Bermuda Hospitals Board is pleased to announce that residents of the long-term care units at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) are benefitting from a generous gift from its Resident Family Council and the Bermuda Public Services Union (BPSU) – four new wheelchairs.
The Council is made up of family members of long-term care residents. They meet regularly to work with KEMH staff, helping ensure the needs of their loved ones are met. Chairperson Charles Leon O’Brien Sr is passionate about enhancing and expanding the services available to residents on the units.
“We asked nurse Maxine Simmons, the clinical director of long-term care services, what was needed and wheelchairs were high on her list,” Mr O’Brien said. “We had the hospital source them, then approached the BPSU for funding.”
BPSU General Secretary Kevin Grant said: “We were pleased to be able to assist the Resident Family Council in this effort.”
BHB Acting CEO and Chief of Nursing Judy Richardson explained the impact of the donation: “Bermuda Hospitals Board thanks the Resident Family Council and the BPSU for this much-needed gift of four wheelchairs. In addition to improving the lives of our residents, the gift represents a $5,000 savings to BHB.”
Ms Simmons added: “We are not only grateful for the gift, which includes a bariatric wheelchair for our obese patients, but also for the assistance our Resident Family Council provides us throughout the year.
“We greatly appreciate the BPSU for funding this opportunity to enhance mobility for our residents.”
