Topping-out’ ceremony for new Camana Bay Health and Wellness Centre

By Stuart Wilson

The new Center for Health and Wellness at 55 Cerasee Way, Camana Bay, reached a milestone moment in its construction on 26th March with a traditional ‘Topping Out celebration’.

It marked the placement of the final structural beam at the highest point of the building.

Representatives from the Dart organisation and Health City, as well as the Cayman Islands Government, media and members of the public were present to witness and celebrate the occasion.

Dart’s Executive Vice President for Development, Gary Gibbs, welcomed the audience and outlined the details of the new building and its objectives. 

“We are here to mark a significant milestone in the construction of this purpose built multi-disciplinary medical facility,” he remarked. 

Mr Gibbs said the beam that was about to be hoisted represented not only the highest point of the building but also the coordinated and cohesive work of the teams involved in getting the project to the present stage, ahead of schedule.

“For more than 20 years, Dart’s approach has remained steadfast: to create spaces that are of the place, carefully thought and planned to sustainably cater to a growing community.”

He added that from the outset, Camana Bay has been a carefully master-planned hub that now features over 1 million square feet of thoughtfully-designed retail, residential and commercial office space.

“Health City, which sits just next door to the new Centre for Health and Wellness in Camana Bay, is a modern facility delivering world-class healthcare. Together the two will form an exciting and new District in Camana Bay where Cayman’s medical and wellness professionals can serve those who live in and visit the Cayman Islands.”

UNIQUE FEATURES

Mr Gibbs explained that the project represents 118,000 sq ft purpose built medical and wellness space designed to be flexible and resilient, supporting a wide range of healthcare leases, now and well into the future.

Features include infrastructure that accommodates specialist equipment and design features that make it easier for tenants to ‘fit out’ their premises in line with local guidelines.

The facility is designed with areas for reinforced structural loading for medical equipment, high ceiling, and an integrated biohazard waste disposal. It incorporates full system redundancy and energy recovery.

Another design feature makes it adaptable to meet future medical, technological and operational needs, allowing the building to evolve without compromising its performance.

“At Dart sustainability is at the heart of what we do and as with other developments at Camana Bay, we are constructing to LEEDS standards, a globally recognised certification programme that promotes the whole building approach,” Mr Gibbs stated.

WELCOME BOOST FOR WELLNESS IN CAYMAN

Heart Surgeon and Health City’s Clinical Director, Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil gave the keynote address, in which he elaborated on the preventative care, which the new building will facilitate. He said a common pattern he sees with patients in his practice is that they come too late to seek help.

“Very rarely do patients come for a general test without complications,” he pointed out.

Stressing the importance of early diagnosis, Dr Chattuparambil added:

“If we want people to take prevention seriously, healthcare has to be a part of everyday life. Camana Bay is a place where people live, work and spend their time and this makes access more practical.” 

Hon. Minister for Health, Katherine Ebanks-Wilks informed that the Government would also be rolling out several programmes to promote wellness and healthy living in the coming months.

“What we are trying to do in the Ministry of Health is to educate the public on taking care of your health at an early stage. We have taken the ‘steps survey’ and rather than taking a report and shelving it, we are starting to move forward with trying to ensure that we bring down non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and high blood pressure.”

She also announced that the Ministry will also be launching a movement challenge at the end of this month as a way “to make sure persons are taking preventative care more seriously.”

The strong connection between the address of the new facility - ‘Cerasee Way’ - and traditional healthcare in Cayman was also highlighted.

“Cerasee has long been valued across the Caribbean for its medicinal properties. As a child, I remember my father giving me cerasee tea for just about everything – from rashes to stomach ailments,” Min. Wilks recalled.

The cerasee herb has been associated with nutrition and healthcare locally for generations.

Dart Senior Vice President for Sales and Leasing, Kristy Rivers, said every detail in the new development would deliver better outcomes for both practitioners and patients.

“Camana Bay has matured over the years, from an ambitious vision to a vibrant fully realised Town Centre…Our understanding of what a community needs to truly thrive has deepened  and today it is abundantly clear that wellness is not a luxury, it is a priority,” she remarked.