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New generator will help secure hospital power supply

Wednesday 5 June 2024: An additional generator will be installed at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital this year. There will be temporary changes to visitor and staff parking during the construction phase of the project.

“The new generator will provide added security of our electrical supply,” said Preston Swan, acting chief operating officer at Bermuda Hospitals Board. “It will work with the two existing generators to provide redundancy and ensure we have enough power to back up all essential systems, including air conditioning and ventilation, during a BELCO power outage.

“Paget Health Services, our partner in building and maintaining the Acute Care Wing, is managing and delivering the project as part of their obligations under the public private partnership contract.”

Paget Health Services General Manager Nicole Caines said: “We will be constructing housing for the new generator on top of a building currently in the main visitor car park at the ACW. Once this work has been completed, we will proceed with the installation.

“The construction portion of the project is scheduled to take 16 weeks to complete, and unfortunately there will be some disruption to parking at the hospital while this work is underway.”

Mr Swan said: “Starting on Monday 10 June, parking in the main ACW visitor car park will be reduced. Additional parking has been set aside further along Point Finger Road in our Springfield staff parking lot.”

Ms Caines added: “Signage will be posted and security staff will be stationed in both lots to assist hospital visitors in securing parking.”

The entire generator project will take 30 weeks to complete. BHB will not incur any costs related to the project.

5 June 2024 Home Page, News

BHB MRI service up and running

Thursday 30 May 2024: BHB’s MRI equipment has been repaired and went through its first full day of scanning yesterday (Wednesday).

Urgent patients have been prioritised and expanded hours are being offered to people who had their MRI examinations postponed to ensure they are scanned as soon as possible.

We thank all our patients for their understanding.

30 May 2024 News

BHB wishes everyone a safe and joyous Bermuda Day holiday weekend

Thursday 23 May 2024: Chief of Emergency Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke comments: “While we hope everyone enjoys the running, swimming and parade, for anyone in need of emergency or urgent healthcare services, we will be here.

“The KEMH Emergency Department is open 24 hours throughout the weekend for medical emergencies and if someone experiences a mental health crisis they can call BHB’s 24-hour mental health crisis hotline 239-1111 for advice. As a special reminder, if an individual experiences stroke symptoms, they must come in immediately or call 911. Do not wait to see if symptoms resolve or think you can wait. A full recovery following a stroke can depend on you getting treatment in time. We see up to five stroke victims a week and time is often the most important deciding factor on their outcome.

“The Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre will be open for its usual weekend hours, 9am to 9pm, on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May. It is not open on Friday 24 May. The UCC can help if you have an urgent, but not emergency healthcare need. There will be an x-ray service available, so if someone hurts their ankle or arm, for example, they can get their diagnostics in St David’s while the UCC is open.

“However, if your issue does not require an immediate healthcare response please remember that your family doctor is best placed to assist you. As your primary healthcare provider, they can advise, treat and refer you as necessary.

“Finally, look after yourself and ensure your family doesn’t get bad news this weekend by driving carefully and especially not taking drugs, drinking and driving. We cannot stress enough how important road safety is in preventing life-changing injuries and deaths. Please care for yourself and for all those in our community. Let’s enjoy this wonderful Bermuda holiday peacefully and safely.”

For details on stroke symptoms, remember the BE FAST acronym: If you experience a sudden issue with your Balance, Eyes (vision), Face (one side drooping), Arm or leg weakness or Speech problems, it’s Time you call 911. Watch this short video for more information or read the graphic below.

 

 

23 May 2024 Home Page, News

BHB’s MRI temporarily down

Wednesday 22 May 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s MRI equipment is currently undergoing repairs. The parts for the repair and the engineer are due on island early next week. The MRI is not usually required for emergency diagnostics, but patients who have MRI tests that are time sensitive can be referred to other providers.

All other patients will be rescheduled once the MRI is operational again. Expanded MRI hours will ensure the rescheduled patients are seen as soon as possible. All other imaging service modalities are working as usual.

We apologise for the inconvenience to our impacted patients and will provide an update when repairs are complete.

22 May 2024 News

BHB offers Heartsaver CPR AED training to the public

Wednesday 22 May 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is celebrating CPR & AED Awareness Week this year with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) courses for the public. BHB is an American Heart Association (AHA) International Training Center. All CPR courses follow AHA guidelines and standards.

A cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, and the victim could be someone you know and love. BHB is pleased to support the American Heart Association and its mission to increase survival from cardiac arrest. The organisation is asking all Bermuda residents who are able, to learn the lifesaving skills of Hands-Only CPR.

BHB will offer the Heartsaver CPR AED course for $20. Training takes approximately two hours and is done to music. People are more likely to remember the correct rate when trained to the beat of a familiar song.

Registering for the courses

Please note that neither course is appropriate for clinicians.

Heartsaver CPR AED ($20 fee) will be offered on Saturday 1 June and Sunday 2 June from 8:30am to 6pm. Four sessions will be offered each day.

Day Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4
Saturday 8:30am-10:30am 11am-1pm 1:30pm-3:30pm 4pm-6pm
Sunday 8:30am -10:30am 11am-1pm 1:30pm-3:30pm 4pm-6pm

 

Call 239-1821 to register or email coursereg@bhb.bm. Please include the time and date you would like to attend.

Click here for the flyer. 

 

 

 

22 May 2024 Home Page, News

Blood donation criteria now based on individual sexual activity

Tuesday 7 May 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board today updated its blood donor eligibility criteria to include risk-based questions that will be the same for every individual, regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender. These questions reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections, such as HIV.

The change brings Bermuda in line with blood donation criteria in the UK, Canada and the US.

Consultant Haematologist and Acting Chief of Pathology Dr Eyitayo Fakunle explains: “Our focus is always to ensure that our criteria maximise the safety of our blood supply. We test all our donated blood and we also defer donations from people who do not meet our criteria. Deferrals of higher-risk individuals and testing of all donated blood together give us the best protection overall.”

Prior to this change, the Bermuda Blood Donor Centre criteria had time-based deferrals specific to men who’d had sex with men (MSM) and women who’d had sex with MSM during the previous three months.

“These criteria didn’t address the sexual behaviour of all individuals, nor did they recognise that not everyone in one group has the same level of risk,” Dr Fakunle says. “The new questions will therefore be asked of all donors, irrespective of their sexual orientation.”

The new criteria will defer prospective donors who report having anal sex with a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner of any gender in the past three months. People who are in monogamous relationships of three months or more will therefore not be deferred, irrespective of their sexual orientation.

Dr Fakunle adds: “We continue to use global research and evidence so that our blood donation criteria ensure safe transfusions for our patients. This is without doubt our most important priority in transfusion services.

“Criteria are updated when science indicates there is a more effective way to ensure safety. As a small jurisdiction, we closely follow the US and Canada specifically as we are accredited by patient safety bodies from both those countries.”

People can review a factsheet on sexual activity and blood donation, and all the blood donation eligibility criteria on the BHB website at bermudahospitals.bm/be-a-donor.

7 May 2024 Home Page, News

Mental health of youth to be highlighted at fair

Wednesday 1 May 2024: On Thursday 9 May, the Child and Adolescent Services team at Bermuda Hospitals Board will host its second annual Children’s Mental Health Awareness Fair. Organisers aim to educate middle and high-school students about services available to help them with a variety of mental health concerns, while exposing them to potential careers in the field.

Child and Adolescent Services Clinical Manager Vakita Basden said: “In 2023, our multidisciplinary team provided services to 296 children and adolescents on the island in more than 2,000 appointments.

“The most common disorders among our clients are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.”

The 9 May fair will be held at Bermuda College from 10am to 1pm and will include partners from Solstice, Bermuda College and the Department of Education.

“Children’s mental health matters because it shapes their present wellbeing, future prospects and the broader fabric of society,” says Mrs Basden. “By prioritising mental health support and resources for our youth, we can foster healthier, happier individuals and communities for generations to come.”

