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BHB welcomes new chief hospital information officer

Tuesday 27 September 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) has appointed Keltie Jamieson as its new chief hospital information officer (CHIO). Ms Jamieson will report directly to the CEO & President, Michael Richmond, MD.Keltie Jamieson

As the CHIO, Ms Jamieson will oversee BHB’s information technology, information management and telecommunications functions and operations. In addition to leading the Information Technology Services team, Ms Jamieson will be responsible for developing and maintaining a comprehensive IT strategy that guides the organisation’s adoption and management of health IT systems, such as the electronic medical record (EMR) and health informatics.

With more than 25 years of experience implementing digital strategies and enabling change through supporting technology, Ms Jamieson most recently served as the senior advisor at Horizon Health Network in New Brunswick, Canada. In this role, she provided advisory and consultant services to the province of New Brunswick as they prepared for their clinical information system implementation. For the six years prior, Ms Jamieson was the senior director and chief information officer at Nova Scotia Health & IWK Health in Canada.

Dr Richmond comments: “We are excited to welcome Ms Jamieson as the new chief hospital information officer. Ms Jamieson joins BHB at a critical time. With the launch of our electronic medical record system in late October, her experience and knowledge will be critical as we harness this technology at BHB. The EMR is a transformational tool for our staff to improve safety, quality and efficiency, and deliver a service of which Bermuda can be truly proud.”

The CHIO position is not new to BHB, but has not been filled since the fiscal year 2014/15.

27 September 2022 Home Page, News

KEMH welcomes baby during hurricane force winds

Friday 23 September 2022: While winds from Hurricane Fiona were raging outside, Bermudian couple Kei-shea Fubler and Brandon Wilson were oblivious as they brought their first child, daughter A’riyah Justice Fubler-Wilson into the world at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

A’riyah was born at 3:17am weighing 6lbs 8oz.

Mother Kei-shea was overdue and was actually slated to be induced before news came that Hurricane Fiona would impact the island. “The doctors had rescheduled that for Monday or Tuesday,” said father Brandon, “but A’riyah decided to come naturally today. It all worked out well.”

Bermuda Hospitals Board had advised the couple to overnight in the Maternity Unit as a precaution given the late stage of the pregnancy.

“They felt that the baby could come and that it would be difficult, or near impossible for us to make it here in time,” said the father. “And that’s what happened. They gave us good advice and we are glad we took it.”

Beaming with delight, Brandon said witnessing the birth of his daughter was difficult to explain. “So many different wonderful emotions are there. I was happy, I wanted everything to go smoothly and for the birth experience to be good one and for her to be healthy. Anything can happen during delivery and I’m grateful that we had a successful delivery. It’s a blessing.”

Mother Kei-shea said:” I’m overwhelmed with joy. I brought this new life into the world. She is well and I am well. I’m blessed. And it’s such a relief that she came naturally. I was a bit scared of being induced. The nurses and the staff were there for me and for Brandon. I felt supported.”

Asked if they’d considered naming their daughter Fiona, the couple said many of their family and friends had asked the same. “We thought maybe Stormy,” said Kei-shea, but we had already agreed on A’riyah Justice and decided we were comfortable with that.”

23 September 2022 Home Page, News

BHB’s electronic medical record to go live in October

 

Tuesday 20 September 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is pleased to provide an update to the community on its electronic medical record project, which will go live on 29 October 2022.

Since the project started in April 2021, hundreds of BHB staff have been working within dedicated work streams with our vendor, Cerner. Staff have named the new system PEARL (patient electronic & administrative records log).

When PEARL goes live, there will be one electronic record for every patient across King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre. PEARL will include medical history, test results, physician notes, and important information such as allergies, which will be available to clinicians, whichever service a patient is accessing at any time.

With all the information immediately at hand, care should be more efficient. With safety alerts built into the system, it will be safer too. PEARL will speed up access to critical data, centralise the scheduling of appointments for all BHB services and replace older paper-based processes such as referrals.

As staff members have to sign in to access PEARL, there is also greater confidentiality as the system records every person who opens a record even just to view it.

In line with plans, the patient portal will not be part of the initial go-live in October, but will be a benefit of the system and is planned for phase two of the project.

Progress on the electronic medical record implementation:

  • The design and build of PEARL, which involved frontline staff across BHB, is complete.
  • Integrated testing – in which BHB staff test the entire breadth of the system (including registration, scheduling, prescribing, referring, documenting, coding and billing) using differing patient scenarios – has been completed.
  • Organisation-wide training started in June and continued through to go-live in October. About 1,400 staff have to be trained. The training is customised for different roles and professions within BHB. It includes different ways to learn, from videos and online simulations to intensive class room training.
  • Over 200 BHB staff have been selected as PEARL experts, called super users, in each department. They will be on hand to support their colleagues in their department through and beyond go-live.

In the first two weeks after go-live on 29 October, staff will be adjusting to a new way of working so things may take a little longer than usual. Where pressure can be relieved by reducing activity for non-urgent appointments and consultations this is being planned, to avoid increasing delays or potential risks to care. This will also help ensure that emergency and urgent care continues as needed.

CEO & President, Michael Richmond, MD, explains: “While our need to implement an electronic medical record relates to the critical replacement of an old clinical system, PEARL is a true game-changer for patient care and is a major driver of our vision to pursue excellence through improvement, to make Bermuda proud. It has been a huge commitment for our staff through a very challenging period. I’m immensely proud of our progress so far, very appreciative of the hard work by staff, and very much looking forward to PEARL going live in October.”

Chief of Staff, Wesley Miller, MD, says: “BHB physicians have been part of the BHB clinical teams working with Cerner to design and build PEARL. Cerner’s Millennium product is used in hospitals across the world, so we have the benefit of starting with a system that has international standards of care and safety built in that BHB staff have helped adapt for Bermuda.”

Chief Financial Officer, Bill Shields, comments: “This is a major transformation of how BHB works and delivers care. Our focus for go-live is to have the internal system working well for staff to use. As we are working hospitals and Bermuda’s only hospitals, ensuring a smooth and safe transition is our priority. We look forward to keeping the community updated on our progress.”

Chief of Nursing, Judy Richardson, adds: “PEARL is going to be a great asset for staff. It is going to be a tool nurses can use to improve quality and safety, and the efficiencies it will bring means more of their time can be spent where it is most needed – with our patients.”

20 September 2022 Home Page, News

BHB awards $100,000 in scholarships to eight students

Tuesday 6 September 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announces the awarding of eight scholarships, worth $100,000 over one or more years. All the scholarships are administered and by BHB, with funding for one from GlaxoSmithKline Insurance Ltd, a Bermuda-based subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline plc ($40,000).

Dr Michael Richmond, BHB President & CEO, comments: “Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients and I wish them all the best with their studies. It is important for BHB to provide funding for Bermudians to obtain post-secondary education while also providing them with a placement for summer internships. I would also like to thank our community partner GlaxoSmithKline who continues to support young Bermudians in the pharmaceutical field.”

Scholarships funded by BHB:

Britney Bannister attends Sheffield Hallam University, where she is studying to obtain her Master’s in Dietetics. She was awarded the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

Camia Pitcher attends Leeds Beckett University, where she is studying to obtain her Master’s in Dietetics. She was awarded the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

Naomi Lightbourne is attending the University of Essex and is obtaining her Master’s in Occupational Therapy. She received the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

Ivy Ingham is attending Kettering College and is obtaining her Bachelor’s in Nursing. She received the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

Paige Raynor is attending Barry University and is obtaining her Bachelor’s in Nursing. She received the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

Theresa-Lynn Santucci is attending the University of Salford Manchester and is obtaining her Bachelor’s in Nursing. She received the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

Taniece Wilson – Edmead is attending Keiser University and is obtaining her Certification in Nuclear Medicine. She received the BHB General Scholarship for $10,000 for one year.

GlaxoSmithKline Scholarship:

Jay-Quan Dill attends the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and is obtaining his Doctor of Pharmacy. He was awarded the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) scholarship for $20,000 for two years.

6 September 2022 Home Page, News

Over 500 patient encounters in Integrated Health Clinic’s first year

Friday 2 September 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is celebrating the first year of the Integrated Healthcare Clinic (IHC) a year after it opened at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre. Having launched in July 2021, the IHC offers people in the East End who need mental health and chronic illness services a place to receive care closer to home.

The IHC runs once a week on Wednesday mornings at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre, so it does not impact the delivery of urgent care services, which start later in the day on weekdays and on weekends.

IHC project lead and Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson-Williams notes: “It has been a very positive experience for our clients. For mental health clients especially, it provides a more relaxed feel, compared to visiting the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, but across all the services people appreciate having their regular appointments closer to home. We have managed through multiple COVID waves, using remote consults when required for safety. This means just over a quarter of our patient encounters have been via telephone, but the feedback has been consistent that using this location improves access and experience of patients.”

In the year it has been open, 145 patients have been seen at the IHC and there have been over 500 patient encounters. The IHC services include mental health, diabetes and asthma services, as well as the Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH), which sees patients who have one or more chronic illnesses but who do not have insurance or who are under-insured.

R Scott Pearman, executive sponsor for the integrated healthcare programme at BHB and deputy CEO, comments: “We are so pleased at the positive response from patients who have been using the IHC, and we are excited about next steps. The IHC is part of a broader strategy at BHB to improve access to care, and improve the outcomes for and wellbeing of our community.
Our integrated approach is to listen to and work with our patients to make improvements, bring hospital services closer to people who need them, and coordinate more closely with our partners in the community.”

In this first year, the IHC has been run as a pilot to see if delivering hospital services closer to home is beneficial to patients. BHB asked a number of patients to explain what difference it has made to them coming to the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre, and these are some of the responses.

It has made a huge difference as I live in St George’s and am elderly”

“I am disabled and the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre is not a long walk as parking is close and always available. Not like the other places.”

