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BHB laundry gets $6.6 million upgrade

Sunday 24 July 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) has started a $6.6-million project to renovate its ageing laundry facility. The Laundry & Linen Department has been housed in the basement of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s (KEMH) General Wing since the facility was constructed in the 1960s.

“Renovation of this area is necessary as the infrastructure is almost 60 years old and failing,” said BHB Acting Chief Operating Officer Preston Swan. “This department services all the laundry for both our hospitals, KEMH and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. On average, 5,000 to 6,000 pounds are processed in the facility every day.”

The old facility closed in early July to facilitate the upgrade and has a December 2022 completion date.

“New hot and cold water lines, steam piping and exhaust ductwork will be installed to replace the ageing infrastructure,” said BHB Principal Engineer Ellsworth Wainwright.

“The old boiler room building will be demolished, and a new building will be constructed to house the new hot water system, allowing the washers to operate more efficiently,” he added.

Those efficiencies will reduce costs.

“We have experienced complete equipment failures multiple times over the past year, putting the organisation at material risk in being able to execute our mandate,” said BHB Hotel Services Director Jerome Swainson. “The new modern equipment will provide efficiencies in wash cycles, and water and chemical use, as well as reduced energy consumption.

“Additional savings will be achieved in the reduction of additional hours, overtime and outsourcing due to frequent equipment downtime over the years.”

BHB Laundry & Linen Department transition 

The Laundry & Linen Department has 33 staff, all of whom remain employed within BHB during the renovation. Most of the staff carry out their regular duties, such as sorting, folding and distribution, from a temporary workstation created in another area of the basement. A few laundry operators have been redeployed to one of the outside service providers, which have been retained to launder BHB’s linen while the renovations are underway.

Greymane Construction is the general contractor for the project.

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24 July 2022 Home Page, News

BHB Primary Stroke Centre celebrates three-year anniversary

Sunday 17 July 2022: Today is the third anniversary of the launch of Bermuda Hospitals Board’s (BHB) Primary Stroke Centre. In April, the Stroke Centre received confirmation from Accreditation Canada that it had achieved distinction certification for its acute stroke and rehabilitation services – Accreditation Canada’s highest award for stroke centres. This certification means that BHB has implemented the protocols to ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke, as well as evaluation, prevention and rehabilitation.

The full report is being released to the public today and can be found on bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com.

BHB provides its Primary Stroke Centre services in a clinical affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The collaboration has been instrumental in developing novel services to better manage stroke care in Bermuda. This includes the tele stroke service, where a neurologist is involved via phone and the internet from the first indication on arrival at the hospital that the person is experiencing a stroke.

“Every second is critical in the case of a stroke,” said BHB consultant neurologist Dr Kehinde Kolapo. “That we are able to quickly identify stroke allows us to administer IV thrombolysis tPA (IV tPA), a clot-busting drug which greatly improves patient outcomes.”

Local tele stroke service began in June 2020. In December 2020, Johns Hopkins Medicine International neurologists began working with BHB. This innovative way of managing stroke patients helps us collaborate in real time to care for Bermudian patients, despite being over 800 miles apart,” said Dr Victor Urrutia, director of The Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Center.

In 2021, BHB had its first transoceanic patient transferred from King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) to a comprehensive stroke centre in the US for removal of a clot in a large blood vessel. The procedure (mechanical thrombectomy) is not available in Bermuda and, because patients must be transferred very quickly, referral overseas is difficult.

“Our efforts to improve stroke care at BHB are ongoing,” said BHB Chief of Staff Wesley Miller. “The introduction of BHB’s Patient Electronic and Administrative Records Log – PEARL – later this year is an example of that. It will create efficiencies that will help ensure we provide the best care and safety for our stroke patients.”

File photo of the 2019 launch of the Bermuda Hospitals Board Primary Stroke Centre. Pictured centre are Dr Victor Urrutia, director of The Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Dr Francene Gayle, then director of BHB’s Primary Stroke Centre.

17 July 2022 Home Page, News

Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre temporary weekday hours

Friday 15 July 2022: There will be a temporary change to the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) hours on weekdays from Monday 18 July. Weekend hours will remain the same (9am to 9pm), but Monday to Friday and public holiday hours will be 6pm to 10pm, rather than 2pm to 10pm. Please note that an x-ray service will be available on Sundays only from 9am to 8:45pm.

Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke, Chief of Emergency, comments: “We apologise for any inconvenience the later opening on weekdays causes. This arrangement means we can cover the busiest hours of the UCC, while maintaining adequate staff in the Emergency Department and KEMH Diagnostic Imaging department where the sickest patients receive care. We will review the situation again next month and appreciate the community’s understanding.”

15 July 2022 Home Page, News

Blood donors recognised in Hamilton Princess & Beach Club raffle

Wednesday 13 July 2022: Two winners have been selected from all new and regular blood donors who donated between June 2021 and June 2022, with prizes donated from Hamilton Princess & Beach Club. Long-time blood donor Janice Richards won a night’s stay at the hotel, and new blood donor Shauna Peyton won a champagne brunch.

“Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all our new and regular blood donors this year,” said Dr Eyitayo Fakunle, Consultant Haematologist. “With over 2,000 transfusions in Bermuda in 2021, our need for regular donors is growing. We are so grateful to those who regularly attend and encourage everyone to consider donating if they can, that it is wonderful they get to participate in the raffle. A big thank you as well to Hamilton Princess for the raffle prizes, and also for being a regular participant in our Corporate Blood Drive competition.”

“We are very proud to support and encourage blood donation,” said Tim Morrison, General Manager of Hamilton Princess. “It is very important for us to have adequate blood supplies for those in our community who need it, and so Hamilton Princess feels it is very valuable for us to contribute and support every year.”

Janice Richards has donated for many years, and started when encouraged to do so at work. “I started to donate when an email was sent round asking employees to donate blood and I’ve been doing it for several years. It is important for people to donate as it saves lives. It is needed for certain medical conditions, and I’m a perfect match for someone in Bermuda who has sickle cell and so I’m called when they are in need of a treatment.”

Shauna Peyton is a new blood donor in Bermuda, but has donated many times in her native US. “Blood donation is an easy way to help people,” she said. “If you can donate you should as you never know when you or someone you know or friends or family will need a blood donation – and you also get cookies!”

13 July 2022 Home Page, News

Public Advisory: Repairs to Corporation of Hamilton sewage line may cause foul odours inside KEMH

Friday 24 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises the public that repairs to the Corporation of Hamilton sewage pipe on Point Finger Road will be very near the Emergency Department and air intake units for the hospital building. Please note that as a result you may experience adverse odours not only outside the hospital but also inside.

Bermuda Hospitals Board apologises for this unfortunate circumstance. The Corporation of Hamilton is working assiduously to rectify the situation.

24 June 2022 Home Page, News

Five-year strategy published for services at MWI

Tuesday 21 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board has published a five-year strategy for Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute services. The MWI Directorate Plan 2021-2026 was developed following the launch of the BHB Strategic Plan 2021-2026 last year. It provides a pathway for mental health, intellectual disability and substance use services.

R Scott Pearman, Deputy CEO, says: “I’m very proud to see the Plan published after an incredible amount of hard work by MWI staff and clients, through a very challenging period. It highlights work with international and local partners and supports the over-arching BHB vision ‘To pursue excellence through improvement, to make Bermuda proud.’”

Acting Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Clinical Operations (MWI) Preston Swan says: “The strength of the Plan is to provide us with a roadmap to truly transform services and experiences for our clients. While dovetailing to the BHB vision, MWI staff and clients defined the MWI purpose ‘To inspire strength, hope and wellness in our community by promoting independence, choice and person-centred support’.”

“The Plan also re-affirms the recovery model as the heart of all we do,” Preston adds. “This is a model that encourages client participation not just in decisions about their own care and treatment, but in service planning.”

There are four goals that give overall direction to the strategy:
1. Transition outpatient and long term care into the community and close the MWI site in the long term
2. Ensure active patient participation in our services using the recovery model
3. Use a needs-based approach to care that ensures people get care at the right time and place and from the right provider
4. Challenge the stigma and discrimination associated with MWI services

Acting Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Nielson comments: “Shifting outpatient services to community settings helps bring the care to the people who need them. It makes accessing services easier, and people don’t have to visit MWI which can have a stigma associated with it. We have already started the process: last year mental health services and support were offered from Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre, Victoria Clinic, the courts and a nurse led pilot has run in a GP office. Lastly, a Community Intellectual Disability Team (CIDT) was launched last year to support clients in their homes.”

