{"id":2564,"date":"2020-08-10T00:49:32","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T00:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=2564"},"modified":"2020-08-10T00:49:35","modified_gmt":"2020-08-10T00:49:35","slug":"musicians-push-for-dispatch-of-cuban-medical-brigade-to-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/musicians-push-for-dispatch-of-cuban-medical-brigade-to-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Musicians Push for Dispatch of Cuban Medical Brigade to U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Renowned singer-songwriter Eric Roberson said he\u2019s no stranger to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, especially after learning about its global impact in conversations with his international students at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and later losing a couple of friends to COVID-19-related complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months since reports of the first domestic COVID-19 case surfaced, Roberson continued to produce music, not for his financial well-being, but to raise the spirits of those confined to their homes during a public health emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid ongoing efforts to curb COVID-19\u2019s spread, Roberson has also used his talents in support of a campaign to bring a well-known Cuban medical brigade to the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Black people, music has been the soundtrack and motivation between every movement we had,\u201d Roberson told The Informer. \u201cAs a musician and artist, I learned early on that I\u2019m fortunate to make a living doing this, but it\u2019s a service first and foremost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I create music, it brings me peace and I share it [with the hopes] it brings others peace,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most powerful tools I know we have, and we should always encourage our musicians and artists to look at it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roberson counted among a bevy of vocalists and instrumentalists from across the African diaspora who performed during an online benefit concert on the weekend of July 25 as part of the \u201cGet Out of Cuba\u2019s Way!\u201d campaign, launched earlier this year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two-day virtual event counted as the third stage in a highly organized attempt to shed light on the work of Cuba\u2019s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade in combating COVID-19 in various countries, particularly those with whom the nation has shaky or nonexistent diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April, campaign organizers demanded in a two-page letter that the U.S. government allow contingents of the 7,400-member volunteer corp an opportunity to assist domestic hospitals and clinics, train health care workers and collaborate with the American Medical Association, National Medical Association and Black Nurses Association, and authorize the use of Interferon Alpha 2B, a treatment developed by Cuba\u2019s Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology that\u2019s been deemed effective against COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the campaign\u2019s inception, COVID-19 cases in the U.S, numbering in the thousands, had already surpassed figures reported by other countries, including Cuba which only had 650 positive cases and 20 deaths. Communities for which the coronavirus posed a significant danger included people of color, a significant number of who suffered from preexisting conditions that placed them at higher risk of contracting the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deadly virus nearly claimed the life of Ignacio \u201cNachito\u201d Herrera, a Cuban-born jazz pianist who would later become a proponent of tightening safety measures and key supporter of the \u201cGet Out of Cuba\u2019s Way!\u201d campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late March, Herrera spent nearly two weeks fighting the illness under the supervision of doctors at the University of Minnesota who implemented life-saving measures in collaboration with Cuban medical professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks to Cuban Ambassador Jose Ramon Caba\u00f1as in D.C., my wife\/manager Aurora was able to get in contact with Dr. Tania Crombet, a specialist of epidemiology in Cuba,\u201d Herrera, a U.S. resident of two decades, told The Informer in his account of a lengthy battle during which he experienced organ failure and temporarily lost movement of his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months leading up to his July 25 performance at the online benefit concert, Herrera continued promoting the U.S.-Cuba collaboration as a key reason for what he described as a miraculous recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDr. Crombet and other doctors in Cuba worked with Dr. Melisa Brunsvold of the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation program in Minnesota to take care of my lungs and replace it with fresh oxygen,\u201d he said. \u201cIn between the whole team of cardiologists and doctors in Cuba, I was able to be brought back to life. It\u2019s imperative to let the people know that two health programs can work together [for the benefit] of the whole community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuba\u2019s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade \u2014 a brainchild of the late Fidel Castro that was later named for a soldier in the Cuban war for independence \u2014 has assisted more than 60 foreign nations on medical missions, even as U.S. officials attempted to circumvent such collaborations with assertions that the Cuban government exploits its doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, 28,000 Cuban doctors, nurses and medical personnel were already dispatched to other countries. Much to the chagrin of the Trump administration, the brigade would later provide services in more than two dozen countries, including Italy and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These acts of service continue what \u201cGet Out of Cuba\u2019s Way!