News Briefs

24-hour helpline coming to assist mentally ill

A new 24-hour toll-free helpline will soon be launched by the Ministry of Health and Wellness for persons living with mental illnesses and those affected by the condition.

This was announced by Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton at the ministry’s quarterly press briefing on Tuesday.

Tufton said that the system would be housed at an anonymous location and operators will be able to accept multiple calls at the same time.

Five psychologists will be employed to man the system and mental health professionals are being trained at the community level to augment the work of the helpline.

Already, 30 professionals have gone through training to respond. Police officers, firemen, mental team members and private practitioners will form a part of the network of responders.

 

 

SRC to begin cannabis evaluation next month

The Scientific Research Council (SRC) says it will commence medical cannabis-related evaluations in September.

SRC Executive Director Dr Cliff Riley says this is among the initiatives being undertaken in support of the industry’s build-out through partnerships forged with the Cannabis Licensing Authority.

Riley said that the SRC has invested heavily in acquiring the requisite advanced equipment to conduct reliable tests and evaluations in order to provide credible information to various stakeholder interests.

They include persons adhering to the legally stipulated maximum of five cultivated cannabis plants, cannabis licensees, as well as the regulatory body, to ensure the public is protected.

Riley indicated that the SRC also has the capabilities to test the entire spectrum of terpenes – the taste profiles and aroma of cannabis – which have been linked to the treatment of cancer in a recent university study.

 

 

Cayman’s only free-to-air TV station to close down

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (CMC):

The Cayman Islands’ only free-to-air (FTA) independent television station that began its broadcast in 1992 will cease operations on Friday, its parent company has announced.

“I acquired Cayman 27 because as a Caymanian, it was important to keep the country’s only FTA independent television station in local hands and to continue providing invaluable service to the public.

“In my discussions with the regulator prior to the acquisition, I made it clear that there were serious financial concerns and I was under the impression that there would be the creation of a must-carry fee. where each subscription TV licensed operator would pay to carry Cayman 27, so they could fulfil their own licence obligations that required each to provide local content. ... [This] never came to pass,” said Hurley’s TV Ltd managing director, Randy Merren.

Earlier this year, the regulators told Cayman 27 that it owed unpaid fees spanning a couple of years.

The company was unable to meet the payment and a suspension notice was issued, giving Cayman 27 until September 1 to address the financial compliance issues or have its licence suspended.