By Nelson A. King
As St. Vincent and the Grenadines
celebrates its 40th independence
anniversary, a Member
of Parliament has saluted
nationals in New York for their
“unwavering support.”
“As our country, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, goes into
its 40th year since reclaiming
its political independence after
colonization by Britain, I want,
on behalf of the government
and people at home, to salute
you in the New York Diaspora
for your unwavering support to
everything Vincy (Vincentian),
and to bring you greetings on
behalf of the Hon. Prime Minister
Ralph Gonsalves,” said
Sen. Deborah Charles in delivering
the keynote address Sunday
during the 40th Independence
Anniversary Gala Luncheon
at Grand Prospect Hall,
organized by the umbrella Vincentian
group in the United
States, Council of St. Vincent
and the Grenadines Organizations,
US.A., Inc. (COSAGO).
Therefore, Charles, who is
also Parliamentary Secretary
in the Ministry of Education,
took the opportunity to bring a
few of the developmental trusts
that the Gonsalves-led administration
Caribbean Life, N 22 ovember 15-21, 2019
has been undertaking,
even as the country prepares
to take its place on the seat of
the United Nations’ Security
Council for 2020-2021.
In that regard, she said the
government has increased
staff at the St. Vincent and
the Grenadines Mission to
the United Nations, “to boost
capacity, while at the same
time allowing Ambassador (I.
Rhonda) King to continue the
pursuit of trumpeting – no
pun intended – the name of
St Vincent and the Grenadines
even louder.”
In an effort to mitigate the
effects of climate change on
the small-island state, Charles
said the administration has
embarked on a campaign to
reduce the country’s dependence
on fossil fuel.
She said this resulted in the
upgrading of the hydro-electric
plants in the Richmond,
South Rivers and Cumberland;
development of a solar farm
that powers the entire island
of Union in the southern Grenadines
(a solar farm is also at
the Argyle International Airport
and on some government
buildings in capital Kingstown);
and the recent exploration
of geothermal energy on
mainland St. Vincent.
“I am happy to announce
that a second well has been
dug, and the temperature is
better than anticipated; permeability
and steam are present,”
Charles said. “This means the
third well will commence digging
shortly.”
She said these actions are
geared towards ensuring that
the country has 80 percent
green energy by 2022.
“Not only are we adapting to
the vagaries of climate change,
but citizens at home would
enjoy the benefit of cheaper
energy bills,” the Member of
Parliament said.
She said that since the commencement
of operations at
the Argyle International Airport,
air travel to the country
MP Sen. Deborah Charles addresses 40th Independence
Anniversary Gala Luncheon on Sunday at Grand Prospect
Hall in Brooklyn Photo by Nelson A. King
has seen a rise in visitor
arrival.
Similarly, she said there is
a rise in cruise ships to the
state.
“This has given rise to the
consideration of a new port in
the city,” Charles said. “Therefore,
the process of rehabilitating
residents within the immediate
area is in motion.”
With sportsmen and women
making the country “proud,
both at home and abroad,”
she disclosed that funding has
been secured for the building
of the long-anticipated sports
stadium at Diamond.
MP salutes Vincentians in New York
Diaspora for ‘unwavering support’
Types and typical victims of
prostate cancer
Most forms of the disease
progress slowly and are highly
treatable. However, prostate
cancer is deadly, and it kills
quickly. Once a patient’s cancer
reaches its fourth and final stage,
the five-year survival rate is is a
dismal 29 percent.
Two groups of men are
particularly susceptible to prostate
cancer: those over the age of 70,
and African-American men. The
latter are 1.6 times more likely
to develop the disease than white
men, and 2.6 times more likely to
experience prostate cancer than
Asian-American men.
Prostate cancer: Symptoms
and diagnosis
Most alarming is that many
patients with the disease don’t
experience any symptoms.
Experts like Dr. Joshua Halpern
of the Accord Physicians Group
recommends that all men, especially
African Americans, be screened
regularly for prostate cancer by a
doctor once they reach age 40.
