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Friday 21 February 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises that due to unexpected staffing issues, the hyperbaric chamber at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital will be closed until Monday 3 March 2025. We hope to be able to resume operation of the chamber after that date.
Anyone who is planning to dive over the next 10 days or so should be aware that hyperbaric treatment will not be available.
Thursday 21 February 2025: The KEMH through road from just past emergency up to the Healing Garden parking area will closed from about 7am to 5pm on Friday 21 February.
Access to the Point Finger Road Visitor Car Park for Acute Care Wing services, including Emergency, will be from the Point Finger Road side only.
Access to park in the Berry Hill Visitors Car Park and Healing Garden car parks for General Wing services will be from Berry Hill only.
This closure is necessary to accommodate the arrival and emptying of containers on the KEMH site. If this work is interrupted by rain, the hours the road is closed may be extended. Please drive carefully and follow any instructions from on-site personnel.
Wednesday 19 February 2025: Individuals who would like to work at Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) over the summer are reminded that the deadline is Friday 28 February.
Preference is given to university/college applicants who are studying nursing (as long as students have started their clinical rotation), accounting, allied health, culinary arts, diagnostic imaging, finance, laboratory technology, mental health, pharmacy, rehabilitation services and substance abuse counselling.
Manager – HR Programmes Asia Ming-Raynor comments: “We want to encourage students to apply ahead of the deadline. There is usually a lot of interest in working at BHB and we design a programme that ensures students will have a fulfilling experience with us. We are looking for students who want to work in healthcare, but we also want to encourage students in areas such as finance, accounting and culinary arts. It is a unique experience working in these support services for a hospital and these professions are still critical for the running of the organisation.”
Students can apply by going to the Work At BHB page on bermudahospitals.bm. Students will need to include a cover letter, resumé and latest school transcript as part of their application.
Monday 17 February 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is part of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical study to bring a new orthopaedic implant to the United States. The Polymotion Hip Resurfacing (PHRTM) is a new hip replacement device that will be used in men and women under age 65 as a part of the clinical study. In time, Polymotion may join its predecessor, the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHRTM), as a globally available hip resurfacing device.
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ronan Treacy (pictured left) is a co-inventor of Polymotion. He also designed the Birmingham implant in the late 1990s. He’s been a regular visiting surgeon in Bermuda for over 25 years and has performed hundreds of Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedures on local residents at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH).
BHB Director of Orthopaedics Dr William Peckett has worked with Dr Treacy for over 20 years and has been trained to implant both the Birmingham and the Polymotion devices.
Dr Treacy and Dr Peckett did the first hip replacement surgeries using the Polymotion implant at KEMH in January as part of the Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study for the FDA.
Dr Treacy said: “I believe we are the first overseas centre ever to have taken part in such a study. We are privileged to be in the company of fantastic centres such as NYU, New York; RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago and some of the biggest names in hip surgery in the world.”
“In total, the team performed the surgery on four patients. Each went home on the day of surgery. All are recovering well.”
Most patients who undergo hip replacement surgery at KEMH are discharged home the same day.
Dr Treacy said: “The patients actually prefer to go home and be in their own bed in their first night. The level of pain control isn’t really an issue. Patients are very mobile afterwards.”
“This is the trend in the United States. We haven’t quite caught up in the UK. In fact, we are far in advance here at the King Edward Hospital to regular practice in the UK.”
Although the Bermuda surgeries were the first in the US study, Dr Treacy has successfully implanted metal-on-polyethylene hip resurfacings (similar to the Polymotion) in Birmingham, UK, for the last 9 years. He has performed about 90 surgeries.
Worldwide, approximately 250 of these metal-on-polyethylene resurfacing devices have been implanted. The Polymotion is currently being used regularly in New Zealand on general release to treat various hip conditions. It is also going through the necessary regulatory processes in other global markets, including Australia and Canada.
