News – Bermuda Hospitals Board

Bermuda Hospitals Board announces Road Traffic Accident Statistics for the period 1 January – 31 August 2018

20 September 2018: Bermuda Hospitals Board road traffic accident statistics for the period 1 January 2018 – 31 August 2018, shows the following:

1,224 victims required the Emergency Department

92 victims were admitted to the Acute Care Wing

15 victims were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

6 victims 18 or younger were admitted to the hospital and,

8 victims were discharged to an overseas medical facility, following road traffic accidents.

86 road traffic accident victims were tourists

20 September 2018 Home Page, News

Bermuda Hospitals Board offers free hands-only CPR training

12 September 2018: You could help save a life if you spend just 15 minutes training in cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is providing free training in the modern technique of hands-only CPR.

The most recent studies in cardio pulmonary resuscitation show that constant stimulation of the heart muscle without adding breaths is an effective lifesaving technique. Findings have shown that people are more likely to perform the hands-only method – thus increasing the numbers of people who receive CPR as quickly as possible.

“The American Heart Association recommends that bystanders perform hands-only CPR on teens and adults who suddenly collapse. Bystanders have said they would be more likely to help using hands-only CPR mainly because they were not confident that they would perform the steps in conventional CPR correctly,” said Synda Cook Roberts, BHB’s Clinical Education Manager of Nursing Staff Development.

“BHB is actually the official training centre of the American Heart Association in Bermuda so training with us gives participants information and techniques that have been proven safe, effective and that are backed-up by the most modern research findings,” she added.

Training for the hands-only CPR method takes only 15 minutes.

“We actually train to music,” said Kelly Pitcher, one of BHB’s Clinical Nurse Educators. “The timing of the compressions works very well if you carry it out in sync with the beat of certain songs. Depending on the type of music you favour, we can usually identify a song you can play in your head as you do the chest compressions. The Bee Gees hit Stayin’ Alive works very well.”

Free sessions will be offered on Tuesday 18 September in The Resource Centre located on the ground floor of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. The sessions will take place every 15 minutes starting at 8:30am and ending at 3:45pm. Participants will have to be able to kneel on the floor to carry out the training.

Registration for the training can be done by emailing coursereg@bhb.bm or by calling 239-1029 or 239-1821.

Download the attached flyer and share with friends and colleagues.

BHB_CPR_Training

12 September 2018 Home Page, News

Bermuda Hospitals Board Nominated for Two International Service Excellence Awards

27 August 2018: The WOW! Awards, an international service excellence and employee recognition programme, has nominated Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) for two awards at its gala event this year.

BHB has been nominated in the award categories Unsung Hero and Quality Service Provider of the Year.

Senior Medical Laboratory Technologist Delmonte Swan was nominated in the Unsung Hero category. This award recognises individuals who have made an incredible impact to customers. Organisers said Mr Swan was chosen because of his demonstrated commitment to providing accurate and reliable testing. Mr Swan started at BHB in 1991. Letters commending his dedication and evidencing his unfailing willingness to go beyond his prescribed duties were submitted to BHB’s online employee recognition programme – RISE Awards.

Organisers of the event said BHB’s ability to turn its vision – Exceptional Care. Strong Partnerships. Healthy Community. into reality, resulted in the nomination for Quality Service Provider of the Year. Nominees for this category have demonstrated their ability and willingness to go the extra mile not only for service users but also, staff, suppliers and the wider community.

“We are pleased that our staff and the efforts of BHB as team, have received this recognition,” said Ms Symonds. “To be selected from over 20,000 customer nominations internationally, is a testament to the high caliber of care and service we are committed to affording our Bermuda community. We are proud of the nominations.”

Delmonte Swan and other BHB representatives will attend the WOW! Awards gala on 30 November 2018 in London, England where the winners will be announced.

27 August 2018 Home Page, News

Johns Hopkins Selected as Preferred Bidder for BHB Clinical Affiliate Agreement

14 August 2018: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announces that Johns Hopkins Medicine International has been selected as the preferred bidder for a Clinical Affiliate Agreement (CAA). The CAA aims to partner BHB with a high quality health provider to help improve services and support education. Six US health care organizations responded to the Request for Proposal, and Johns Hopkins was chosen after a thorough selection process.

BHB will now enter into more detailed negotiations to agree on a work plan and finalise financial terms. The agreement does not impact which hospitals BHB patients are referred to, but does seek support in key areas of quality and education. The areas of collaboration include:

Educational opportunities, including BHB placements for undergraduate medical students and nurses and support of BHB’s Clinical Medical Education programme
Access to established and validated policies and guidelines to allow for greater standardization of clinical pathways within BHB
Access to benchmarking data and shared best practice
Assistance with clinical programmes and peer review
Visiting subject matter experts

Venetta Symonds, CEO of BHB, comments: “We are excited to be entering into discussions with Johns Hopkins to discuss how they can support us to achieve BHB’s vision of “Exceptional Care. Strong Partnerships. Healthy Community.” This agreement will support our staff with education and training, and provide BHB with access to the experience and knowledge of a large academic hospital. Johns Hopkins Medicine International gave an excellent proposal and we look forward to sharing further details when the agreement is signed, which we expect to be in early fall.”

“We are very pleased to be the preferred bidder for this effort and look forward to supporting the Bermuda Hospitals Board in achieving their vision for Bermuda,” said Pamela Paulk, president of Johns Hopkins Medicine International. “Johns Hopkins Medicine has a long-standing relationship with Bermuda and its citizens that spans more than two decades. This agreement affords us a unique opportunity to expand our efforts on island as well as furthering our mission to improve the health of the community and the world.”

17 August 2018 Home Page, News

Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre Cup Match holiday hours

30 July 2018:

Bermuda Hospitals Board wishes the public a happy and safe holiday weekend, however if urgent medical care is required the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) in St David’s will be open from 4pm to midnight on Thursday and Friday and from noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

Please note that if your condition is serious, you should go straight to the Emergency Department of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH). There are very limited diagnostic imaging (x-ray) and laboratory testing capabilities at the UCC.

The UCC offers services to assess and treat minor illnesses or injuries that need immediate attention, but are in no way life threatening and are not likely to need surgery or sophisticated diagnostic equipment. This includes sprains, strains, scrapes, cuts, coughs, colds, earaches, bumps and bruises.

The UCC is open every weekday from 4pm to midnight. Regular Saturday and Sunday hours are from noon to midnight.

BHB also reminds the public that KEMH Emergency Department physicians see and treat patients based on the seriousness of their conditions, not in order of arrival. Emergency Department staff will tell you your level of severity and expected wait time when you arrive.

Below are the approximate wait times for each level of severity:

Level 1: Immediate

Level 2: 10 to 15 minutes

Level 3: 30 to 45 minutes

Level 4: 1 to 2 hours

Level 5: 2 hours or more

If you need to contact the UCC, call 298-7700. To contact the KEMH Emergency Department, call 239-2009.

30 July 2018 Home Page, News

New oncologist joins Bermuda Hospitals Board oncology team

25 July 2018: Dr Christopher Price has joined Bermuda Hospital Board’s (BHB) oncology team as a consultant medical oncologist, bringing to three the number of fulltime oncologists on staff (Chief Oncology, Dr Sein Aung and Consultant Oncologist Dr Christopher Fosker).

Dr Price comes to BHB from Worcestershire Royal Hospital in the UK. He achieved his Bachelor of Science in Medical Science with Pharmacology and MBBS (Medicine) from University of London (Kings College). He subsequently completed training in medical oncology in London at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and the University Hospitals of Nottingham and Southampton, UK. In 1993 he was awarded his MD for his research thesis into molecular techniques to monitor response to treatment in lymphoma.

Dr Price was appointed consultant medical oncologist at University Hospitals Bristol, UK, in 1995 and remained there for almost 20 years. For 10 years (2003 to 2013) he served as director of Medical Oncology Training for the UK South West Region. He was active in clinical research in addition to providing clinical service in the busy hospital.

In 2014, he moved to Worcestershire Royal Hospital to help develop and run a new oncology department. Prior to this cancer treatment facility opening in the rural county of Worcestershire in England’s West Midlands, patients in the 560,000-strong Worcestershire population had to travel outside the county to receive the majority of their cancer treatments. Dr Price also served as director of Research & Development at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals from 2014 to 2018 and clinical service lead for Oncology from 2017 to 2018.

“I visited King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) in November last year and was very impressed, not just by the outstanding beauty of the island but the obvious pride of all the staff in the excellent local health services that they are able to provide here despite the island’s geographic constraints,” said Dr Price.

“The ambition of BHB and the KEMH Oncology Department to offer high-quality cancer care to local residents on the island wherever possible, in partnership with local charities and where appropriate with external institutions in North America, was very clear and I was delighted to be given the opportunity to contribute,” he added.

“We are delighted to have been successful in attracting an oncologist with Dr Price’s expertise to Bermuda,” said BHB Chief of Staff Dr Michael Richmond. “The addition of Dr Price to the team is evidence of our commitment to provide treatment locally for our cancer patients. We recognise the ability to be at home and close to family and friends is an important aspect of cancer care and it is one that Dr Price has much experience in.”

Dr Price will be joined in Bermuda by his wife, Sheldon (Shelley), and his two cocker spaniels, Florrie and Jessie, in October. He anticipates that his four children, the youngest of whom starts university in October, will be frequent visitors to the island.

25 July 2018 Home Page, News

Bermuda Hospitals Board announces Road Traffic Accident Statistics for the period 1 January – 30 June 2018

11 July 2018: Eighteen tourists were involved in road traffic accidents that required medical attention last month. Bermuda Hospitals Board road traffic accident statistics for June show that 190 people attended the Emergency Department for treatment following road traffic accidents and that 18 of them were tourists. The statistics to the end of June this year show the following:

839 victims required the Emergency Department (51 were tourists)

63 victims were admitted to the Acute Care Wing

9 victims were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

5 victims 18 or younger were admitted to the hospital and,

4 victims were discharged to an overseas medical facility, following road traffic accidents.

