REGISTRATION & HOTEL CHECK-IN  10:00am-4:00pm

6:00pm-7:30pm – Opening Session with Special Guests (followed by buffet dinner)

8:30pm-10:00pm  Performance by the Tumba Francesa La Caridad de Oriente

7:45am-8:15am (2 OPTIONS)

9:00am-4:00pm  (3 OPTIONS; CHOOSE 1)

1. HISTORIC SANTIAGO: Explore Santiago’s rich patrimony with Cuban historians…from San Juan Hill to the Morro Castle and beyond.

The history begins in Céspedes Park in the city center, named after Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who freed his slaves to fight together for Cuba’s independence from Spain.  From there, to San Juan Hill, where Cuban independence fighters were joined by the US “Rough Riders” to defeat Spain in 1898…only to be left out when the US signed a truce with the Spanish colonialists, beginning the era of US occupation.  You’ll pass by Revolution Square, named after Cuban independence General Antonio Maceo, and by the Moncada Garrison (now a school), which Fidel Castro’s small band of rebels attacked in 1953 to begin a new chapter in Cuban history.  Finally, you’ll walk the paths of Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, a patrimonial site that Cubans treasure, since it is the final resting place of many Cuban heroes and martyrs…including José Martí and Mariana Grajales, as well as Fidel Castro.

Lunch with historians: at El Morro Castle overlooking Santiago’s Bay .

2.  SANTIAGO´S CULTURE & RELIGIONS: Learn how history, belief systems and Caribbean diversity make Santiago Cuba’s most unique city, joined by the people who practice these traditions.

Climb to the hilltop site of the Monument to the Runaway Slave by noted artist and sculptor Alberto Lescay.

NOTE: Please be aware that some climbing is involved with this option to reach the Monument to the Runaway Slave

Then, travel across the valley to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba’s Patron Saint, all in the company of specialists from the Casa del Caribe (House of the Caribbean).

Lunch with Casa del Caribe specialists: at the Terraza de Caridad, where you’ll be making your own coffee the old-fashioned way.

7:00pm-8:00pm    Buffet Dinner, Hotel Meliã Santiago

8:30pm-10:00pm    Casa del Caribe

Visit the rural municipality of Segundo Frente in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

As you walk the streets, speak with family doctors, nurses, other health professionals and patients in primary health care settings such as the community polyclinic, senior center, and the physical rehabilitation center.  See how western and natural/traditional medicine are integrated into care.

Hear from museum curators at the monument to the fighters against Batista in the 1950s, at the mausoleum where they are buried.

Finally, join cooperative farmers, as you learn by doing…learning the delicate task of harvesting ripe coffee beans from the vine, in this region famed for its quality brew.

Lunch on site at the cooperatives, prepared for small groups of participants at each one, all ingredients locally grown and raised.

NOTE: Important to wear comfortable shoes and take insect repellent.

7:00pm-9:00pm (2 OPTIONS, CHOOSE 1)  Buffet Dinner with Guests 

At the Meliã Santiago Buffet, sit at small-group tables with a Cuban health professional who has served abroad, or a Haitian student from the island’s Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM).

1. Health Care for the World: Cuban health workers who have volunteered abroad share their personal stories

Nearly 400,000 Cuban health professionals have offered medical services in 162 countries since the first cooperative effort following the 1960 earthquake in Chile. Today, some 40,000 serve in over 60 countries, most in the poorest urban and rural areas.

Cuban Medical Services has the responsibility for these activities, and also for medical care that foreigners choose to receive in Cuba…so-called “health tourism.” Due to the embargo, US patients are prohibited from receiving health care in Cuba, except in emergencies…at least for now.

2. Cuban Medical Education Cooperation: Haitian students at the Latin American School of Medicine share their experiences

Since its first class of 2005, the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) has graduated nearly 30,000 physicians from low-income communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas, including the USA.  Thousands more are enrolled in the program, thanks to full scholarships offered by Cuba. These new, young doctors make a commitment to work in underserved areas upon graduation.

You’ll meet Haitian students, who study at ELAM’s eastern campus at the Medical University of Santiago.  Many of these young students and graduates served their people after the 2010 earthquake ravaged Haiti.

7:45am-8:15am  (2 OPTIONS)

9:00am-4:00pm  (3 OPTIONS; CHOOSE 1)

1. HISTORIC SANTIAGO: Explore Santiago’s rich patrimony with Cuban historians…from San Juan Hill to the Morro Castle and beyond.

