 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am Janelle Novel bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. St. Lucia is named the best Caribbean island to invest in. The island improves its global passport ranking and a hero's welcome for Julian Alfred and the National Youth Olympics team. St. Lucia has won the award for best Caribbean island to invest in. That's according to European Business magazine Europe's leading subscriber based publication, which boasts close to 90,000 readers who range from senior corporate executives to decision makers from some of the leading businesses across Europe. St. Lucia emerged as the front runner surpassing several other Caribbean islands, including Jamaica, which was the 2017 awardee. St. Lucia will be prominently featured on the front cover of the international publication's upcoming edition in December, when the magazine will be doing a special economic report on the Caribbean for European executive decision makers and readers. The piece will include information on why St. Lucia has earned the reputation as the best island to invest in. The award comes as the island recorded additional success in the Henley Passport Index. According to the latest results, St. Lucia has climbed from 142 in the third quarter to 146 ranking third in the eastern Caribbean region and 31st worldwide. A St. Lucia Passport provides visa-free travel to 146 destinations. St. Kids holds the strongest passport in the eastern Caribbean region and the 26th strongest passport in the world with 151 destinations accessible visa-free or with a visa on arrival. Closed behind St. Kids and Nevis is Antigua and Barbuda in 27th place globally. The Grenadian passport is currently 33rd. At the bottom of the eastern Caribbean ranking is Dominica in the 37th place globally. The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards hosted a meeting of stakeholders on the development of a communication strategy and action plan for a series of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for the region. The CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality Cross Queue, in collaboration with the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, hosted an information session on the establishment of an energy efficiency labeling scheme. Director of the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, Verne Manuel, indicated that achieving energy efficiency is one of the ways to ensure sustainable goals are met. Part of what this session today will do is specifically target regulators in understanding what are the requirements of the energy efficiency labeling scheme, how it works. It is not something entirely new. It has been, it has commenced before and we are basically moving it to the next level in St. Lucia. From 2012 we've had an energy efficiency labeling program with energy labeling standards. The labeling scheme will introduce minimum energy performance standards for lighting, refrigerators and air conditioners and will explore the development and strengthening of a testing scheme for these appliances. According to the Cross Queue's project coordinator, Janice Hiller, the scheme is to begin in a few countries and eventually expand across CARICOM. The CARICOM energy policy highlights that global energy demand is expected to increase by 36% between 2008 and 2035. As a region, we are therefore charged with the responsibility of adopting more efficient use of energy as well as the adoption of renewable technologies aimed directly at reducing the cost of energy and at the same time reducing carbon emissions, which contribute to global warming, which is reflected in severe droughts, flooding, hurricanes, powerful hurricanes, rising sea temperature and many other symptoms of climate change. The session was held under the theme, protection of the consumer, support of the energy labeling scheme for energy efficient equipment and appliances. From the Government Information Service, I am Manisha Antoine reporting. A celebratory atmosphere awaited Julian Alfred and her teammates as they arrived back home from the Youth Olympics Games. Youth Olympic Games women's 100-meter silver medalist Julian Alfred returned home over the weekend to a hero's welcome, put on by the Central Olympic Committee Incorporated and the Department of Youth Development and Sports. Alfred and the other members of the team were met on the tarmac of the Huonora International Airport before a welcome ceremony took place at the airport lounge. Minister responsible for youth development and sports, the Honourable Edmund Estefan, who was in Argentina to witness Alfred's performance, said he saw a great team spirit at the Games. In Argentina, we had a team representative, this is what you call a team, you know, there was unity, there was encouragement. There was just this inner spirit, there was togetherness. There was togetherness and I commend the coaches and shaped the mission and shaped the mission, you know, for a job well done. Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Leonard Mortude was also present at a welcome and emphasised the magnitude of Alfred's success. Your accomplishment, Miss Alfred, is a national achievement and I would like to say that for us as a nation, we are very proud of you. We are also very proud of the performance of the other team members and what we are hearing here today while the rest of you did not meddle but you gave of your best and your performances were outstanding. Vice President of the San Lucia Olympic Committee incorporated Lyndon Cooper disclosed that the SLOC will continue to support athletes in a quest to bring more medals to the nation. We have always pledged our commitment to the continuous development of the athletes. We must admit that sometime in 2016, when the President of the Olympic Committee held her annual general meeting, she indicated that she wants to see more athletes stepping up on the platform. And it was her intention, she said, that she is going to put the necessary resources into those athletes. The welcome for Alfred and the Youth Olympic Games contingent culminated with a reception at Government House. From the Department of Youth Development and Sports, I'm Ryan O'Brien. This