Island Palm acquisition to pay 'almost immediate' dividends

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama -- Officials of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) say the acquisition of the Island Palm Hotel on Grand Bahama on Tuesday is expected to "significantly impact" the delivery of quality healthcare in Grand Bahama in the northern Bahamas.  The Island Palm Hotel was acquired at a cost of $1.9 million and is expected to pay "almost immediate" dividends in the delivery and expansion of healthcare in the northern region.  
The acquisition is part of the Government of The Bahamas' phased approach to improving the delivery and accessibility of healthcare to residents of the northern Bahamas and follows on the heels of the construction and upgrade of the Critical Care Facility and Operating Theatres at the Rand Memorial Hospital. 
It will also allow PHA and Rand Memorial officials to expand a number of critical areas such as Laboratory services and facilitate the use of Tele-Radiology as part of the Tele-medicine thrust in the future.  The acquisition will also allow PHA officials to increase bed capacity at the Rand Memorial Hospital. The Island Palm Hotel sits adjacent to the Rand Memorial and plans are already underway to transfer the Rand Memorial's cafeteria services to the former hotel.  
PHA Managing Director, Mr. Herbert Brown, said the transfer of cafeteria services from the Rand Memorial Hospital to the Island Palm Hotel, will allow Rand Memorial officials to use the area currently set aside for cafeteria services to facilitate additional treatment and bed capacity.  "If you look at the way the hospital (Rand Memorial) is laid out, you would see that it is not conducive to being able to provide efficient healthcare to people because the kitchen and the cafeteria are in the middle of the hospital," Mr. Brown said.  "This acquisition will now allow us to move that area and place it in a strategic way where it should be going. The plan then is to develop-re-develop the hospital in Grand Bahama on site, but in a phased and very strategic approach," Mr. Brown added.  

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HOSPITAL'S PLEA TO FUND NEW MACHINE

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PRINCESS Margaret Hospital officials are appealing to corporate Bahamas and the public to make donations to a new digital mammography machine that will replace the near obsolete equipment they are using.

So far, the hospital along with other organisations have raised more than $100,000 toward the new equipment that will include a new monitor, software and storage space for digital images.

More than 12 years old, the current mammography machine is not only less cost efficient, but has also at times, created a backlog of patients.

According to Dr Solange Payne, director of radiology, the hospital has seen six weeks upward to four months of back l ...

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The use of EMG and NCS in neurological disorders

EMG (Electromyography) is the study of electrical activity of the muscles. NCS (Nerve Conduction Study) is the study of electrical activity of nerves. When combined these tests provide a very effective tool in the diagnosing of neurological disorders. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) Scans and X-rays are diagnostic tests that look for structural abnormalities in specific body parts. While determining if there is structural damage, these radiology tests cannot determine if the structures are functioning, or how these structures are affecting nerves and muscles, or if they themselves are being affected by the abnormal functioning of nerves or muscles. EMG/NCS is extremely helpful whenever there is possibility of nerve or muscle damage.
The study is conducted in two parts. The NCS is usually performed first by the neurodiagnostic technologist, who test the nerves by applying surface recording electrodes over various muscles or nerves on different parts of the body (e.g. hands, arms, legs and feet). The technologist then stimulates various nerves by using a probe/stimulating electrode that provides a small electrical current to the nerve, which is then measured and recorded. This small electrical stimulus can be compared to the sensation of a static shock felt from rubbing your body on a carpet or touching a refrigerator. The speed, shape, height and pattern of the electrical response of the nerves provides information on whether or not the nerves are injured and where the injury is located.
The second part of study is usually performed by a physician with specialized training in Neurophysiology/Neurodiagnostics after reviewing the NCS. The physician uses a small recording needle electrode, very similar in size to an acupuncture needle, which he inserts through the skin into various muscles that receive nerve supply from different nerves or spinal nerve roots. The needle electrode is connected to a machine, with an oscilloscope that records the electrical activity. This electrical activity also generates sounds that allows the doctor to both listen and see the electrical activity of the muscles at rest and during muscle contraction. While some find it uncomfortable, the more relaxed the patient is, the easier it is to tolerate the needle exam.
The entire study is then analyzed by the physician trained in neurophysiology who generates a comprehensive report, presenting objective findings and stating if the study is normal or abnormal and if possible, the likely site(s) of the injury.
This study looks very specifically at muscles and nerves. Some of the more common medical conditions which benefit from EMG/NCS testing include carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve in the neck), low back pain, spinal injury, sciatica, traumatic nerve injury (e.g. gunshot or motor vehicle accidents) along with numbness and tingling of the feet. Some more severe but not as common conditions include ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Myopathy (muscle disease which can be congenital or acquired) and Guillain-Barre syndrome to name a few.
The EMG/NCS has been and continues to be a very important diagnostic test that helps in the management of neurological disorders to not only diagnose, but also to evaluate the effectiveness of various treatment options.
o Michael A. Morris is a neurodiagnostic technologist with 25 years in the field, who has training in EEG, Evoked Potentials, IOM and NCS. He became an American board-certified EDT (Electro-Diagnostic Technologist) in 1995. He relocated from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan in 2000. He is the Neurodiagnostic lab manager at the Bahamas Neurological Center.

