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BHB shines green light for mental health awareness

Wednesday 30 November 2022: Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) encourages the public to be joyous and celebratory this holiday season.

“Positive thoughts engender positive feelings, which promote good mental health,” said Preston Swan, vice president of MWI clinical operations and acting chief operating officer for Bermuda Hospitals Board. “This December, we will again light the outside of our sister facility, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s Acute Care Wing, in green.”

This year’s theme for mental health awareness is Make Mental Health and Wellbeing for All a Bermuda Priority.

“Making mental health and mental wellbeing a Bermuda priority is not only a matter for the island’s mental health professionals,” said Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson-Williams. “We can all reflect and recognise where we may be feeling stressed or pressured, and take small steps to address our mental health, particularly considering the challenges of recent years.”

Here are a few measures you can take, particularly during this season, to support your mental wellness.

  • Go outside and be with nature. Disconnect from devices.
  • Don’t get caught up trying to create a perfect holiday setting or experience. Set small, meaningful goals with family or friends and connect where you can.
  • If you are feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a professional who can help. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness.

“We encourage you to contact MWI, your GP or one of the many mental health professionals available within our community if you need support,” said Dr Neilson-Williams. “You are not alone.”

The green light for mental health awareness will start at dusk tomorrow, Thursday 1 December 2022.

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

 

30 November 2022 Home Page, News

Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute thanks Markel Bermuda Limited

Monday 31 October 2022: Bermuda-based Markel Bermuda Limited has long held that good mental health is vitally important. In fact, a gift from the insurance giant to Bermuda Hospitals Board’s (BHB) Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic helped improve MWI’s service offerings.

“The theme of World Mental Health Day, which was celebrated on 10 October, was Make Mental Health and Wellbeing for All a Bermuda Priority,” said Preston Swan, BHB acting chief operating officer and VP of MWI clinical operations.

“Markel Bermuda Limited’s donation to us certainly demonstrates that the company already has this firmly established in its culture. We not only thank them, but also salute them,” he added.

Markel Bermuda donated audio-visual equipment to MWI during the pandemic so treatment for clients requiring mental health services was not interrupted. The gift also allowed MWI inpatients to meet virtually with their families and loved ones.

“The equipment proved invaluable,” said Mr Swan. “It allowed our clients to interact virtually with their clinical teams. In fact, in many cases the virtual meetings were preferred by clients and have continued.”

“We recognise that for many, there is a stigma associated with physically attending MWI,” said BHB Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Neilson-Williams. “The Markel Bermuda gift gave our clients a choice in accessing our services. Being able to attend their sessions from their homes was a welcome change for many of them and in several instances boosted their spirits.

“This is particularly significant as clients were largely negatively impacted by the stresses of being in lockdown and the pandemic itself. That they were able to continue their therapies in that climate is important.

“Equally valuable was that our inpatients were able, thanks to the equipment, to maintain connections with their families and loved ones during the lockdown and post lockdown as, out of necessity, we reduced visitation considerably.

“And the equipment, although specifically intended for use during the pandemic, continues to benefit clients as we still use it,” she added.

“It is heartening to learn that our gift has had this impact on MWI clients and staff,” said Markel Bermuda Limited HR Business Partner Sarah Randall. “At Markel, we recognise the importance of proactively attending to our mental health and certainly ascribe to the theme set for Mental Health Awareness in Bermuda this year – Make Mental Health and Wellbeing for All a Bermuda Priority. We are pleased our gift has aided the community in this goal.”

31 October 2022 Home Page, News