SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - On Thursday, September 26, family and friends of Justina Hunt experienced her birth date for the first time in 47 years without her. Justina Hunt, better known Dominga in St. Martin, was born in the Dominican Republic on September 26, 1972. Justina “Dominga” was murdered in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on August 10, 2019. She was 46.

Her son Christian Marcelino Martes and daughter Megan Leah Hunt survive the late Justina. The deceased also left to mourn her mother, Santa Mercedes; her sisters Cristina, Andrea, and Yenny in St. Martin, and her brother Wilfredo in the USA.

"Dominga was my very close friend. She arrived in St. Martin from Santo Domingo in 1989, and left for St. Thomas in 2001. I missed her then; missing her now is like a nightmare,” said Zoila Meran Carlucci.

“Dominga was a happy woman who loved life. She loved her family very much and always enjoyed a good time with her friends. Imagine the pain that her mother, children, sisters and brother are going through every day and now to remember her so soon on the day that she should be celebrating her 47^th birthday,” said Zoila.

“I also remember Dominga as a hard-working woman. She was a loving mother to her children,” said Zoila, who now lives in the USA. When Justina Dominga went to St. Thomas in 2001, it was to attend family matters on behalf of her late father, Andrés Hunt, and she decided to stay there, said Zoila.

In St. Martin, Justina Dominga worked at Robby’s Lottery and Lightning Casino between 1989 and 2001. In St. Thomas, Justina worked at a jewelry store, said her sister Andrea.

The remains of the deceased were cremated in the Virgin Islands following the funeral service in August. Subsequently, a well-attended gathering in memory of Justina Dominga was held in St. Martin for family and friends, said Zoila.

Justina Hunt lost her life in an alleged domestic violence-related murder. The V.I. Police Department had confirmed the August 10 murder of Justina in Bovini, St. Thomas—and that “a man known as ‘Antonio’ … classified as armed and dangerous” was “wanted in connection with the Saturday evening murder,” according to the August 11 edition of stthomassource.com.

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Fire Chief/National Disaster Coordinator of the Office of Disaster Management Clive Richardson is calling on the community to remain vigilant with two months – October and November - to go in the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.

The Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS) said on Thursday that Hurricane Lorenzo, now Category 4 major hurricane over the Central Atlantic, is predicted to remain over the open Atlantic waters and does not pose a threat to Sint Maarten.

Lorenzo is the fifth hurricane of the season and the third major hurricane (Cat 3+), and the 12^th named storm system of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.

The remaining storm names for the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season are: Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy.

The community and new residents are urged to learn more about hurricane hazards and how to prepare for a storm/hurricane strike by visiting the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your “Hurricane Season Readiness Guide’ and “Hurricane Tracking Chart.”

Listen to the Government Radio station – 107.9FM - for official information and news before, during and after a hurricane.

For official weather-related information, check out the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com

Remember, it only takes one hurricane to make it a bad season. Are You Ready? Be prepared this hurricane season! The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on November 30.

SINT MAARTEN/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - The event will have experts and health and technology authorities that will analyze the challenges of the sector to promote a digital transformation in health. 

Arium Health, an information technology services company that aims to improve health quality standards and promote digital transformation, announced the agenda of the 1st Latin American Digital Health Congress, which will be held on November 15th, at the Intercontinental Hotel of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 

Fedor Vidal, CEO and Managing Partner of Arium Health USA and an international expert in health technology and business, announced that the event holds more than 30 speakers. 

The Minister of Health, Dr. Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas will open the congress, and as international guests Dr. Elsie Koh, chief medical information officer of Azura Vascular Care; Jim Rogers, senior director at Silverline; Ronda Rogers, director of population health & consumer engagement at Geneia; and Arturo Aceves-Serrano, director of international market and communications development for Philadelphia International Medicine. 

Amelia Reyes Mora, president of AF Strategic Communication, an expert agency in health communication and health tourism and event coordinator, reported that the meeting is an ideal scenario to share, update, generate knowledge networks and exchanges of good practices. 

She recognized the media partners, sponsors, and the endorsement given by many institutions. 

Strategic issues will be addressed to support the transformation, such as Change Management: without change of mind, there is no change in the system, by Julio Zelaya, an authority on Change Management issues. 

Luis Alberto Rodríguez, general director of the Medical Center for Diabetes, Obesity, and Specialties (CEMDOE) and AFFINIS, will speak on Precision Health. Edgar Matamoros, IT Services Solution Manager of Ricoh Latin America, will speak about The digital age in health: where are we going; while Mite Nishio, an innovation and telecommunications consultant will present the Impact of exponential technologies. 

The panels will be moderated by Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the Dominican Health Tourism Association; Dr. Eduardo Read, president of the Dominican Association of Primary Care Centers; Juan Carlos Restrepo, vice president of Technology of Grupo Humano, and Eddy Martínez, president of the Cyber Park. 

The Hospital Digital Transformation will be developed by Dr. José López, Medical Director of Central Romana; Greisy Concepción, General Director of Grupo Rescue; Héctor Sánchez, deputy director-general of Homs; Claudia Arvelo, Administrative Director of the Espaillat Cabral Institute. 

The topic of Digital Transformation at the Risk Manager of Health entities (ARS) will be analyzed by María Waleska Álvarez, executive president of Nap del Caribe; Nepomuceno Mejía, senior manager of Knowledge Management and Innovation at the Plaza de la Salud General Hospital, and Lucas Gaitán, general director of Unipago. 

The impact of the digital era in the formation of the new generation of health providers panel is composed by José Armando Tavarez, rector of ITLA; Leandro Féliz Matos, general director of Research of UNIBE; Eddy Pérez Then, dean of Health of O&M University, and Franklin Gómez, emergency and disaster residence coordinator at the Plaza de la Salud General Hospital. 

Challenges of the implementation of primary care and the unique electronic medical record will be discussed by Dr. Pedro Luis Castellanos, Superintendent of SISALRIL; José Manuel Vargas, president of the ADARS; Dr. Francisca Moronta Ceballos, president of the Association of Family and Community Medicine, and Magdalena Rathe, executive director of the Plenitud Foundation. 

The endorsements and sponsors include Amadita Laboratorio Clinico, Farmacia Carol, Ricoh, Philadelphia International Medicine, ITLA, INTEC, the Dominican Health Tourism Association, among others. 

Reyes Mora highlighted and thanked the support of the media partners that have been unique to achieve effective dissemination of this important initiative: Listín Diario, Medihealth, Diario Salud, dohealthwell,Salud News, Diario de Salud, and La Consulta Médica. 

For more information visit congresosaluddigital.com and email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SINT MAARTEN (LITTLE BAY) - Benu Pharmacy health lecture series on stress in the workplace kicked off Wednesday night at Divi Little Bay. Sharon Burgler from Forsalidad, a life force expert who has been coaching, training and advising medical and other professionals on stress and related topics for 20 years, discussed the impact of continuous stress, and on job satisfaction.

Burgler also offered tips to those in attendance explaining how chronic stress in the workplace is present in various forms, which stimulates the development of burn out, depression, dysfunction, and causing a lack of creativity, team spirit, commitment, alertness and ultimately indifference.

The lecture continues on Thursday where the causes and effects of stress and examples to cope with this will be discussed. The general public are invited to attend. The Seminar is being held at the Divi Little Bay Beach Resort starting at 7pm.

Interested persons can register online by visiting the Benu Pharmacy webpage or at the venue from 6.30pm untill 7pm.