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RBC commits 50,000 to Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation

RBC has announced a $50,000 donation to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in support of its "Caring for Breasts Campaign".  The goal of the campaign is to raise $500,000 for the purchase of a much needed mammography machine for Princess Margaret Hospital that will provide state-of-the-art screening for breast cancer.
RBC has taken on a leadership role in this initiative and is the first corporate entity to provide major support.  The $50,000 represents 10 percent of the cost of the machine and RBC is encouraging other corporate entities to join the fight against this terrible disease.
Breast cancer is a major health crisis facing The Bahamas.  A recent research study found that the percentage of Bahamian women with an abnormal gene that predisposes them to cancer is among the highest in the world.
These findings point to the need for increased screening of all Bahamian women and at earlier ages. The new machine PMH plans to purchase will:
o Allow the Mammography Service to increase capacity for screening women by 100 percent in its current service times available.  The Radiology and Imaging Department, however, plans with the addition of this machine to extend its hours of service to make the department more patient friendly, and to accommodate client work schedules.  Extended service would be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.  It will, however, also require the hiring of two new radiographers and one scheduling clerk.  If successful in extending hours, as planned, the department will be able to increase service productivity by a further 100 percent.
o Assist in meeting departmental goals for providing patients access to technology that decreases radiation exposure (by up to 30 percent).
o Provide sharper images that can be manipulated/viewed from multiple angles.
o Facilitate succinct storage of images per patient so that previous screenings can be easily referenced on an electronic database.
The check presentation was made to Sharon Wilson, fundraising chairperson of the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, by Nat Beneby and George Roache.  Also present at the presentation were Herbert Brown, managing director, Public Hospitals Authority; Coralee Adderley, chief hospital administrator, PMH; Dr. Devonne Curling, oncologist; and Nancy Kelly, foundation board member.

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Marsh Harbour to get new community hospital

MARSH HARBOUR, Abaco --- Officials of the National Insurance Board and Coastline Construction Tuesday signed a contract for $12 million for the construction of a new community hospital in Marsh Harbour.  
Scheduled to be completed within 60 weeks, the signing and groundbreaking ceremony for the facility came almost 25 years after NIB completed its first Community Clinic at Marsh Harbour in 1988.  At that time, NIB embarked upon a mission to assist with the development and extension of healthcare infrastructure in The Bahamas. They were able to accomplish their goal by "putting aside funds for the construction and equipping of medical facilities that would make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for Bahamian residents."  The Marsh Harbour Clinic was the first of its kind.  
Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis, said the construction of the community hospital will replace the existing primary healthcare facility (clinic) in Marsh Harbour.  "Through the Public Hospitals Authority, the facility will provide improvements and advancements in tele-medicine and tele-radiology for this area; it will allow for the rotation of specialists in New Providence to Marsh Harbour, while also allowing for the bridging and expansion of electronic medical records, numerous outpatient surgical procedures and expanded ante-natal care delivery.  
"All residents of Abaco, including those who presently access private health services will benefit from the new and expanded services this facility will provide," Dr. Minnis added.    

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Agape Child & Adolescent Clinic

• Top Of The Hill Mackey St
• Nassau
• Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas

Lucayan Medical Centre

• East Sunrise Highway
• Freeport
• Grand Bahama, Bahamas

Doctors - Pediatrics

Heritage Pediatric Clinic

• Coral Road
• Freeport
• Grand Bahama, Bahamas

The Paediatric Centre

• Librery House, Dowdeswell Street
• Nassau
• Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas