Jeremy Street named after Chief Justice Sir John Jeremy of European descent, a judge during the period of 1825 to 1831. He was also a legislator and quite a controversial character. Controversial? Yes, the controversial based on the fact that according to my research, he bought cases against people whom is treated slaves. Continuing in similar format to the first episode, the work of another local musician Living Life by Michael Robinson was highlighted for its literary components. This song celebrates a life of freedom and relaxation with friends in the open enjoying nature. The use of alliteration with emphasis on the lateral sound of the letter L in the hook phrase and title of the song enforces the concept of existing in the moment. And the showpiece of the evening Poet Catherine Atkinson took the production team to one of her getaways, Mount Hardy on the northeast coast of the island before the performance queue in. Like a lot of my work is quite observational and arises from like meditations on landscape and so on. And even even in my more character driven work, what's happening is they are situated in a very specific landscape. I mean, I walk all along this area, this coast, and there are many little special spots and so on, but yeah, they live on a beautiful island. We live on a beautiful island. We really do. There were Sunday mornings when a seabath felt like a second chance and conversation with my grandpa, a Christian right, a path through genealogy to redemption. The Nubian princess and the captain, the missionary, planter, Duke and slave, outposted outcasts all charged for some sin of misstep or color deemed just as grave. Matched with Atkinson in the episode is American Poet Dorothy Parker, who had a reputation for sharp wit. Parker was an advocate for civil rights, anti-fascism, and refugees. Join the outreach following for the next poetry live, Voices of the Underground episode this coming Sunday. For the Government Information Service, I am Jesse Leons reporting. Up next we have Primus Hutchinson with the NTN Nouvelle Aquial. In an effort to ensure patient and first responder safety, the St. Lucia Fire Service has reviewed its patient transfer procedures, especially for patients with respiratory distress. Face masks will be provided. At no time during transportation should the face mask be removed. Please be patient and cooperative during this time to ensure you receive the best possible care while keeping our first responders safe. Welcome back, we now join Primus Hutchinson for the NTN Nouvelle Aquial. Terence, KQQ System Education, to pose a new program of assessment, which can embrace the ability of the students to ensure that they are able to discover enough money on the road, and advise them to do so effectively, and to save enough money on the road, which is necessary for the collaboration. One of the strongest objectives of the project, according to the Ministry of Education, is to ensure that it is not only to encourage the students to read, but also to the point where they have access to the salary. The NION calls for parents to develop their own project, to encourage their children to read. I have an official advice for the NION Connection. The parents, teachers, and the general school have established a collaboration in their activities to read, and for the parents to read together with their children. The students who were affected by the COVID-19 situation in this year, I have found assistance by UNICEF, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Education, to help them to follow the calls of their children. The Head of Education, Dr. Fiona Philip-Mayer, who did this presentation, said that this article, which was published by UNICEF, could help them to address the COVID-19 situation in their country. According to Dr. Mayer, I found a mask that contains a message of my advice, such as if I am a student like Dr. Mayer, who is the first to go through COVID-19. Dr. Mayer also introduced a very large organization so that the salary is possible. The Head of Education, to help them fulfill the responsibilities, especially the official who has provided advice, which is the most important individual in a diverse way of working. The Coordinated Affairs Council, the Ministry of Education, joined us in August to thank all of you who participated in this effort to help these children to act in a way that supports their work and prevents the spread of COVID-19, especially in schools and families. I would like to advise the parents to buy these children a chance to use these articles to let them be able to move to a better place, a better place to live, so that they can have a better experience of being able to go to Cairo as I have been doing at school. The young boys who are in the Masad institution have already found the opportunity to participate in a cinema production program. I would like to ask the Ministry of Education and Education to help people who are working well in the society. I would like to thank the capacity of the boys' training centre in Masad. I would like to ask the Ministry of Education and Education to facilitate the development of this program. I would like to encourage 12 young boys to learn diverse techniques in the form of video teaching, which is very important for these young people. I would like to invite them to the social life, which is the most vulnerable community, so that they can encourage and improve their resilience to develop diverse abilities later. I would also like to inform the children to be able to learn from the first phase of 2008 to the second phase of October 2016 so that they can help to reach out to the people who are working well to form their rehabilitation and to facilitate their life in a society that is able to live in peace and harmony. I would like to thank the 6 TPI in Cairo, including Atigek Babioda, Senkitseg Neves, Dominik, Cytlisi, Tvesa Ek Laguynadier, Ek Laguynad. I would like to thank the Ministry of Education and Education for providing me with the opportunity to learn more about life here in Cairo. Thank you and see you soon, Chessie.