KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Caribbean Training and Education Center for Health (C-TECH), has formally launched independent operations in Kingston, expanding over 17 years of healthcare programming within Jamaica and the region.

The office was launched on October 1, 2020.

C-TECH holds strong expertise in implementing innovative HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes and has now broadened its scope to combat COVID-19 among key populations and support the fight against chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The centre previously operated as the Caribbean office for the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), a centre in the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health, to support the development of a skilled health workforce and well-organised national health services.

The centre is led by Executive Director Natalie Irving-Mattocks, along with Chairman and Senior Technical Clinical Advisor Dr Clive Anderson.

“This is a game-changer. Our team is equipped and ready to move into this next chapter, to deepen our local relationships, expand our reach throughout the Caribbean, and build on our commitment to support access to high-quality health care for the region’s most vulnerable,” said Irving-Mattocks.

To support its administrative structure C-TECH said it has adopted and adaopted I-TECH’s robust financial and administrative policies, procedures and systems to successfully administer and manage complex international grants from diverse funding sources, including Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS, the Global Fund and United States Government funding agencies.

In the past year alone, three other I-TECH offices in Haiti, India, and Zimbabwe, have launched local organisations, signalling I-TECH’s bedrock commitment to transition, sustainability, and country ownership to promote and significantly contribute to the promotion of preventive health issues.