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Heartline Magazine July - September 2005
CEO’s Outlook
Adrian J L Randall
Chief Executive Officer
This quarter it is back to the health topics having as I
write this not long returned from three weeks leave in the UK with much visiting
of friends and relations and far too much eating and not enough exercise. So
returning to Barbados I certainly need to lose those pounds put on whilst I was
away. However, in the three weeks since I have got back the weather has not been
too conducive to my favourite type of exercise that is swimming. So what about
eating?
Doing my reading I came across in the magazine of the
British Heart Foundation an article about the “polymeal”, a diet which aims at
reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. It has been devised as an
alternative to taking a vast number of pills and to provide a menu of foods that
would offer a safer, tastier alternative.
However, fitting the polymeal into your diet programme could
be a challenge! You can spread the food throughout the day, but eating less than
the recommended amount might reduce the effects of the polymeal.
To start with you should be aiming for five portions of
fruits and vegetables daily. This means effectively fruit or fruit juice for
breakfast, then having fruits, salad or raw vegetables for lunch or snacks.
Finally you will require one or two vegetables as part of your evening meal or
fruit in puddings.
Fish is easy to prepare – steamed, grilled or baked. So
eating 114g (3-4oz) of it four times a week should not be a problem and it will
reduce the risk of heart disease by 14%. The wine requirement, 150 ml, could be
used in cooking, as a marinade or a small glass drunk with the evening meal.
Garlic is great in salads, stir fries, chilli, soup and
casseroles. Almonds make a quick snack and you can sprinkle them on muesli at
breakfast, salad at lunch, putting them in casseroles or fruit salad.
Chocolate is an interesting component of this diet and is
full of fat so you have to be careful what other fats you consume in addition to
the daily intake of 100g of chocolate recommended! Do remember, however, dark
chocolate is good, milk chocolate is bad.
It is important to remember that you can reduce your risk of
heart disease and stroke by having your blood pressure checked regularly,
exercising, eating a healthy diet and not smoking. The polymeal is not intended
to replace this good advice but to supplement it.
Now for something completely different. On 31st August 2005
I completed my first year as CEO and more recently, 30th September, the
Foundation’s financial year finished. So a quick look back at some of the
achievements of the first year.
• Produced our first Annual Operating Plan 2004/5 and more
recently that for 2005/6
• Launched a new website on 22nd November 2004 – www.hfob.org
• Revamped Heartline and increased its circulation from 2,000 to 3,000 and in
Partnership with RBC to 4,000 for the July-September 2005 edition
• Initiated the first mass first aid training exercise Care for Life
• Brought the accounting function in-house using QuickBooks
• Produced a detailed budget for 2004/5 and 2005/6
• Celebrated the tenth anniversary of the CDP&R Centre at an Open Day on 28th
January 2005
• Commenced a weekly interview series on CBC’s The Chat Room
• Increased significantly press coverage in both The Advocate and Daily Nation
• Launched a survey of Barbadian’s knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) in
relation to heart disease
• Held a joint fundraising concert, An evening of music,
• Introduction of Bingo into the Fundraising calendar
• Held the very successful fourth annual Emergency Cardiac Care Conference
• Organised and re-introduced the Healthy Lifestyle Seminar for Business and
Professional Executives in partnership with Sagicor General under a three year
agreement
• Participated in the Kiwanis “Silver Dollars for Children “ appeal
• Signed up Guardian Life of the Caribbean as partner in our World Heart Day
event for the next three years
All these objectives could not have been achieved without
financial support. Therefore further efforts are being made to raise funds to
support the increased activity of the Foundation. These include:
• Increased marketing of the CDP&R programme to reach more
individuals
• A drive to increase membership
• Sponsorship approaches to Corporate Barbados
• Campaigning for increased covenants
• Increased advertising revenue via specific sponsorship of an edition of
Heartline
• Extending range and frequency of CPR courses
• More Bingos
So income generating plans are very much based around “more
of the same” as they say. In addition what else is planned for the immediate
future?
• TV Media Campaign re KAPs – November 2005 – January 2006
• Launch of the “Stoplight” Campaign in SuperCentre stores –November 2005
• Follow up survey re KAPS –January/February 2006
• Healthy Hearts Clubs in primary schools
• Bingo Sherbourne Conference Centre 2nd February 2006
However the biggest challenge that we face as we move to the
next level continues to be raising the funds and generating the income to
finance the achievement of the agreed objectives. So we will continue to look at
income generating projects as a matter of priority. All our events need to meet
our main objective of keeping Barbadians heart healthy whether they are:
• Fundraising or
• Educational or
• Profile raising
Your help as ever will be needed.
2nd November 2005
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