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BHB CT scan service has resumed

Thursday 3 February 2022: CT scan service at Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) resumed on Monday 31 January. BHB worked with the Brown-Darrell Clinic to deliver the service while repairs were carried out on its two machines last week.

“We thank Brown-Darrell Clinic for their assistance from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 January,” said BHB VP Clinical Operations, Anthony Fitzgerald. “During those 4 days they did CT scans on 17 of our urgent Emergency Department patients.”

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3 February 2022 Home Page, News

Extended – week day evening hours only at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre

Wednesday 2 February 2022:  Bermuda Hospitals Board today announces that the change in hours at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will continue to the end of February at which time it will be re-assessed.

The UCC is currently open from 6pm to 10pm Monday to Friday and 9am -9pm on Saturday and Sunday. The move to evening hours only on weekdays, was to assist with ensuring adequate staffing levels are available in the Emergency Department at KEMH.

Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke, Chief of Emergency, comments: “The temporary change in the weekday hours implemented last month has helped. As we remain under the same pressures the decision was made to extend the current hours until the end of this month.”

Judy Richardson, Chief of Nursing, comments: “ The reduced UCC hours allow us to redeploy a full time nurse back to the ED which assists in delivering care where the most unwell people are in need.”

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2 February 2022 Home Page, News

BHB COVID-19 Remembrance Tree

Thursday 9 December 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) this season has dedicated its Christmas tree to remember those we have lost to COVID-19.

“The tree has pride of place in the main lobby of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH),” said BHB CEO Michael Richmond. “This year we felt it was fitting for our tree to help heal and comfort our staff who have lost loved ones and patients, and the family and friends of the 106 persons who Bermuda has lost to the disease.”

Interested members of the public can request a pre-cut ornament from BHB and decorate it in memory of a family member or loved one who they lost to the disease. When completed, decorated ornaments should be returned to KEMH to be hung on the COVID-19 Remembrance Tree.

“Many in our community are still grieving the loss of loved ones to this disease,” said BHB Acting Chief of Psychiatry Anna Neilson-Williams. “Taking time to remember the person and simple acts such as  writing a note are mechanisms that can help people heal emotionally.

“Our staff are human and they too have felt the toll of loss some in their families and many as they cared for their patients. Due to necessary visiting restrictions, in several instances they, and not the next of kin, were at the patient bedside until the end. Oftentimes even more difficult for our staff was having to console the next of kin who could not be present. We also recognise the large number of staff from overseas, who have worked tirelessly over the pandemic, many of whom have also suffered losses, and this complex cumulative aspect can take its toll.”

BHB has staff from well over 50 different countries. India is one of those, which was hit particularly hard by the virus. Some of our staff lost family in that wave. The COVID-19 Remembrance Tree is a way they can also find some solace.

The tree will have 106 silver baubles in honour of each life lost to COVID-19 in Bermuda, and 54 gold baubles representing all the countries BHB staff are from. Each gold ornament symbolises the friends and family our staff members lost to COVID-19 in their home countries.

Due to privacy laws and patient confidentiality, next of kin of those who passed due to COVID-19 have not been contacted directly by BHB to submit an ornament. We encourage everyone who learns about the COVID-19 Remembrance Tree to share the news widely.

If you want to collect an ornament, please contact cathy.stovell@bhb.bm for details on when they will be available. Unfortunately, in order to comply with privacy laws, no names or photos will be allowed in the ornament decorations.

9 December 2021 Home Page, News

BHB turns on green light for mental health awareness

Tuesday 30 November 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board will again turn on its green light next month in support of mental health awareness. Green is the colour chosen internationally to denote mental health. This year the theme of mental health awareness is to make nature a part of your everyday life.

For us in Bermuda, getting out in nature almost always involves getting out into greenery. Even if you take a leisurely walk along the beach you’ll be faced with wonderful green trees and grasses.

On Wednesday 1 December, Preston Swan, Acting Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Clinical Operations at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI), will flick the switch at sister hospital King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH), lighting the outside of that facility green.

“COVID-19 has brought the importance of mental health to the fore,” said Mr Swan. “All of us who live in Bermuda recognise the increased stress and anxiety many of us have endured. As a mental health professional, I would urge you to spend some time in nature. It is scientifically proven to have a calming effect on the mind. When you add relaxed deep breathing, you may actually feel an improvement in your stress level and blood pressure.”

