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BHB offers free stroke risk screenings to mark World Stroke Day

Wednesday 21 October 2026: Did you know that three out of every four people who present at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) with a stroke also have high blood pressure?

To mark World Stroke Day, Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is inviting the public to a free health screening event on Thursday 29 October in the KEMH main lobby from 10am to 2pm.

The event is designed to help the community better understand how to recognise the signs of stroke and learn practical steps they can take to reduce their risk.

Attendees will be able to receive free blood pressure, blood sugar and weight checks, with results explained in relation to stroke risk. Representatives from the Bermuda Stroke Association will be available to provide information and support, while allied health professionals, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists from KEMH and Evolution Rehabilitation, will answer questions and offer advice on stroke recovery and rehab.

Organisations that address some of the major risk factors for stroke will also participate, including the Bermuda Diabetes Association, the Bermuda Heart Foundation, Age Concern and the Department of Health.

“We are seeing an average of four to five people each week presenting to our Emergency Department with a stroke,” said BHB Acting CEO and Chief of Nursing Judy Richardson.

“We established our Primary Stroke Centre in 2019 to help address this growing challenge, and it is making a difference. However, raising awareness remains critical, both in recognising stroke symptoms and managing the major risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes and atrial fibrillation.”

Director of BHB’s Primary Stroke Centre Dr Srinath Meadipudi said this year’s World Stroke Day theme, Every M1nute Counts, highlights the importance of recognising symptoms and acting quickly.

“When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost,” he said.

“For every minute a stroke goes untreated, nearly two million brain cells die. The best way to remember the warning signs is to BE FAST.”

BE FAST:

  • Balance: Sudden loss of balance or coordination
  • Eyes: Sudden loss of vision or changes in eyesight
  • Face: Drooping or weakness on one side of the face
  • Arms: Weakness or numbness in an arm
  • Speech: Slurred speech or difficulty speaking
  • Time: Call 911 immediately

“If you notice any of these symptoms, don’t wait. Call 911 straight away. Every second counts, and fast action can save lives and reduce disability.”

 

21 October 2026 Home Page, News

Blood Donor Centre calls for A positive and O positive blood donors

Monday 19 October 2026: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s (BHB) Blood Donor Centre is asking people to donate blood. At this time, O positive and A positive blood types are required. Donors and potential donors are asked to call 236-5067 to make an appointment.

If you are unsure about your blood type but are willing to donate, please contact the Bermuda Blood Donor Centre at (441) 236-5067 or blood.donor@bhb.bm, by WhatsApp at (441) 533-9553.  Appointments are preferred, although walk-ins are accepted.

The Bermuda Blood Donor Centre is located at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to 2:30pm, and on Friday from 8:30am to 1pm. It is closed on weekends and public holidays.

The Bermuda Blood Donor Centre team thanks the community for their kind assistance in ensuring they can continue to save lives.

We also remind the public that the UK blood donation rule associated with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (VCJD) in humans has been lifted making it possible for several who were previously ineligible, to donate. For more information visit https://bermudahospitals.bm/welcome-back-uk-blood-donation-rule-has-changed/.

More information about blood donation is available online at bermudahospitals.bm/be-a-donor/.

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19 October 2026 Home Page, News

World Mental Health Day 2026- Lived Experience Heard: Real Voices, Real Change

Friday 9 October 2026: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s (BHB) Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) will be joining communities in Bermuda and around the world tomorrow in marking World Mental Health Day 2026. The organisation is embracing this year’s theme, “Lived Experience Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”

The theme highlights the importance of listening to and learning from people who have experienced mental health challenges. Their stories, perspectives, and insights play a vital role in shaping compassionate, effective and person-centred mental health services.

BHB Acting CEO and Chief of Nursing Judy Richardson commented: “At MWI, individuals with lived experience are helping to guide improvements in care, support and recovery services. By creating opportunities for people to share their experiences and contribute to decision-making, the organisation is working toward a mental health system that better reflects the needs of those it serves.

“One example of this commitment is The Art of Being Human, the recent MindFrame PhotoVoice exhibit at City Hall that provided clients with a platform to share their experiences, perspectives and creativity with the wider community.”

The exhibit opened at the Bermuda Society of Arts on 11 September and concluded on 6 October. It featured more than 150 entries, including paintings, pastels, sketches, mixed media, poetry and photography.