The Plan goes further, however, with a long term goal of co-locating acute inpatient mental health services on the KEMH campus, where inpatient acute medical services are delivered.

“People would be able to go to the same campus whether they have an acute mental illness or physical illness,” Dr Neilson-Williams explains. “They would be separate, purpose built units, but on the same campus allowing for better support and cooperation between the two services.”

Mr Swan also highlights a promotional campaign in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), MIND (UK) and local partners to help break down the stigma associated with mental illness. “We want to end the stigma that many people feel is associated with mental illness. It impacts how people are treated at work and home, and also can discourage people from seeking help when they need it. We truly want to see a transformation take place in Bermuda.”

You can read the full MWI Directorate Plan here and a summary of the plan here.

21 June 2022 Home Page, News

Congratulations, Butterfield & Vallis, Corporate Blood Drive Winner 2022

Tuesday 14 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announced that Butterfield & Vallis had won the Corporate Blood Drive Winner 2022. In this ninth competition, 15 local companies competed. Every blood donation from an employee or an employee’s friends and family counts towards the final total. The winner is always announced on World Blood Donor Day, which is today, 14 June 2022. As a further celebration, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Acute Care Wing will be lit in red in this week.

The winner’s trophy was presented to Butterfield & Vallis by the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson JP MP, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ayoola Oyinloye, BHB Chief of Staff Dr Wesley Miller, and the Bermuda Blood Donor Centre team.

Dr Eyitayo Fakunle, Consultant Haematologist, comments: “Every one of the fifteen competing companies must be applauded. Every donation is a donation we need, and just by participating they are supporting their employees to be able to come and donate. Thank you all, and a special congratulations to Butterfield & Vallis, for coming first in the competition. The last two years have been very hard for individuals and companies, and your continued support of blood donation has helped us maintain our blood supplies and save lives in Bermuda.”

The fifteen competing companies in this year’s competition were: AF Smith, Ascot, Axis, Bermuda Monetary Authority, BF&M, Butterfield & Vallis, Conyers Dill & Pearman, Fidelity, FIL, Freisenbruch, Lancashire, Liberty, Marsh McLennan, Ministry of Public Works and Renaissance Re.

Lucy Correia, Nurse Phlebotomist at the Blood Donor Centre, comments: “We are so thankful to each company and to everyone who donates. Butterfield & Vallis joined the 2014/15 competition and have participated every year since then. They’ve truly earned their win this year! We hope more companies will consider joining. It can be a great way to bond and build morale, and every donation can help up to three people in Bermuda. There is no better way to support the community. And we are going into the tenth competition, so it will be a special celebration!”

Terri Durrant, Advertising Manager and Wellness Chair of Butterfield & Vallis, comments: “Supporting blood donation is something Butterfield & Vallis and its employees are passionate about. Congratulations and thanks to all of my colleagues who have rolled up their sleeves this year to donate blood. For some, it took a lot to pluck up the courage to donate in the first place but now they are regulars . We look forward to a strong competition in the year ahead and we’re determined to make it a double!”

Companies wishing to join in the friendly competition should email blood.donation@bhb.bm or call 236-5067.

 

 

14 June 2022 Home Page, News

Temporary chillers to be installed on the KEMH General Wing site

Sunday 12 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board today advises the public that five temporary chillers will be installed on the KEMH site near to the Berry Hill visitors’ car park and delivery area of the General Wing.

There should be no impact to patients accessing patient parking areas as the construction site is not a public area. Vendors who deliver to KEMH will find there is traffic control to help them safely deliver supplies.

Trench work will start on Monday, and through the week a high lift and crane will be visible. Work is expected to be completed within five days.

The temporary chillers will assist cooling water for KEMH while repairs are undertaken on the chillers in the Acute Care Wing.

12 June 2022 Home Page, News

Donate blood up to 30 June and have a chance to win a prize!

Wednesday 8 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) and Bermuda Blood Donor Centre today thank the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club for donating two prizes to recognise the blood and apheresis donors in Bermuda. This is the second year running Hamilton Princess has offered the prizes, which are a stay at the hotel and a champagne brunch. The winners will be drawn from Bermuda’s most active and new blood donors who have donated over the last year up to 30 June 2022.