“What was good about my care at the IHC was the pleasant receptionist on the front line, the sincerity and concern of the nurse in attendance. And location…location…location. Parking is never an issue.”

One mental health services patient explained the impact of the location compared to MWI:

“As soon as you pull into MWI and get out of your car the stigma starts. It’s with Bermudians period. If you actually go inside the building it’s worse – not from the psychiatric staff but from other staff like security – that’s when it really starts. When I went over to the clinic even though the hospital part wasn’t open, I didn’t have those types of feelings when I walked in. Feeling like anyone was watching or was going to say something. I felt so much more relaxed going to my therapy because the whole atmosphere was 100 percent different. Different in a real positive way. When I would leave MWI, although I may have had a very good session, the stress kicks right back in just like it did when I entered. All the people seeing me and looking, and me feeling bad about myself and my situation. Coming out in St David’s I feel refreshed it’s really hard to explain the depth of it, but the good feeling from the session stayed with me and that’s the first time I had experienced that feeling in all the years that I’ve been in therapy. I started when I was 21 and now I’m in my 60s, so that’s a long, long, time.”

2 September 2022 Home Page, News

Last chance to join the 10th Corporate Blood Drive!

12 August 2022: Bermuda companies and organisations still have a chance to join the tenth Corporate Blood Drive, with the deadline for signing up 31 August 2022. Any company interested in joining up should email blood.donor@bhb.bm or call 236-5067.

“This is a special tenth anniversary for the Corporate Blood Drive,” said Lucy Correia, nurse phlebotomist at the Bermuda Blood Donor Centre. “This competition has made such a big difference to people in Bermuda who need transfusions. Companies who sign up have helped sustain our blood donor pool in Bermuda, whether they won the competition or not. All our blood is from local donors, and when companies join the competition they are supporting their existing donors and helping encourage new people to consider donating.

“One of our regular donors Janice Richards, who won the blood donor Hamilton Princess raffle this year, has been donating for many years – but it all started with an email in her workplace that was encouraging people to donate because the hospital was in need. This is the difference employers can make.

“This is our 10th competition so we are going to make it special, and we hope companies who have previously participated as well as new companies will consider joining in. While there will be a winner announced in June 2023, in this competition every company, every donation makes a big difference.”

Ms Correia adds: “Even just participating helps encourage blood donation so please consider joining. For the more serious competitors, having blood drives and promotions, and encouraging friends, family and even visiting consultants to donate, with a focus on getting as high as possible in the competition listing, can make it fun. Plus, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you are saving lives. Give us a call or email, and we can sign you up.”

12 August 2022 Home Page, News

Donate blood and win a ride on a Whip

Tuesday 9 August 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) and the Bermuda Blood Donor Centre today announce that blood and apheresis donors who donate between 1 August and 30 September 2022 will be entered into a raffle draw for two $50 Whip Rideshare credit prizes. This is thanks to Whip Rideshare, which has donated the Whip ride credits. The winner will be announced on 1 October 2022.

Whip Rideshare is Bermuda’s first e-scooter ridesharing micro mobility service and affordable eco-transport.

Alex Marshall, the founder of Whip Rideshare, states: “I have previously been a blood donor and wanted to help encourage people to donate as it is important for our community. We are all one family in Bermuda and this is one way we can help each other. Whip is proud to be a part of such a worthy cause. I encourage everyone to come to the Blood Donor Centre at the hospital and donate. Your donation will help save lives.”

The Bermuda Blood Donor Centre is the island’s sole donation centre supporting the hospital. In 2021 there were over 2,000 transfusions, and the need for donors continues to grow.

Bermuda Blood Donor Centre Nurse Phlebotomist Lucy Correia adds: “We are so grateful for the donation from Whip. If you are considering donating for the first time we promise to make it as comfortable as possible. The process only takes about 30 minutes and your one gift of blood can help up to three people, as well as put you in the raffle for the Whip ride credits.

“We are located on the first floor of the General Wing of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and are open Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 2:30pm, and Friday 8:30am to 1pm for appointments. Call 236-5067. You can also visit www.bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com for more information about donating.”

9 August 2022 Home Page, News

Community Intellectual Disability Team hosts Exceptional Summer event

Monday 8 August 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s Community Intellectual Disability Team (CIDT) will be hosting its Exceptional Summer BBQ Celebration at the end of August.

“This is the second social event we’ve created this year specifically for our intellectual disability community and their families,” said Chris Cunningham, manager of CIDT. “To mark the first anniversary of our team, we held A Fete of Exceptionalities in June at the Warwick Parish Council Field. That was so well received that we decided to create another social event.”

Exceptional Summer BBQ Celebration will take place on Saturday 27 August at Clearwater Beach from 11am-2pm.

“The main objectives of these events are to provide our clients with safe space for meaningful interaction with the general community and their peers,” said Morrisa Rogers, clinical director of the Intellectual Disability Programme. “It’s our hope that other event organisers will, through our example, understand how to make inclusion possible for those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Diversity and inclusion have far reaching positive effects on all members of our community.”

 

 

 

 

8 August 2022 Home Page, News