Part of the exhibition has now moved to the Wellness Alcove in the main lobby of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. It is free and open to the public until Friday 16 October.

The majority of exhibitors are participants in the Art Therapy Programme at MWI, while others represent community-based programmes. Through their work, artists explored themes of resilience, recovery, hope, identity and connection, offering visitors a powerful glimpse into the human experience behind mental health challenges.

“Real progress happens when we listen,” said Rhiannon Fletcher, MWI art therapist and coordinator of the exhibit. “People with lived experience bring invaluable knowledge and understanding. Their voices help us improve services, reduce stigma and build a more inclusive and supportive community. The Art of Being Human demonstrates the power of creative expression to foster understanding and amplify voices that too often go unheard.”

“Mental health challenges affect people of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life,” said Preston Swan, BHB’s Chief Operating Officer who has executive responsibility for MWI. “World Mental Health Day serves as a reminder that recovery is possible, support is available and every voice matters,” he added.

BHB Director of Mental Health Services Karen Grant Simmons noted: “Throughout the year, MWI remains committed to fostering meaningful partnerships with clients, families, caregivers and community members. By amplifying lived experience voices through initiatives such as The Art of Being Human, we aim to create lasting change that leads to better outcomes for our clients and families affected by mental illness.”

“This World Mental Health Day, Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute encourages the Bermuda community to take time to listen, learn and engage in conversations about mental health,” said BHB Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson Williams.

She added: “Together, by hearing real voices and valuing lived experience, we can create real change.”

9 October 2026 Home Page, News

BHB Traffic Advisory UPDATE: No through road at KEMH on 23 September

UPDATE Monday 21 September 2026: The road closure slated for Tuesday 22 September has been postponed to Wednesday 23 September.

Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) advises the public that there will be no through road access on the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital campus between Point Finger and Berry Hill roads from 7am to 2:30pm on Wednesday 23 September 2026.

The closure is necessary to facilitate the delivery of materials for internal upgrade works in the Imaging Services Department.

Vehicular access from Point Finger Road will end at the Acute Care Wing visitor parking lot and ambulance bay areas.

Vehicular access via the Berry Hill Road entrance will end at the General Wing entrance.

The areas will be cordoned off. Please observe erected barriers and directions from personnel onsite.

BHB apologise for any inconvenience this may cause the public.

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18 September 2026 News

Resident Family Council and BPSU give the gift of mobility

Wednesday 16 September 2026: Bermuda Hospitals Board is pleased to announce that residents of the long-term care units at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital are benefitting from a generous gift from its Resident Family Council and the Bermuda Public Services Union – four new wheelchairs.

The Council is made up of family members of long-term care residents. They meet regularly to work with KEMH staff, helping ensure the needs of their loved ones are met. Chairperson Charles Leon O’Brien Sr is passionate about enhancing and expanding the services available to residents on the units.

“We asked nurse Maxine Simmons, the clinical director of long-term care services, what was needed and wheelchairs were high on her list,” Mr O’Brien said. “We had the hospital source them, then approached the BPSU for funding.”

BPSU General Secretary Kevin Grant said: “We were pleased to be able to assist the Resident Family Council in this effort.”

BHB Acting CEO and Chief of Nursing Judy Richardson explained the impact of the donation: “Bermuda Hospitals Board thanks the Resident Family Council and the BPSU for this much-needed gift of four wheelchairs. In addition to improving the lives of our residents, the gift represents a $5,000 savings to BHB.”

Ms Simmons added: “We are not only grateful for the gift, which includes a bariatric wheelchair for our obese patients, but also for the assistance our Resident Family Council provides us throughout the year.

“We greatly appreciate the BPSU for funding this opportunity to enhance mobility for our residents.”

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16 September 2026 Home Page, News

BHB Public Advisory: Hyperbaric chamber opens to limited service

Tuesday 8 September 2026: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) has re-opened its hyperbaric unit for limited procedures.

The hyperbaric chamber has two compressors. Only one is operating currently. This has been certified as safe to run emergency service for divers who may need it.

Unfortunately, use of the chamber for wound care cannot resume at this time.

BHB continues to address the issue but wishes to let the public know that it could be several weeks before chamber returns to full service and is certified as safe to use again.

BHB apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

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8 September 2026 Home Page, News

The Art of Being Human takes to City Hall

Tuesday 8 September 2026: One of the most anticipated art shows each year, the MindFrame PhotoVoice Exhibition, opens on Friday 11 September at the Bermuda Society of Arts.