According to the 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) Report, one out of seven adolescents experienced mental illness globally that year. The report also lists suicide as the fourth leading cause of death for people between 15 and 29 years old. Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are listed as the leading cause of mental illness among adolescents.

Jascinth Albouy-Onyia, BHB’s assistant clinical director of mental health, said: “We believe that children have the unique ability to thrive in the face of adversity, with each new day presenting an opportunity for growth and change.

“We provide services to families and their children who are 4 to 18 years old and have a moderate to severe presentation of mental health symptoms that impact their social, vocational and educational functioning.

“We provide our clients with sessions in locales that best meet their needs. Some are seen in the department for their appointments, some in other locations. We always aim to meet their needs and respect their right to privacy”.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the World Health Organization, children’s mental health is profoundly important because it impacts lifelong wellbeing, academic success, social development, physical health, long-term outcomes, family dynamics and community wellbeing.

More information about Child and Adolescent Services is available by calling 239-6344 or emailing cas.referrals@bhb.bm.

1 May 2024 Home Page, News

BHB Traffic Advisory: No through traffic at KEMH between Point Finger and Berry Hill roads for one week

Thursday 18 April 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises the public that there will be no through traffic on the campus of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) between Point Finger Road and Berry Hill Road for one week starting on Sunday 21 April 2024.  Through traffic is scheduled to resume on Monday 29 April 2024.

The closure is necessary to facilitate trenchwork across the KEMH road between the Acute Care Wing (ACW) ambulance bay and the ACW main visitor car park.

People will be able to access the Emergency Department, the main ACW entrance and the ACW visitor parking lot from Point Finger Road.

Access from Berry Hill Road will stop at the Botanical Gardens’ gate to KEMH.

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18 April 2024 Home Page, News

Chief of Staff Wesley Miller retires from BHB

Wednesday 3 April 2024: After many years of distinguished service, Dr Wesley Miller has decided to retire from his position as chief of staff at BHB. The Bermuda Hospitals Board wishes to thank Dr Miller for his service and to wish him well in his return to private practice. BHB has already started the process of recruiting for Dr Miller’s replacement and will provide an update as soon as possible.

While the recruitment process is being completed, Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson-Williams has agreed to be the acting chief of staff.

We wish Dr Miller every success in his future endeavours.

3 April 2024 Home Page, News

BHB shares update about hospital – physician communications

Tuesday 2 April 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board has had a physician advisory council to participate in the ongoing development of our electronic medical record, PEARL, for over a year. Community and BHB physicians are represented to collaborate on optimising our ability to share highly confidential medical information about our patients.  The public should be reassured that BHB only uses secure methods of transmitting their medical information.

Communicating with physicians via private emails and fax does not constitute the highest level of safeguarding patient data. As we work through making improvements, we have continued faxing to community physician offices so there has been no cut off of available patient information through older systems.  Faxing is not perfect, however. There can be issues with transmission, or risks of paper running out at the receiver end or getting lost in the community offices. This is why their use is being phased out in other countries such as the UK.

Email and messaging can be used if they are on secure platforms. Many family doctors now have their own electronic medical records and we are already in the early stages of implementing an integration engine that will allow the different EMRs in these offices to connect more directly with PEARL.

BHB has also hosted two community physician workshops over the last year to assist them with using BHB systems and PEARL. We certainly want to hear from any physicians who are having issues receiving or sharing information with us at BHB. We already are in contact with certain offices and site visits are arranged if there are issues that can’t be resolved remotely. Prior to the question being tabled to the CEO at Docs for Dinner, BHB was aware of the particular concern voiced and our team had committed to support with a solution.

The requirements of the personal information privacy act do need to be complied with and this is a good thing for Bermuda. Within health care, an individual’s medical information should always be protected to the highest standards available. The onus is on us in health care – in the hospitals and community – to work together and find solutions that safeguard medical information while making it as easy as possible for physicians to care for their patients.

2 April 2024 Home Page, News