To mark Recovery Month, Beacon Farms convened organisations from across the public, private and non-profit sectors on 10 September 2026 for “Strengthening the Continuum of Care,” a symposium focused on closing gaps and deepening collaboration across the Cayman Islands' recovery system for addiction. The half-day working session brought together representatives from government ministries and agencies, treatment centres, counselling services and transitional housing to map the current continuum of care from prevention through to aftercare and integration in the community.
Participants worked through five sessions covering roles and responsibilities across the continuum, monitoring and information-sharing between organisations, funding models for sustainable long-term support, public communications and awareness, and concrete next steps. With the continuum already well-supported from referral through to out-patient treatment, the focus was on opportunities to strengthen early prevention, services for adolescents, and integration and aftercare support.
Employment was cited as a sticking point for many recovering addicts attempting to rebuild their lives. While Beacon Farms offers a range of jobs in agriculture and a safe, sober work environment, there is a need for more private sector employers willing to give people a second chance. The ability to earn a living is key to long-term recovery.
“This symposium reflects the strength of what we can achieve when government, healthcare and community organisations sit down at the same table with a shared purpose,” said Sandy Urquhart, CEO of Beacon Farms. “Everyone in that room is already doing important work. What the symposium gave us is a clearer picture of how those efforts connect, and a real opportunity to build a more joined-up system that helps people move forward in their recovery and stay there. We're grateful to Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks and Permanent Secretary Wayne Panton for joining us and supporting the initiative, and to all our partners for their continued collaboration and commitment to this work.”
Beacon Farms was joined by sister organisation The Bridge Foundation which runs a halfway house in West Bay and refers many of their residents to Beacon Farms for employment. In addition to housing, the Bridge supports reintegration in a myriad of ways from setting up bank accounts and getting government IDs to participating in recovery programmes.
At the close of the symposium, attendees agreed on a set of next steps to carry the momentum forward, including named leads from each participating organisation, a follow-up meeting to be hosted by Beacon Farms before the end of the year, and joint communications efforts.
“This was just the start,” said Urquhart. “We left the room with a shared commitment to keeping this work moving forward. Beacon Farms is proud to keep playing our part alongside these organisations, as together we can genuinely change outcomes for people in recovery.”