U of Massachusetts Amherst cancels public health program in Cuba following Hurricane Irma

UMass Amherst officials canceled a program allowing 13 students to study in Cuba following intense damage to the island after Hurricane Irma made landfall Sept. 8, MassLive reports.

The program constituted a collaboration between the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, the university's International Programs Office and various Cuban education and healthcare organizations. Students were initially scheduled to stay in Cuba and study the nation's public health system as part of the program.

In a statement to MassLive, university officials said the IPO "in consultation with on-campus and off-campus partners," decided to suspend the program after discovering "many of the housing units where students were to live were badly damaged in the flooding, as was the center where classes were to take place."

University officials reportedly consulted with numerous organizations before canceling the program, including the U.S. Department of State, which advised U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to Cuba while recovery efforts continue.

Six of the 13 students will take part in programs in Costa Rica and Spain. The remaining seven students "were given multiple supports to get them enrolled in classes, find housing and assist them with any other issues as a result of this decision," the report states.

 

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