\u201d campaign organizer Obi Egbuna Jr. described as a tradition that the U.S. continues to disregard, and attempt to sabotage, for overtly political reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to defending Cuba\u2019s territorial sovereignty, we too often overlook the cultural assault, this primarily because of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the 635 assassination attempts on the life of Commandante Fidel Castro and the illegal racist blockade,\u201d Egbuna said. \u201cWe must not forget that films like \u2018The Godfather Part II\u2019 and the 1984 remake of \u2018Scarface\u2019 were Hollywood\u2019s contribution to Cold War propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis includes the boxing match in the 1980s involving Aaron Pryor and Alexis Arguello,\u201d Egbuna said. \u201cIt was a pleasure to rally artists all over the African world to show their love and appreciation for the Cuban People and their revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: The Washington Informer<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Renowned singer-songwriter Eric Roberson said he\u2019s no stranger to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, especially after learning about its global impact in conversations with […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101011,"featured_media":2565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cuba"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1408,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuban-medical-brigade-arrived-in-qatar-to-fight-covid-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":2564,"position":0},"title":"Cuban Medical Brigade Arrived in Qatar to Fight Covid-19","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A brigade of Cuban health professionals arrived in Qatar to support the fight against Covid-19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba publishes this Thursday on its web portal. The collaborators were received by Dr. Mohamed Almarri, executive director of the Cuban Hospital of Dukhan and head of the Focal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"Covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban-Doctors-Qatar.png?fit=680%2C453&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban-Doctors-Qatar.png?fit=680%2C453&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuban-Doctors-Qatar.png?fit=680%2C453&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1357,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-upcoming-arrival-of-the-second-cuban-health-brigade-is-welcome-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":2564,"position":1},"title":"The upcoming arrival of the second Cuban health brigade is welcome in Italy","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Second Cuban Medical Brigade is coming to Italy to support Piedmont's health staff, in the fight against COVID-19, a new medical brigade from Cuba of the Cuban Contingent Henry Reeve has been working successfully on the front of natural disasters and serious epidemics in different continents.The presence of Cuban\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"Covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuban_doctor_Italy.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuban_doctor_Italy.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuban_doctor_Italy.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuban_doctor_Italy.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2057,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/return-of-cubas-first-medical-brigade-from-italy-confirmed\/","url_meta":{"origin":2564,"position":2},"title":"Return of Cuba’s first medical brigade from Italy confirmed","author":"Editorial Team","date":"June 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"All 52 Cuban health collaborators who helped fight the Covid-19 pandemic in Lombardy will return to Cuba on Monday, June 8, the Cuban Embassy in Italy confirmed. A statement from the diplomatic mission stated the medical brigade, made up of 36 doctors, 15 nurses and a logistics specialist, will depart\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"Covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cuba-medicos-2.jpg?fit=480%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3396,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/in-cuba-medical-brigade-that-fought-covid-19-in-kenya\/","url_meta":{"origin":2564,"position":3},"title":"In Cuba, medical brigade that fought Covid-19 in Kenya","author":"Editorial Team","date":"December 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cuban medical brigade that faced Covid-19 in Kenya returned home on Thursday, after six months working with health personnel from the African nation, Granma newspaper reported today . According to the newspaper, President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel welcomed the group of 20 professionals online and expressed interest in holding a meeting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"Covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-kenya.jpg?fit=766%2C421&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-kenya.jpg?fit=766%2C421&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-kenya.jpg?fit=766%2C421&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-kenya.jpg?fit=766%2C421&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1369,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/prime-minister-of-togo-welcomes-cuban-medical-brigade\/","url_meta":{"origin":2564,"position":4},"title":"Prime Minister of Togo welcomes Cuban medical brigade","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Togolese government authorities, led by its Prime Minister Komi S\u00e9lom Klassou, officially welcomed the Cuban medical brigade\u00a0that arrived in Lom\u00e9, the capital city, to combat the pandemic of the new coronavirus. At the meeting,\u00a0the Prime Minister of the African nation thanked Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel for the solidarity which is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"Covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-13-togo-medicos-cubanos.jpg?fit=840%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-13-togo-medicos-cubanos.jpg?fit=840%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-13-togo-medicos-cubanos.jpg?fit=840%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/0-13-togo-medicos-cubanos.jpg?fit=840%2C470&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2364,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuban-doctors-treat-the-most-serious-covid-19-cases-in-haiti\/","url_meta":{"origin":2564,"position":5},"title":"Cuban doctors treat the most serious Covid-19 cases in Haiti","author":"Editorial Team","date":"July 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Port-au-Prince, jul 12 health professionals have been helping to fight Covid-19 in Haiti since April, and so far they have attended some of the most complex cases of the disease that plagues the country today.The twenty specialists of the Henry Reeve brigade work in the main treatment center of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"Covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/medicos-brig-haiti.jpg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/medicos-brig-haiti.jpg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/medicos-brig-haiti.jpg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/medicos-brig-haiti.jpg?fit=748%2C498&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xdTY-Fm","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/washington-musian.png?fit=477%2C338&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101011"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}