The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) will work together over the next three years on the Caribbean Climate Change Adaptation, Cancer, and Health Disparities Research Center (CARIB-CARES), an initiative that aims to strengthen climate resiliency and healthcare across both U.S. territories.
A recent UVI press release provided the following information about the collaboration:
“UVI, UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC), and UPR Medical Sciences Campus (UPRMSC) announced the launch of CARIB-CARES on Tuesday [February 25] at UVI’s LaVerne Ragster Administration and Conference Center Building. This new research and training center is dedicated to addressing critical issues affecting the Caribbean region and will focus exclusively on research related to climate change, the cancer continuum, and health disparities.
“Supported by the United States National Cancer Institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CARIB-CARES will receive an allocation of $3.43 million over a three-year period. Its mission is to tackle the impact of climate change on cancer prevention and control, as well as related health disparities in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.”
The NIH grant, called a P20 Exploratory Grant, is awarded to applicants in the area of research and development and has helped to fund CARIB-CARES. The initiative is the result of a partnership between UVI and UPR to work together to apply for the grant and involves conducting research and creating meaningful advancement in the areas of climate change and its impacts on healthcare—including cancer treatment—across both U.S. territories.
The UVI press release included a statement from UVI President Safiya George.
“This partnership between leading institutions of research demonstrates our deep commitment to fostering research and innovation that uplift our communities and drive solutions for a healthier, more resilient future,” emphasized George. She further stated, “This initiative addresses two of the most pressing challenges of our time – climate change and cancer disparities in the U.S. Caribbean. It represents a significant step forward in our commitment to addressing the health challenges faced by our communities,” the press release said.
Notably, the CARIB-CARES research center will not consist of only one physical location. Rather, the research epicenter will include ongoing studies and research across both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands at UVI and UPR to provide opportunities for as much collaboration between the schools as possible. (Additional collaboration will occur between partners including the American Cancer Society, the University of Miami, the University of South Florida, and the University of Arizona.)
The Source connected with several research team members who are working on the CARIB-CARES initiative to obtain further details. The researchers (also referred to as investigators) who spoke with the Source included Noreen Michael, a CARIB-CARES principal investigator, and LaVerne Ragster, a CARIB-CARES co-Investigator, based at UVI. Nancy Cardona-Cordero is a CARIB-CARES co-investigator and is based at the UPRCCC.
Climate Change and Healthcare Connection
The team members spoke about the importance of the CARIB-CARES project across Puerto Rico and the USVI, noting that both locations are extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate disasters, which can result in significant challenges for individuals who need access to healthcare, including cancer treatment.
Information shared with the Source from CARIB-CARES noted the following “Key Messages” that the project aims to tackle, which include addressing the following examples of how climate change can affect access to healthcare.
- “Climate-driven extreme events exacerbate inequities and impact human health and well-being.
- Climate change threatens essential services, including water and energy, food security, and infrastructure.
- Adaptation effectiveness increases when coupled with strategic governance and planning.”
The CARIB-CARES project aims to better understand how climate change affects the health and healthcare options of residents across the USVI and Puerto Rico and how to mitigate the risks.
A lack of options for healthcare facilities and unpredictable critical infrastructure have long plagued the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and individuals who are sick are often left with no option other than to leave the territory for treatment elsewhere, such as the U.S. mainland.
Michael explained that during and after storms such as hurricanes, numerous environmental disruptions can occur throughout the region due to loss of electricity and communications, damage to cellular towers, and an inability to access life-threatening healthcare infrastructure. Individuals battling cancer may not be able to receive the care that they need for extended periods.
Cardona-Cordero stated that after Hurricane Maria passed across the region in 2017, it took approximately eight months for Puerto Rico to return to a normal schedule that allowed patients to receive routine screenings of certain cancers.
The Cancer Control Continuum
CARIB-CARES team members shared that one concentration of the group’s research will be on “the cancer control continuum.” The cancer control continuum was described by the team as a description of the various stages of cancer, including assessing an individual’s risk for cancer, screenings, diagnoses, and treatment of the disease. Residents across the region who are battling cancer can encounter difficulties and challenges that are created due to or exacerbated by climate-related impacts.
“The continuum of cancer care is a major focus [of this research],” Michael said. Michael explained that she hopes that the research and work completed through the CARIB-CARES project will help to influence positive change to support residents in need of care, including through information and research findings that can ultimately be provided to policymakers who may be able to implement measures that would better serve the community.
Community Involvement and Sustainability
Community engagement through avenues such as surveys and focus groups will also play a major role in the CARIB-CARES operation by connecting with the public to recognize the needs of individuals across the region who are impacted by climate-related disruptions. Involvement with the community will also highlight how individuals, including cancer survivors, have been adapting to the effects of climate change over the past several years.
Ultimately, one of the hopes of the CARIB-CARES endeavor is to help establish more self-sustainability across the local islands. Recognizing the needs of individuals across Puerto Rico and the USVI, and communicating that information effectively, are examples of the beneficial work of the CARIB-CARES project.
“I think what we have to do as a [community] is to get enough information from ourselves and from the science to figure out how to [effectively] function in a changing environment, [and] that will [eventually] help us to be more sustainable,” Ragster said.
“I think we’re going to [obtain climate and healthcare] data from this project that will be translated in a [manner] that will [allow] people to [better] understand what [needs to be done in order be more resilient and self-sustainable],” she added.
