Founded in 2008, the Heart Institute of the Caribbean Foundation ( HICF) was established on the principle that quality medical and cardiovascular services should be available to everyone in the Caribbean, regardless of their ability to pay. Recognizing information asymmetry and financial constraints as two of the main barriers to accessing quality medical and cardiovascular care in the Jamaican landscape, the Foundation has sponsored a number of landmark initiatives focused on health promotion, and on making the services of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean financially accessible to all Jamaicans.