The annual exhibition showcases the work of Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute clients who choose to take part and some artists from other programmes. The work fills the main gallery of the Bermuda Society of Arts and features a variety of works in different media, including, watercolour, oil painting, acrylic, pastels, sketches and photography on this year’s theme: The Art of Being Human.

Bermuda Hospitals Board art therapist Rhiannon Fletcher explains: “This year, clients and community members voted on the theme: The Art of Being Human. There was an excitement and freedom surrounding expressing their humanness, however it may show up. Art is a powerful tool to help discover and release emotion, and to make meaning of oneself and the world. The artwork created for this year’s show reflects both individual experiences and our shared humanity.”

BHB Acting CEO and Chief of Nursing Judy Richardson says: “We’re honoured to offer the opportunity to our MWI clients, and others in our community with mental health challenges, to exhibit their work.

“Research shows that this helps people to build up their self-esteem and feel valued by those they know and the wider community. It also gives the public an avenue to purchase work they may not otherwise have been able to see and to engage with the artists.”

This year there are 100 artists exhibiting a total of 150 pieces. Some of the work is available for purchase and most of the artists will be  on hand.

Client Rosharondra Trott says art journaling saved her voice. In her poem Why Mindframe Matters, she shares her experience and explains how it’s helped her.

Below is an excerpt from the poem.

“Art journaling through Mindframe has been my healing journey, and I’m grateful.

Here’s why it’s a must — not just for me, but for anyone who’s ever felt silenced:

  1. It’s a tool to help. When words get stuck in trauma, color doesn’t. When talking feels like danger, paint feels like safety. Dot by dot, I’m coming back to myself.
  2. It’s a tool to express myself. My brown hand with pink nails and a purple sleeve remembers what it means to be alive. On canvas I can be messy. I can be lots of paint. I don’t have to be “neat” or “small” or “fine.”
  3. It gives me hope. Every painting is proof: I didn’t quit. The robot hand said “destroy it.” The human hand said “keep going.” Hope is a wet brush that still moves.
  4. It gets my voice out there. For years trauma stole my voice. Through MindFrame, my voice is on a wall. The Art of Being Human isn’t just a title — it’s a declaration. People will see it. They will feel it.
  5. It’s a way I’m heard. I’m not “a case” or “a file” here. I’m Dr. Ro. I’m seen. My story matters. My pain has color now, and color can’t be ignored.

This is more than an art show. It’s a lifeline. “

MindFrame PhotoVoice runs from 11 September to 6 October 2026 at the Bermuda Society of the Arts gallery, located on the top floor of City Hall. Admission is free to the public. The gallery is open from 10am-4pm Monday to Friday and 10am-2pm on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

The public is invited to the opening event on Friday 11 September from 5pm–7pm.

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8 September 2026 Home Page, News

BHB Traffic Advisory: No through road on King Edward VII Memorial campus on Sunday 30 August

Friday 28 August 2026: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) advises the public that there will be no through road access on the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital campus between Point Finger and Berry Hill roads from 4pm to 6pm on Sunday 30 August 2026.

The closure is necessary to facilitate clearance of materials for upgrade works in the Imaging Services Department.

Vehicular access from Point Finger Road will end at the Acute Care Wing visitor parking lot and ambulance bay areas.

Vehicular access via the Berry Hill Road entrance will end at the General Wing entrance.

The areas will be cordoned off. Please observe erected barriers and directions from personnel onsite.

BHB apologise for any inconvenience this may cause the public.

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28 August 2026 News

BHB Traffic Advisory: Through road at KEMH closed from 12:30pm-2pm on Wednesday 26 August

Tuesday 25 August 2026: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) advises the public that there will be no through road access on the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital campus between Point Finger and Berry Hill roads from 12:30pm to 2pm on Wednesday 26 August 2026.

The closure is necessary to facilitate upgrade works in the Imaging Services Department.

Vehicular access from Point Finger Road will end at the Acute Care Wing visitor parking lot and ambulance bay areas.

Vehicular access via the Berry Hill Road entrance will end at the General Wing entrance.

The areas will be cordoned off. Please observe erected barriers and directions from personnel onsite.

BHB apologise for any inconvenience this may cause the public.

 

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25 August 2026 News