Memorandum of Understanding expands clinical collaboration, education and training opportunities in Eleuthera and beyond

MIAMI, March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Baptist Health International, part of Baptist Health South Florida, and Bahamas Wellness Health System have formalized a new collaboration through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery, professional education and clinical collaboration in The Bahamas.

The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation focused on expanding access to specialized medical expertise, supporting clinical training and observership opportunities, facilitating second medical opinions and promoting multidisciplinary peer-to-peer consultation between physicians.

“This MOU represents an important step forward in our mission to deliver safe, high-quality care that meets international standards,” said Arlington Lightbourne, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Bahamas Wellness Health System and Eleuthera Wellness Hospital. “By collaborating with Baptist Health International, we are creating new opportunities for mentorship, professional development and access to advanced expertise that will directly benefit our patients and care teams.”

Under the agreement, patients treated within the Bahamas Wellness network may access second medical opinions from Baptist Health physicians and receive support with referrals when advanced care is required. The collaboration also explores opportunities for teleconsultation services, and knowledge exchange designed to enhance patient outcomes while reducing the need for travel.

Healthcare professionals within Bahamas Wellness Health System will benefit from educational initiatives that may include participation in symposiums and conferences, clinical observerships and professional training programs supported by Baptist Health International. The agreement also supports the development of best practices, policies and staff education, and guidance for international accreditation readiness.

“Our alliance with Bahamas Wellness Health System reflects Baptist Health International’s commitment to advancing meaningful healthcare connections throughout the Caribbean,” said Rogelio E. Ribas, M.D., Corporate Vice President of Baptist Health International. “Through education, clinical engagement and shared expertise, we aim to support the growth of high-quality healthcare services that strengthen local systems and expand access to specialized care.”

Bahamas Wellness Health System operates Eleuthera Wellness Hospital, the first and only hospital established on a family island in The Bahamas, along with multiple outpatient clinics. The organization provides urgent care, emergency services, hospital admissions and extended outpatient care to communities throughout the region.

About Baptist Health International

Baptist Health International is one of the largest hospital-based international programs in the United States, with more than 14,000 yearly international patient visits at Baptist Health facilities from the Florida Keys to Palm Beach County. Baptist Health International is dedicated to providing comprehensive, high-quality services for international physicians and their patients, including hospital admissions, outpatient medical exams, electronic medical second opinions and physician consultations, as well as concierge services. For more information, please visit https://baptisthealth.net/international-services. For more information on Baptist Health International’s collaborations and advisory services, please visit https://baptisthealth.net/international-services/international-healthcare-professionals/international-collaborations or email Advisory@baptisthealth.net

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 29,000 employees, 4,500 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned institutes specializing in cancer care, brain and spine care, heart and vascular care and orthopedic care. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and The Baptist Health PineApp, a virtual health platform. Baptist Health South Florida is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and is the most awarded healthcare system in South Florida by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.

About Bahamas Wellness Health System:

Bahamas Wellness Health System is a privately held, community-centric health solutions organization headquartered in Eleuthera, Bahamas, dedicated to delivering affordable, whole-person healthcare across the archipelago. Founded in 2016, BWHS’s mission is to increase access to high-quality care, improve population health outcomes, and empower communities through accessible medical services, preventive care, and wellness programs rooted in compassionate, patient-first values. BWHS operates a growing portfolio of clinical service units — including primary care, urgent care, diagnostic services, wellness coaching, and specialty clinical support — designed to meet the evolving needs of residents and visitors with dignity, excellence, and integrity. For more information, visit www.bahamaswellness.health.

About Eleuthera Wellness Hospital:

Eleuthera Wellness Hospital, located in North Palmetto Point, Eleuthera, represents a transformational expansion of BWHS’s commitment to healthcare access in The Bahamas. As a 24/7 private hospital facility, it stands as the first of its kind on the island, dramatically enhancing local clinical capacity for emergency care, advanced diagnostics (including imaging services), inpatient care, and comprehensive treatment pathways that previously required travel off-island. The hospital is strategically designed to elevate health outcomes, reduce patient transfer times, and strengthen the healthcare safety net for Eleuthera’s families and workforce. This facility embodies BWHS’s vision of community-rooted clinical excellence and operational readiness, providing residents with dependable around-the-clock care supported by a dedicated, skilled clinical team.

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MIAMI, July 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – Baptist Health International partner in Aruba, Instituto Medico San Nicolas (ImSan), has earned hospital accreditation by the Joint Commission International (JCI). Globally recognized as the gold standard in healthcare quality and patient safety, JCI accreditation signifies ImSan’s commitment to providing exceptional medical care, adhering to rigorous international standards, and continuously striving for excellence. ImSan is the first hospital in Aruba and the Dutch Caribbean, as well as the fourth in the entire Caribbean region, to receive this prestigious recognition.

To obtain the accreditation, ImSan underwent a five-day on-site review in June. A team of JCI reviewers evaluated compliance with hospital standards across various areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, medication management, and individual rights and responsibilities. In addition to their own observations and interviews, the reviewers conducted patient tracers, which followed patients through the course of their care while receiving services.

With its multidisciplinary team of medical experts, Baptist Health International, part of Baptist Health South Florida, offered comprehensive advisory services, assessments, training, and readiness support to ImSan in preparation for the JCI survey.

“We extend our warmest congratulations to Dr. Rajnherc and the ImSan team on its remarkable achievement of obtaining Joint Commission International accreditation. Through our long-standing partnership, ImSan has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence in healthcare,” said Rogelio E. Ribas, M.D., corporate vice president of Baptist Health International. “This accreditation is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire ImSan team. We are proud to be part of ImSan’s journey and look forward to continued collaboration in advancing healthcare excellence in Aruba and the Dutch Caribbean region.”

