Bay Medical Centre

07/07/2026

💜 Introducing LET'S TALK! 💜
Have a question about arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, or another chronic condition? We're here to help.
The St Lucia Arthritis Lupus and Association (SLALA) is excited to launch Let's Talk—SLALA's new weekly health education series, created to provide reliable information, answer your questions, and empower you to make informed decisions about your health and well-being.
Here's how it works:
💬 You submit your questions or suggest a topic you'd like us to cover.
📚 Every Wednesday, we'll feature a member question or an important topic and share trusted information, practical tips, and guidance from healthcare professionals and other reliable sources.
Topics may include: 💜 Medications 🥗 Nutrition 🏃 Physical Activity 🧠 Mental Wellness 💜 Pain Management 🌿 Self-Care ❤️ Healthy Living ...and much more.
Have a question? We'd love to hear from you!
Send your questions through: 📩 Facebook or Instagram Direct Message 📧 Email 📱 WhatsApp
You can submit your question with your name or anonymously—whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Your questions and topic suggestions will help shape future Let's Talk posts because this series is created with you in mind.
📅 Look out for a new Let's Talk post every Wednesday!
💜 Real conversations. Reliable information. Better living.
👇 What's the first question or topic you'd like us to explore?

02/02/2026

Presentation by our very own Dr. Amanda King at the SLICC World Lupus Seminar 2025

10/11/2025

Come Learn, Grow and Support on November 14th at 5pm . It’s Diabetes Awareness Month.💙💪🏾💙💪🏾💙

04/11/2025

Mrs Charles and Crystal wearing blue 💙

04/11/2025

November is diabetes awareness month. Wear blue in support of our warriors

24/05/2025

24/05/2025

Here are some powerful lupus awareness affirmations to uplift and empower: 1. "I honor my strength, even on my most vulnerable days." 2. "Lupus may challenge my body, but it cannot diminish my spirit." 3. "Each flare teaches me resilience; each rest renews my inner power." 4. "I am not limited by my diagnosis—I am empowered by my courage." 5. "It’s okay to slow down. My worth is not measured by my productivity." 6. "My invisible battle holds remarkable strength." 7. "I give myself compassion, I claim my space, I rise with intention." 8. "I advocate for myself with clarity, confidence, and determination." 9. "I am part of a vibrant and supportive community—we are not alone." 10. "Every day I show up is a triumph worth acknowledging." some powerful lupus awareness affirmations to uplift and empower: 1. "I honor my strength, even on my softest days." 2. "Lupus may challenge my body, but it cannot break my spirit." 3. "Each flare teaches me resilience; each rest renews my power." 4. "I am not defined by my diagnosis—I am defined by my courage." 5. "It’s okay to slow down. My worth is not measured by my pace." 6. "My invisible battle holds visible strength." 7. "I give myself grace, I claim my space, I rise with purpose." 8. "I advocate for myself with clarity, calm, and confidence." 9. "I am part of a fierce and beautiful community—we are not alone." 10. "Every day I show up is a victory worth celebrating."

Reposted from@LU?US Survivor Warriors https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18tmGwPZ3k/

24/05/2025

It is not often that we pay tribute and express gratitude to our Heroes behind the scenes of our Lupus Care.

💜💜💜💜
Undoubtedly we still have much more to do with regards to education and awareness but living with lupus means facing an invisible battle every day—and nurses are often the quiet warriors standing beside us. Their compassion, knowledge, and vigilance make a world of difference.

Lupus & Nurses: Powerful Allies in Care

Early Detection Support: Nurses often notice subtle symptoms—like fatigue, rashes, or joint swelling—and help push for faster diagnoses.

Flare Management: They monitor signs of flares, administer life-saving medications, and provide personalized education on symptom tracking.

Emotional Anchors: From infusion chairs to hospital beds, nurses are the ones who listen without judgment and uplift with empathy.

Chronic Illness Experts: Nurses help us navigate complex treatments like immunosuppressants and biologics while watching for dangerous side effects.

Advocates for Rest & Rights: They remind us to rest when the world says “push through,” and they advocate for our dignity in care.

A Lupus Warrior's Thanks
To every nurse who’s held our hands, calmed our fears, and fought for us when we were too tired to speak—you are more than caregivers.
You are our hope in human form.

23/05/2025

The Caribbean Association for Rheumatology (CAR) annual conference was in the Bahamas 2-4 May 2025. I had the honor to be on a panel with the iconic Prof Eon Nigel Harris (on my left in the photo below) and Dr, Vincent Nwosa (on my right), to discuss rheumatology in the Caribbean from inception in the 1970's with Dr. Wendel Wilson and Dr. Karel DeCeulaer in Jamaica, to the '80s with Dr. Nwosa in the Bahamas, and the '90s with me in St. Lucia.
What has changed?
I'll highlight here some of what's happened since my return in 1995-

1997- The St. Lucia Arthritis and Lupus Association (SLALA) was started to educate, motivate and support patients (help from Shelley Weir, HOPE foundation, Barbados)

2002-Stanford University's Arthritis self-management program was brought by SLALA to St. Lucia (first in the Caribbean and Latin America)- to teach patients the tools to become positive self-managers, improve self-efficacy and adherence. Most trainees were chosen by Ministry of Health to run workshops at health centres in every region. We cross-trained in 2005 to provide the chronic disease self-management program so everyone with NCDs would benefit.

2007- CAR inaugural meeting- to have a bigger collaborative voice across the region, to advocate for patients, research and educate

2008- first international rheumatology conference in the Caribbean- held in St. Lucia as part of a year of lupus awareness under the theme "Someone you know has Lupus".
The Grenada Lupus Foundation was launched.

2017- Dr. Wright, president of Association of women in rheumatology (AWIR) was introduced to me as president of CAR and presented at our Curacao meeting. She and AWIR have since provided phenomenal support. CAR is now a global partner of AWIR.

2017- The Scottish rheumatology ultrasound group (SRUG) partnered with CAR to teach us musculoskeletal ultrasound

2018- A discussion with Dr. Wright at the CAR conference in St. Lucia re the importance of clinical trials for our population led to the creation of The Caribbean Consortium for Clinical Investigation (CARCCI)

1997-2025- repeated outreach to Government and OECS PPS to help our patients access the medications they need

Our data from 1995-2018 highlight the difficulty our patients face. Poverty increases lupus severity. 1/3 of lupus patients are eligible for financial aid. *However due to SLALA's awareness programs lupus was diagnosed relatively early- a mean of 1.6 years from symptoms to diagnosis, 53% in under a year, and survival was much higher than expected for a "low-resource" Afro-Caribbean population- 5YSR- 94%.

Many Caribbean countries have no rheumatologist. Since COVID we've provided a teleconsult service to help. Through CAR we hope to train rheumatology champions in those territories to help with rheumatology care.
We have a long way to go with only a few of us. Collaboration is key.

*Arthritis Rheumatol 2023; 75 Suppl.9