Dr Peckett will perform most of the local clinical study cases. He said: “We are excited to be one of only ten centres that were chosen for this study. The other nine are all in the US.”
“Over 200 patients are expected to be enrolled in the study, which will run for at least 2 years. We would be expecting to enroll approximately 20 Bermudian patients in total over that time period.”
JointMedica, manufacturers of Polymotion, were on hand at the surgeries last week. President of the company, Dr. Sharat Kusuma, also an orthopaedic surgeon, said adding a polyethylene lining
to the socket of the metal ball and socket device differentiates it from its predecessor, the Birmingham. Over the past ten years, metal-on-metal hip replacement devices (like the Birmingham) have become less popular due to the metal-on-metal bearing surface. The Polymotion device incorporates several design features of Birmingham resurfacing but eliminates the metal-metal bearing surface.
Dr Treacy said: “Dr Peckett just did his 300th outpatient joint replacement here over the last two years. This is an extraordinary achievement due in large part to the King Edward nursing staff, radiology staff, its anaesthetic staff, and a lot of pre-operative work.”
BHB Chief of Surgery Dr. Alicia Stovell-Washington said: “We are proud that JointMedica has included KEMH as a site for this FDA study; it reinforces that our surgical department has world-class staff and processes.”
We thank Drs Treacy and Peckett for spearheading this effort to improve the lives of our patients.
Bringing the Polymotion clinical study to Bermuda completely aligns with our BHB vision; To pursue excellence through improvement, to make Bermuda proud.”
For more information on the Polymotion device click here.
Pictured at the top, from left: Tim Band, Senior Director Market Development, JointMedica; Dr William Peckett, BHB Director of Orthopaedics; Dr Sharat Kusuma, President, JointMedica; Jason Osier and Warner Watkins, JointMedica distribution agents.
Tuesday 11 February 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today launched an ‘Integrated Health Care: Understanding Prostate Health’ booklet and PSA testing guidelines as part of the outcome of work undertaken to develop an integrated prostate cancer care pathway in Bermuda.
The booklet aims to provide information to help men better understand prostate issues, prevention, risk and treatment for many prostate conditions including cancer, in Bermuda. Click here to read the booklet.
The PSA testing guidelines establish a standardised approach in Bermuda. Click here to read the guidelines.
The Minster of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson JP MP, comments: “Prostate cancer is the number one cancer affecting men. In fact, it makes up 33% of cancer diagnoses in men in Bermuda with over 50 new cases identified in Bermuda each year. It needs our attention now because mortality rates in Bermuda for prostate cancer are twice that compared to the OECD average. It is critical we understand and improve our care pathways for prostate cancer so we can deliver the most effective screening and the best, most efficient treatment for men who are diagnosed.”
CEO & President of BHB Scott Pearman said: “This integrated prostate cancer pathway follows on from similar work completed for breast cancer that has seen improvements in the pathway for women. We are also working with Johns Hopkins on pathways for trauma and burns care, which we hope will also improve the efficiency and effective of our trauma and burns response. The central purpose of the cancer pathways is about making a difference in the lives of people in Bermuda. We want to make screening more effective and available, to catch cancers as early as possible when there is the best chance of a full recovery. We also want to raise awareness about risks and prevention, and to improve the care pathway for men diagnosed with prostate cancer so that we can improve outcomes and save lives.”
BHB Consultant Urologist and founder of the DailyMale charity, Dr Jonathan Makanjuola, noted: “I would specifically like to thank the following individual got validating the pathway and guidelines. Dr Fosker from the Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre for helping validate the pathway. Dr. Michael E. Czerwinski, Consultant Urologist, Island Urology Services. Dr. Michael E. Brooks, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Dynamic Urology Services. Dr. Jeff MacLeod and Dr. Adil Ladak, Island Health Services FPG. Dr. Kyjuan H. Brown, President, Bermuda Medical Doctors Association and Dr. Ayoola Oyinloye, Director of Population Health Innovation and Strategy, Bermuda Health Council.”
He added: “The message I’d like to leave you with today is that when detected early, most prostate issues, including cancer, are highly treatable, and men have a range of options to regain their health and peace of mind. So please read this guide if you are a man or to share with the men in your life.My hope is that this information will empower you to take charge of your prostate health and encourage you to make screenings a regular part of your wellness routine. Together, by staying informed and proactive, we can make a big difference in men’s health in Bermuda.”
Friday 24 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) wishes to inform the public that in recent weeks some of its patients have received bills that they would not normally receive.
This is due to how some claims were processed by the BHB’s Patient Electronic & Administrative Records Log (PEARL).
BHB has made changes to its system to prevent this issue from reoccurring.
BHB’s Chief Financial Officer, Arthur Ebbin said: “We apologise to those who have received these bills and thank those who contacted us querying their bills. We also invite anyone who has a question about their bill to call our Collections Department on 239-2026.”
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Thursday 23 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today provides an update on the hiring of two new oncologists, both of whom will arrive by the end of January.
Acting Chief of Staff, Anna Neilson-Williams comments: “We are really pleased to be able to share that two oncologists are due to arrive in Bermuda by the end of January and will go through training and orientation in the first two weeks of February. This is great news for the patients of our oncology service. As the new oncologists arrive we will share their details with patients and the community. This means very soon our service will have three full-time oncologists on island, and we will be able to take on all new cancer cases as before.
“I would like to thank Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre and PALS, as well as to hospital physicians and staff, and especially our full-time oncologist Dr Alisha Tucker and locum Dr Christopher Price. To our patients, we appreciate your understanding through what we know has been a challenging period. I would also like to note that over the last few months we have been in discussions with some overseas hospitals on having locum agreements in place. Oncologists are specialist positions and the type of oncologist hired for an island service is increasingly rare, so the hiring time can take six or more months. If we are able to establish locum agreements, this could help us better maintain local services during hiring periods or oncologist vacations.”
Thursday 2 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board is pleased to announce that there was a second baby born on New Year’s Day 2025. Erris Ahmira Simons arrived at 11:17pm weighing 6lbs 10oz to mother Simiah Caisey and father Errin Simons.
Simiah said Erris is her first daughter and baby sister to 12-year-old brother, Jaiden Simons.
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Thursday 2 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is happy to announce the birth of Aaryonn Xzavier Smith, the first baby born on New Year’s Day to Dannielle Joell and Boulevard Blazers centre-back Anthony Smith.
Hospital management and staff are celebrating as Danielle is a nurse aide at the hospital. “My due date was actually 17th of January but I have been coming in with pain recently,” she said. “They check me and then release me back home, but yesterday the pain was stronger and when they checked they said it was time,” she recalled.
Father Anthony, focused on the Shield Championship match against Somerset Trojans he was to play in, said he knew Dannielle had come to the hospital but thought it was the usual pains she had been experiencing. The centre-back was on the field by noon in Somerset, and at 1:03pm his son was born. Aaryonn weighed 6lbs 5oz.
“It happened too fast for me to get here for the birth,” he said. “But the whole team was excited. And we won,” he added.
Anthony rode in the traditional winning motorcade to Hamilton with the shield and was dropped off at the hospital to be with Danielle and Aaryonn.
“He is our Boulevard baby,” said his father, “the whole team is behind him.”
BHB CEO & President Scott Pearman noted: “We are delighted that our own Danielle is mom to the first, Generation Beta baby in Bermuda. Babies born this year are the first in a new generation of children that will include all born up to the end of 2039.”
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Friday 27 December 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises the public that due to a shortage of staff, the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will be closed on Saturday 28 December 2024.
The UCC will be open its regular hours of 9am to 9pm on Sunday 29 December 2024.
This temporary UCC closure is to ensure adequate staffing levels to safely manage demand for all patients who require urgent or emergency care. BHB apologises for the inconvenience.
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