“As you pass by KEMH in the December night, please enjoy the green light. Green is a calming colour. Take stock of your mental health and think positive thoughts,” Mr Swan added.

“If you are feeling overwhelmed please reach out to a professional who can help – seeking support is not a sign of weakness,” said BHB Acting Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson-Williams. “You are not alone. We encourage you to contact MWI, your GP or one of the range of mental health professionals available within our community.”

If you need mental health assistance, please call the MWI Acute Community Health Service at 249-3432. For serious mental health crises at any time of the day or night, call 239-1111.

30 November 2021 Home Page, News

BHB Mammography Unit accredited by the American College of Radiology

Tuesday 30 November 2021: The American College of Radiology (ACR) has renewed its accreditation of Bermuda Hospital Board’s Mammography Unit. Official notice of the award was received this month and is valid for the next three years.

The Mammography Unit has maintained accreditation with ACR since 1998.

“It is a testament that our staff are providing service at the highest standard to our local community,” said BHB Clinical Manager of Imaging Services Renee Butterfield. “It’s our mission to continuously strive to deliver the highest quality and the safest care to each of our patients every day.”

30 November 2021 Home Page, News

BHB celebrates International Day of People with Disabilities

Tuesday 23 November 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s (BHB) Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) invites the public to join in celebrating International Day of People with Disabilities on Friday 3 December 2021.

“Persons with disabilities are among the most vulnerable in our community,” said Preston Swan, BHB Acting COO and MWI VP Clinical Operations. “Last year we celebrated with a motorcade – which provided positive attention on our clients. It was so well received that we are doing it again this year.”

“We encourage the public to be as colourful and as noisy as possible cheering our motorcade of clients and staff from our Intellectual Disabilities Department as they travel their route,” said LeRoya Hardtman BHB Intellectual Disabilities Department supervisor and event organiser. “The clients truly enjoy the attention. Please bring your whistles and other noise makers, pom poms or other shows of support.”

The motorcade will follow a Police escort from MWI through Hamilton, along Point Finger Road to South Road and back to MWI. MWI clients will decorate many of the vehicles.

“The theme this year is Fighting for Rights in the Post-COVID Era,” said Morrisa Rogers, BHB Clinical Director of the Intellectual Disabilities Department. “To this end we will be continuing to work with the Ministry on developing a National Intellectual Disabilities Plan that outlines how we can support those with intellectual disabilities and their families.”

“I join BHB in encouraging the public to come out and cheer on the motorcade,” said Tinee Furbert Minister of Social Development and Seniors. “The greater the numbers, the greater the show of support and the happier the clients and staff will be. Please make a note of the route and plan to be on it.”

The route: Depart New Dimensions at 11am. Turn right on Hermitage Road. Pass Elliott School. Right on Middle Road. Pass Somersfield Academy. Turn right onto Barker’s Hill, left onto Palmetto Road, left to Old Military Road and pass Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy. Turn right onto Palmetto Road then left onto Roberts Avenue to K Margaret Carter Centre and stop in the yard.

Leaving K Margaret Carter Centre turn left onto Frog Lane. Stay left then right onto Happy Valley Road. Pass Tomorrow’s Voices. Turn left on King Street, right on Reid Street, left on Front Street to Par-La Ville Road. Left on Church Street. Pass Ageing and Disabilities Office. Turn onto Cedar Avenue to Elliot Street. Pass Dellwood Middle School. Left on Parsons Road to Montpelier Road. Left to Middle Road down Flora Duffy Way (Corkscrew Hill). Pass KEMH on Point Finger Road. Right onto South Road back to MWI.

23 November 2021 Home Page, News

College students learn how the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute treats wastewater

Friday 29 October 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) welcomed ten students from  Bermuda College’s Applied Science and Technology Department to tour the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) sewage treatment facility. BHB is celebrating Facilities Management Week and the students were invited to see first-hand how the plant works.

BHB Assistant Facilities Manager, Alan Gorbutt, heads the department at MWI and facilitated the event. “Connecting with our community is important to us and while a tour of a sewage treatment plant is unlikely to have wide appeal, we did feel it could be of interest to Bermuda College students who may be considering careers in the trades and engineering.”

Technical Education lecturer Joseph Weeks said the tour, conducted by Adam Diel, General Manager of Water Infrastructure Group (the company that manages the MWI plant), gave students a great opportunity to see the practical side of the theory they learned in the classroom.