Alongside the prizes, Hamilton Princess is sponsoring an online advertisement to encourage blood donation, and is encouraging and supporting its employees to donate blood by participating in the annual Corporate Blood Drive Competition. The corporate winner will be announced on World Blood Donor Day, Tuesday 14 June.

Dr Eyitayo Fakunle, consultant haematologist at BHB, comments: “Thank you, Hamilton Princess, for being a partner in our drive to increase the number of blood and apheresis donors in Bermuda. Behind this generous donation and support is the goal of increasing donors. The need for blood transfusions in Bermuda is increasing. There were nearly 2,000 transfusions in 2021 compared to 1,590 in 2017, an increase of 26%. Blood donors over the same period have only increased from 1,002 to 1081, or 8%. This means our existing donors are being true heroes and donating frequently. We hope people will see the great good they can do by joining our donors and helping us save lives.

“The increasing need for transfusions is not down to any one reason. We see people who have internal bleeding due to illness, trauma, surgery or childbirth, as well as sickle cell patients who may need therapeutic transfusions throughout their lives. We need each new generation to join so we can keep saving lives in Bermuda for years and decades ahead.”

Tim Morrison, General Manager of the Hamilton Princess, comments: “Hamilton Princess & Beach Club is proud to be able to do its part to thank the blood donors in Bermuda and encourage more people to donate. Providing raffle prizes for donors and also being a participant in the Corporate Blood Drive Competition are ways we can make a difference to our community. If anyone is thinking of donating for the first time, or returning to donating, then this month is a great time to start as you’ll be included in this year’s draw. Our goal, however, is to thank all Bermuda’s blood donors, who are helping to save lives year round.”

Bermuda Blood Donor Centre Nurse Phlebotomist Lucy Correia adds: “We are so pleased all our active donors can participate in this draw. We can promise anyone who is considering donating for the first time that we will make it as comfortable and easy for you as possible. The process only takes about 30 minutes and your one gift of blood can help up to three people. We are based 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 go to bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com for more information about donating.”

8 June 2022 Home Page, News

Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute celebrates Fête of Exceptionalities

Saturday 4 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) today celebrated the first anniversary of the formation of its Community and Intellectual Disability Team (CIDT) with a Fête of Exceptionalities.

The community event saw people with intellectual disabilities, their friends and family, the CIDT, and MWI senior leaders join for a day of fun activities at the Warwick Parish Council Field.

“The CIDT works to provide appropriate and client-centred services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities with comorbid and co-occurring health needs living in Bermuda,” said Clinical Manager of CIDT Christopher Cunningham.

“The success of the first year of this department has brought about necessary referrals for day programmes, client moves to residential group homes for respite or permanent stays, employment opportunities and weekly therapy sessions focused on various topics to support the daily lives of clients,” said Preston Swan, BHB Acting Chief Operating Officer and VP Clinical Operations (MWI).

“Additionally, the team has been able to assist in emergency cases for other individuals needing substantial support, all while developing ties with multiple agencies on the island,” he added.

“The main objectives of our Fête of Exceptionalities are to provide our clients the opportunity to celebrate themselves in a public setting and engage in meaningful social engagement with their peers and the wider community,” said Morrisa Rogers, BHB Clinical Director of Intellectual Disabilities. “Attendees had the opportunity to seek information from our resource tent about the CIDT and other organisations that provide services to this community.”

It was free and featured lots of soca music, games, popcorn, snow cones and cotton candy, and the gombeys were a big hit.

“We hope the event provided insight for future community events on how to make inclusion possible for those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities,” said Mr Cunningham.  “Inclusion is necessary and important, especially if we want to continue reducing the stigmas around mental health and intellectual disability.”

“We would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor who share in the success of today’s event,” said Ronnelle James, Clinical Assistant of the CIDT. “They are: Special Olympics, K. Margaret Carter Centre, New Dimensions Day Programmes, John Barritt & Sons Ltd, The Hiles Family (Kris and Christianna), The Client Empowerment Council and Tomorrow’s Voices. We also thank Warwick Parish Council and The Royal Bermuda Regiment.”

 

4 June 2022 Home Page, News