The history begins in Céspedes Park in the city center, named after Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who freed his slaves to fight together for Cuba’s independence from Spain.

From there, to San Juan Hill, where Cuban independence fighters were joined by the US “Rough Riders” to defeat Spain in 1898…only to be left out when the US signed a truce with the Spanish colonialists, beginning the era of US occupation.

You’ll pass by Revolution Square, named after Cuban independence General Antonio Maceo, and by the Moncada Garrison (now a school), which Fidel Castro’s small band of rebels attacked in 1953 to begin a new chapter in Cuban history.

Finally, you’ll walk the paths of Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, a patrimonial site that Cubans treasure, since it is the final resting place of many Cuban heroes and martyrs…including José Martí and Mariana Grajales, as well as Fidel Castro.

Lunch with historians: at El Morro Castle overlooking Santiago’s Bay (see photo above).

2. SANTIAGO´S CULTURE & RELIGIONS: Learn how history, belief systems and Caribbean diversity make Santiago Cuba’s most unique city, joined by the people who practice these traditions.

Climb to the hilltop site of the Monument to the Runaway Slave by noted artist and sculptor Alberto Lescay.

NOTE: Please be aware that some climbing is involved with this option to reach the Monument to the Runaway Slave

Then, travel across the valley to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba’s Patron Saint, all in the company of specialists from the Casa del Caribe (House of the Caribbean).

Lunch with Casa del Caribe specialists: at the Terraza de Caridad, where you’ll be making your own coffee the old-fashioned way.

3.  EDUCATION & THE ENVIRONMENT: Learn from specialists at a lush tropical garden.

This is a public-private partnership in action, between landowners and the Ministry of Science, Technology & the Environment, designed to enhance the environment and protect Cuba’s endemic flora. Get your hands dirty, and learn from Manolito and Maité!  Then, set sail to Granma Key in the middle of Santiago’s Bay, where culture meets environmental cleanup, and young people transform the bay’s flotsam and jetsam into art. They’ll surely involve you!

Lunch with local cultural promoter and her merry band: at El Cayo Restaurant

7:00pm-10:00pm   Conference Closing & Dinner Gala

This evening we will celebrate over two decades of MEDICC’s efforts to bring the US and Cuban health and medical communities together for one goal: improve  the lives of people everywhere, especially the most vulnerable.

A program with SPECIAL GUESTS is followed by the music of the Septeto Santiaguero, 2015 Latin Grammy Winner and the pride of Santiago! They have performed traditional Cuban music worldwide, most recently at the Latin Grammy Awards, where they were nominated for the 5^th time…this time for Best Tropical Traditional Album.

Location: Hotel’s Santiago Café.

Sunday, December 9   (2 options, choose 1)

1.  5:30am-5:00pm    Journey through 20^th Century History

Historians accompany you by jeep and then a 1.9-mile hike into the heart of the Sierra Maestra mountains to La Plata, where Fidel Castro’s Rebel Army made its headquarters in the 1950s. A rare look inside the well-preserved site of the outnumbered rebels who defeated Fulgencio Batista’s forces and marched into Santiago on January 1, 1959.

You’ll see the radio station set up by the legendary Ché Guevara and the camp itself, including the small house where Fidel Castro stayed.

The rebels spent nearly three years in the mountains, where they saw firsthand the conditions of Cubans living in the countryside…from the children with bloated bodies from parasites,

to the sick who were taken on stretchers to the coast in hopes of flagging down a passing ship….no health care, other than that provided by the rebel doctors, was available.

After 1959, Cuba set up a universal public health system, with rural medical service provided by newly graduated doctors, one of its first achievements.

NOTE: Lunch is served on site at the Santo Domingo Villa, after reaching the camp.  The hike itself takes two hours each way. You should plan on wearing loose, cotton clothes and boots if possible, or at least sturdy sneakers. Take insect repellent, extra water and sweets for the climb. It is not particularly steep, but requires you to be in good health.

2. 12:00pm-5:00pm   Lunch offsite, then Casa de la Trova, Santiago

Built in the 19^th century, this is THE emblematic site of Cuban music in all its forms…from son, to danzón to salsa, rumba and bolero. A chance to listen to the best and move with their rhythms, as curators explain the origins of the music.

Enjoy a multigenerational afternoon with Santiago’s people…you won’t be able to sit still!  

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR IN CUBA!

Remember….health care is everyone’s right.