Dr. Halpern is a certified radiation
oncologist who received his
oncology training at Roswell Park
Cancer Institute and MD Anderson
Cancer Center, the nation’s leading
cancer treatment center. He has
treated all forms of cancer for more
than 40 years, and has had handson
experience with thousands of
prostate cancer patients. He explains
the processes that urologists use to
diagnose and confirm the disease.
The first step in the rigorous
process of diagnosing prostate
cancer is to draw blood and conduct
a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
test. PSA is a protein naturally
produced in men’s prostate glands,
and abnormally-high PSA levels
may indicate the presence of
prostate cancer, although they
could also be signs of other prostate
issues such as inflammation or
enlargement.
Normal levels of the protein are
usually in the 0.0–4.0 range. But
once the PSA levels are greater than
4.0, Dr. Halpern says, the normal
procedure is to recommend a
biopsy during which a small section
of prostate tissue is removed and
examined for signs of cancer.
Dr. Halpern explains that if
the biopsy results are positive for
prostate cancer, the next step is
to consult a radiation oncologist.
At Accord Physicians Group, he
and his fellow physicians work in
close collaboration to decide on a
course of action.
Prostate cancer treatment
Dr. Halpern is one of the first
oncologists to use a form of treatment
called Image Guided Radiation
Therapy (IGRT). It is completely
non-invasive, and involves 45
10-minute sessions during which a
short beam of radiation is targeted
directly at the inside of the prostate.
“Published reports on IMRT/
IGRT radiation, with careful
administration, have shown the best
results and the lowest toxicity,” says
Dr. Halpern. “In our experience,
tumor control is very high and
tolerance to our treatment is nearly
universal.”
Excellent results of the cancer
control as well as the low side effect
profile are due to the fascinating
physics of this radiation therapy.
The plan that’s used to deliver
the radiotherapy is individually
and specifically designed for each
person. It takes into account the
differences that all people have in
relation to their size, muscle to body
fat ratio, and the physical size of the
prostate and the surrounding organs.
It also takes into consideration any
anatomic changes that may have
occurred due to previous pelvic
surgeries, trauma, and anatomic
abnormalities such as inguinal
hernias. After this detailed plan is
complete, the treatment therapy
begins. On a daily basis during
the therapy, the equipment and
the technician who delivers the
radiation performs a daily minute
adjustment to precisely deliver the
radiotherapy despite differences
such as contents of the colon and the
amount of urine in the bladder at the
time of treatment.
Once IGRT therapy has been
completed, the patient usually
exhibits dramatically lower PSA
levels, indicating that the cancer is
either gone or is fully in remission.
In the occasional case when PSA
levels remain extremely high, the
oncologist will meet regularly
with the patient to track progress
and discuss options. All medical
personnel at Accord Physicians
Group have received special training
to ensure the patient’s comfort
during and after treatment, and to
respectfully and compassionately
assist him with the emotional
effects of a cancer diagnosis and
treatment.
Accord Physicians Group and
prostate cancer
Dr. Halpern states, “Over the
last 10 years we treated hundreds
of prostate cancer patients at
Accord Physicians.” He elaborates,
that “Our cure and remission rates
are between 93 and 95 percent
over this 10-year period, and our
side effect profile is well below the
national average.”
Dr. Halpern urges all men —
particularly African-American
men over the age of 40 — to be
screened regularly for prostate
cancer.
Accord Physicians PLLC
2270 Kimball St #101, Brooklyn,
NY 11234
For more information visit
www.accordmd.com
To schedule consultation
with doctor Halpern
call 718-808-9383
BUS I N E S S , B ROOK LYN S T Y LE – A DV E RTI S E M E NT
How to outsmart prostate cancer!
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in America, ranking only behind skin cancer — and it will affect one out of
every nine American men during their lifetime. In fact, research has shown that more than half of all men in the United States
over the age of 70 are now living with some form of prostate cancer.
/www.accordmd.com
/www.accordmd.com