Baptist Health International has had a relationship with ImSan for more than 10 years, providing consulting services and guidance throughout various expansion projects. These include the construction and relocation of the dialysis department; the completion of three operating rooms; the opening of the medical surgery area; the construction and launch of Aruba’s first radiation oncology unit, in collaboration with Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute; and the design and construction of the facility’s new central energy plant. Baptist Health International also facilitated the renovation of ImSan’s Eye Center and Clinic, Emergency and Radiology departments, building lobby and support areas.

“With continuous support and inspiration from our partners at Baptist Heath International, we embarked on our journey to excellence. Striving for excellence in healthcare is like reaching for the stars should you only reach the moon you have already made a giant leap forward,” said Joel Rajnherc, director of ImSan. “Achieving JCI accreditation is the ultimate testimony to the success of that journey.”

This accomplishment reinforces ImSan’s position as a trusted healthcare provider that is dedicated to delivering top-quality services to all its patients and positions the hospital as a leading healthcare institution in the region.

About Baptist Health International
Baptist Health International is one of the largest hospital-based international programs in the United States, with more than 13,000 international patient visits at Baptist Health facilities from the Florida Keys to Palm Beach County. Baptist Health International is dedicated to providing comprehensive, high-quality services for international physicians and their patients, including hospital admissions, outpatient medical exams, medical second opinions and physician consultations, as well as concierge services. For more information, please visit https://baptisthealth.net/international-services.

For more information on Baptist Health International’s collaborations and advisory services, please visit https://baptisthealth.net/international-services/international-healthcare-professionals/international-collaborations or email Advisory@baptisthealth.net

About Miami Cancer Institute
Miami Cancer Institute brings to South Florida access to personalized clinical treatments and comprehensive support services delivered with unparalleled compassion. No other cancer program in the region has the combination of cancer-fighting expertise and advanced technology — including the first proton therapy center in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and one of the only radiation oncology programs in the world with each of the newest radiation therapies in one place — to diagnose and deliver precise cancer treatments that achieve the best outcomes and improve the lives of cancer patients. The Institute offers an impressive roster of established community oncologists and renowned experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists recruited from the nation’s top cancer centers. Selected as Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer (MSK) Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of a meaningful clinical collaboration that affords patients in South Florida access to innovative treatments and ensures that the standards of care developed by their multidisciplinary disease management teams match those at MSK. For more information, please visit https://cancer.baptisthealth.net/miami-cancer-institute.

Miami Cancer Institute is part of Baptist Health Cancer Care, the largest cancer program in South Florida, with locations from the Florida Keys to the Palm Beaches.

About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 27,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. The organization includes Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Instituto Medico San Nicolas
Instituto Medico San Nicolas (ImSan) is a 22-bed medical facility for hospital care located in San Nicolas, Aruba. Specializing in the treatment of patients with chronic noncommunicable disease, its services and support areas include an emergency department, three operating rooms and medical surgery department, a diabetic center, a full-service eye center and clinics, dialysis, radiology, radiation oncology, pharmacy, central sterile and the ambulance operations for the island. For more information, please visit https://www.imsan.aw/

About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

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CaribPR Wire, MIAMI, Fla. – August 28, 2013: An aggressive form of skin cancer silenced the living voice of Bob Marley, the legendary reggae star, who died more than three decades ago in Miami. Marley’s musical legacy endures with sad notes about skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Every year more than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed, the EPA reports.

No one is immune.  Asians, non-white Latinos, and people of African or mixed descent can develop melanoma and other forms of skin cancer—and are doing so at increasing rates, according to national statistics.

Due to the myth of melanoma immunity—outdated beliefs held by some patients and even doctors—people of color may not be diagnosed with skin cancer until it’s almost too late, when the disease is more dangerous and difficult to treat.  Delays in treatment can be fatal.

As was the case with Marley.

“What was dismissed as a soccer injury under his toenail turned out to be an aggressive form of melanoma that ultimately caused his death at 36,” the Skin Cancer Foundation reports.

Dorsey Goosby, M.D., a Board-certified pediatrician and chief medical officer at Homestead Hospital suggests that everyone, no matter what their skin color is, use broad spectrum sunscreens with sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher and follow other sun-safety guidelines..

“We have a sun culture. We enjoy the outdoors. But we have to be careful and understand the potential harm of UV rays,” Dr. Goosby said. “The harm is accumulative. The sun damage from last summer is added to the sun damage from this summer, which will be added to next summer’s sun exposure.”

Dr. Goosby recommends these steps:

• Limit your exposure to the sun, especially from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., even on cloudy days.
• Cover up with hats, sleeves, or tightly woven clothing.
• Reapply sunscreen regularly. Use and reapply sunscreen every two hours when you are outdoors or in the water.
• Inspect your skin for new blemishes, moles and marks. Encourage other family members to do the same.

Dr. Goosby also tells parents to pay close attention to their child’s skin. “Every child should have an annual head-to-toe skin examination,” Dr. Goosby said. “No one is immune.”

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health South Florida is the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. It includes Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, South Miami Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Doctors Hospital, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Mariners Hospital and Baptist Outpatient Services. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities affiliated with Baptist Health.

About Baptist Health International

Baptist Health International is one of the largest hospital-based International programs in the United States. Thousands of people travel to Miami each year from around the world to receive care from our respected physicians at the Baptist Health South Florida facilities. Baptist Health International is dedicated to providing comprehensive, high-quality services for international physicians and their patients, including hospital admissions, outpatient testing and physician consult, as well as concierge services.