is Nation Beat. Stay with us. Small household electrical appliances when faulty can give rise to big problems. If you have just purchased a small appliance from a store and you are concerned about the safety of the item, an appliance has been at home for some time subjected to wear and tear from regular usage. Have it tested by the San Lucia Bureau of Standards. It is better to be safe than sorry. For more information, contact the San Lucia Bureau of Standards at 456-0546 or email SLBS at candw.lc or visit the website at www.slbs.org.lc. San Lucia Bureau of Standards, making quality and standards our way of life. Welcome back. The Department of Gender Relations is working in collaboration with the Women's Support Centre and Club Gar in the Incidents of Domestic Violence, Fernelle Neptune reports. The campaign focuses on a training and sensitization component for stakeholders from social agencies who are engaged in programs for victims, perpetrators and those at risk of engaging in violence. Acting Director of Gender Relations, Jenny Joseph says the sensitization aspect of the campaign is centered on a solution-focused approach and therefore will provide stakeholders with the necessary skills to empower communities on reducing violence. We are sharing with them the solution-focused means of doing this and we are also giving them the challenge of going back to their communities, back to their agencies, back to their clients and identifying a project around the information that they've learned to be able to share with people in a new and innovative way because we believe that solutions are several. There could be several solutions to one problem. Joseph believes such an initiative will help stakeholders to become involved and to be part of the solution to end domestic violence in St Lucia. We are hoping that it grows, that it starts off a movement if you will, to get people to stop looking at the big problem that is outside of their self-control to change and to be able to look within and see how they can change what they do on an individual level to be able to arrive at a more lasting and sustainable solution. Stakeholders of the workshop included the Royal St Lucia Police Force, Department of Provisions, Fire and Emergency Department, Division of Human Services and from your first to name a few. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development, I am Phenoneptian reporting. The 2018 Caribbean Infection Prevention Control Week saw the most participants of any other year. Infection Prevention Control is a scientific approach and practical solution designed to reduce harm caused by infection to patients and health workers in healthcare institutions. It is grounded in the knowledge of infectious diseases, epidemiology, social science and health systems strengthening. Medical Officer for Health Dr. Sharon Belmar George said over 20 national focal points in the region met at this year's conference to review plans and gaps in the infection prevention control strategies within the healthcare institutions. And healthcare associated infections is the most common adverse effect that you can get at a healthcare facility and the cost associated with it is phenomenal. We see issues such as prolonged hospital stay, antimicrobial resistance. It's also a greater cost to families who would have to pay for the extra money. There's also an issue in terms of the bigger healthcare system and we also see disability caused by healthcare associated infections and in some cases we also see death. Dr. Belmar added that St. Lucia needs to improve its data collection on healthcare associated infections by increasing surveillance at healthcare facilities. However, a 2016 assessment at both Victoria and St. Jude hospitals revealed certain deficiencies which included infrastructural and equipment gaps. In resource limited settings such as ours where we don't have all of the equipment and all that we need, stringent measures have to be in place and some of them are very simple measures such as hand washing by our healthcare workers between reviewing patients, our stethoscopes, the equipment that we use ensuring that everything is properly orderly. We need to reduce the impact of healthcare associated infections on our patients, on our healthcare workers and also on the family members who may be visiting our facilities as well. Chief organiser of this year's Caribbean Infection Prevention Control Week, Dr. Corey Ford, said the Caribbean has been progressively interested in this area due to the advent of Ebola and the H1N1 virus. He said Caribbean Infection Prevention Control Week started off in 2015 with only four participating countries with a slight increase in subsequent years. And this year we really compliment St. Lucia for hosting the meeting. For the first time in the Caribbean we have 20 Caribbean countries from across the region. We're really only missing Cuba and Dominican Republic and Haiti and we hope to have them next year. We really compliment St. Lucia for this. This meeting is extremely important. The whole idea of infection prevention control across the region, like I said before, has really gone through its strides. We've had assistance from many international agencies such as PAHO, Society of Epidemiology of America and the Center for Disease Control for this meeting over the last few years. The conference aims to share experiences from regional infection prevention control specialists, epidemiologists, pharmacists and microbiologists to look at common challenges and best approaches. Dr. Ford had a pointed message for regional government. And I advise all regional governments to put a little bit more attention with regards to infection prevention control within your healthcare system. Ultimately it will save money, it will save lives and that's what we're here to do as infection prevention control specialists. The conference was held at Bay Gardens Hotel from October 15th to 20th. For the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Glenn Simon reporting. That's Nation Beat. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30pm with a repeat at 7.30am and on this station as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Genel Novel.