“Mr Diel not only gave a technically informative tour, he also highlighted that this type of work is in demand with very few, if any, Bermudians in the field or training for it,” said Mr.  Weeks. “This knowledge is very valuable for our students and the exposure means they may now consider a career in a field that was previously not on their radar.”

The sewage treatment plant at MWI was installed in 2015. Approximately 2,500 gallons of waste water is treated there every 24 hours. Waste water from toilets, sinks, showers and the kitchen, are processed in the plant. Grease and some other solids are removed before the water enters the plant via traps that are cleaned separately.

For more information on the MWI sewage treatment plant download the fact sheet below. For more information on the work of the MWI Facilities Management team visit our YouTube video chats with Assistant Manager Alan Gorbutt and supervisor Kenneth Simmons.

MWI Sewage Treatment Plant Information Sheet – OCT2021

 

29 October 2021 Home Page, News

Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre resumes normal hours

Monday 18 October 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board announced today a resumption of normal operating hours at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC). Effective Tuesday 19 October hours will return to 2pm-10pm on weekdays. Weekend hours did not change and remain 9am-9pm. . Last patient registration will be at 9:45pm during the weekdays and 8:45pm Saturday and Sunday.

X-ray service at the UCC will resume on Monday 18 October and continue as it did previously – on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays during opening hours.

“We urge those with minor injuries and illnesses that are not COVID-19 related to attend the UCC,” said Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke, Chief of Emergency. “The UCC should not be used to replace the care of your GP. Where possible, individuals should seek care first from their GP. In instances where this is not possible, patients should follow up with their GP after their UCC visit.”

18 October 2021 Home Page, News

Mental Health Clinic piloted at Hamilton Health Centre

Monday 18 October 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) in collaboration with the Department of Health is piloting a mental health clinic in Hamilton.

Located in the Department of Health’s Hamilton Health Centre on Victoria Street, the Mental Health Clinic started on Friday 8 October. The weekly service will continue on Fridays from 9am-noon.

BHB Acting Chief of Psychiatry, Dr Anna Neilson-Williams stated: “We are committed to bringing mental health services closer to those who need it and in settings where clients will feel more relaxed. In this regard, the Hamilton Health Centre is an ideal venue for the Mental Health Clinic. We are committed to protecting and promoting good mental health and well-being for all our patients.”

Currently BHB provides 2 nurses for the service, which includes mental health screenings, assessments, consultations and treatment.  As the pilot progresses, it is anticipated that a psychiatrist and psychiatric resident physician will join in providing mental health support.

Dr Neilson-Williams said: “Mental health support will be available to anyone who benefits from existing public health services at the Hamilton Health Centre including walk-ins and new referrals. In addition, existing Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) clients can also be scheduled for appointments.  Persons can be referred or self-present to the mental health clinic where they will be triaged.”

BHB Deputy CEO R Scott Pearman said: “This service aligns with BHB’s strategic plan to integrate healthcare services and the Ministry of Health’s Health Integration Strategy by providing mental health services in established healthcare settings.

“Our aim is to integrate with community-based providers to deliver mental health care and support in non-institutional settings. Embedding the Mental Health Clinic in the Hamilton Health Centre provides its clients better access to these services in a confidential and neutral setting.”

Earlier this year BHB piloted a mental health clinic in a general practitioner practice as well as at the Integrated Health Clinic at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre.

“We are pleased to partner with BHB in this pilot programme,” said Department of Health Director, David Kendell.

“Our staff will also benefit from regular workshops and training in mental health from the MWI professionals. This is an important aspect of the agreement as we work to provide a holistic approach to public health services for the entire community.”

For more information on the Mental Health Clinic at the Hamilton Health Centre on Victoria Street call 239-2261. The crisis hotline for all mental health services is 239-1111.

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18 October 2021 Home Page, News

BHB Public Service Advisory: Bermuda Hospitals Board in-person payment facility in Hamilton is closed

Monday 11 October 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board is advising the public that it has closed its public reception desk in its Hamilton office to in-person activities until further notice.

The Hamilton office located in Craig Appin House on Wesley Street has been convenient for many people to pay their bills.

“Due to the high risk of coronavirus infection we have closed in-person activities at this location,” said BHB Chief Financial Officer Bill Shields. “Bill payments can now be made by calling 239-2955 or 239-2954 Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.”

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11 October 2021 Home Page, News