RTA posters to June2018

11 July 2018 Home Page, News

Scholarship and Training Once More Receive BHCT Support

11 July 2018:

Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust (BHCT) and Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announce a second $350,000 donation to support scholarships and staff training at BHB. Also announced today are the winners of the nine BHB scholarships in 2018 funded by BHCT and a scholarship funded by GlaxoSmithKline that BHB administers.

In 2017, the BHCT made the same donation, which allowed BHB to introduce new scholarships for mental health nursing, finance and, in memory of BHB nurse, Dashunte Furbert, scholarships for students studying nursing at the Bermuda College. The remainder of the donation supported training for over 140 BHB staff.

Lisa Sheppard, Executive Director, Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust, comments: “BHCT is very pleased to once more support training and education at BHB. This is an important area our donors have said they want to support. It helps support and encourage future generations of Bermudian healthcare workers through the scholarships and improve care today through educating and training current staff.”

Venetta Symonds, Chief Executive Officer, BHB comments: “Thank you BHCT donors for your support of our scholarship and training programme. This generous donation allows us to maintain critical scholarships and staff training, as BHB seeks to improve and maintain its services and facilities. This is truly welcome support that makes a difference today and in the future.”

2018 Scholarship Recipients:

Samantha Crockwell

Studying Health Sciences (Occupational Therapy) at the University of Worcester

$10,000 for one year

Curlena Smith (Mental Health Nursing Scholarship)

Studying Nursing (Mental Health) at the University of Northampton

$40,000 per year for two years

Jashae Allen-Lamontagne (Dashunte Furbert Scholarship)

Studying Nursing at Bermuda College

$5,000 for one year

Odile Baker

Studying Nursing at Baltimore City Community College

$10,000 for one year

Donnika Bean

Studying Nursing at Elmhurst College

$10,000 per year for two years

Dasha Caines

Studying Nursing at Oakwood University

$10,000 per year for two years

Jennifer Ross

Studying Nursing at Georgia State University

$10,000 per year for two years

Britney Robinson (GlaxoSmithKline Scholarship)

Studying Health Sciences (Pharmacology) at Nova Southeastern University

$15,000 per year for two years

Brieanna Samuels

Studying Finance (Business) at the University of West of England

$5,000 for one year

Antoinae Durrant

Studying Finance (Business) at Nottingham Trent University

$10,000 for one year

In the picture are scholarship winners, with BHB staff and representatives from the BHCT and GlaxoSmithKline.

11 July 2018 Home Page, News

Bermuda Hospitals Board announces Road Traffic Accident Statistics for the period 1 January – 31 May 2018

4 July 2018: Bermuda Hospitals Board road traffic accident statistics show a marked increase in Emergency Department (ED) visits in May. It appears the increase is due to increased numbers of tourists on motorbikes. A total of 159 people were seen in the ED in May – 22 of them were tourists. In April 135 people attended ED – 8 were tourists. In January and March the totals were 115 and 134 with only one tourist seen each month. In February no tourists were seen in the ED for road traffic accidents but 106 residents attended. Our statistics for the period 1 January 2018- 31 May 2018, show the following:

649 victims required the Emergency Department (32 were tourists)

47 victims were admitted to the Acute Care Wing

6 victims were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

5 victims 18 or younger were admitted to the hospital and,

4 victims were discharged to an overseas medical facility, following road traffic accidents.

Posters of the statistics are available below. Please share widely.

BHB 2018 RTA posters to 31May

4 July 2018 Home Page, News

Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke, Chief of Emergency and Hyperbaric Services

New Chief of Emergency and Hyperbaric Services announced

27 June 2018: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announces the appointment of Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke as Chief of Emergency and Hyperbaric Services, effective Monday 2 July 2018, on a three-year contract. He replaces Dr Edward Schultz, who has retired from BHB.

Dr Okereke has been employed in the Emergency Department of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital since August 2016. After graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nigeria College of Medicine, Dr Okereke completed postgraduate medical training in the UK, obtaining a Fellowship in Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and a Fellowship in Emergency Medicine from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. He has also completed a Masters in Medical Education from the University of Leeds.

Prior to joining BHB, Dr Okereke worked as a substantive consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Mid-Yorkshire NHS Trust in the UK for over 16 years. During this period, he held a number of senior medical leadership and training positions within the Trust, the West Yorkshire region and nationally. His main interests are in medical education and training, trauma and critical care. He is a member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the British Medical Association, and regularly examines for the College of Emergency Medicine.

Dr Michael Richmond, BHB Chief of Staff, comments: “We are very pleased to announce Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke as the new Chief of Emergency and Hyperbaric Services. We are grateful to Dr Schultz, not only for his long service at BHB, but for continuing in position until this transition could take place. Dr Schultz will be missed by the community and staff and we wish him the very best for the future.

“We now look forward to Dr Okereke providing clinical leadership in ED and Hyperbaric Services to continue improving this busy service at the frontline of care, as we evolve to meet the complex demands of an aging, increasingly unwell population.”

27 June 2018 Home Page, News