Healthcare

In Perfect Health

New residents to Bermuda typically have two primary concerns: “What is the quality of health care on the island and what does it cost?”

The good news is that the standard of health care here is high. All doctors and dentists must become board certified before they can practice.

We only have one hospital, the King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH). A new state-of-the art wing opened here in 2014 at a cost of $247 million. This wing has most of the features and services you would expect in a first-world hospital.

You can sleep easily knowing that your medical needs can be very well taken care of on the island. Most medical conditions and emergencies are treated here, but patients requiring highly specialised treatment, such as heart surgery, are flown to top hospitals in the United States and Canada.

Formal overseas partners include some of the very best hospitals in the United States such as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and, in the Boston area, the Lahey Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana Farber Institute, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

In order to receive specialised treatment at any overseas hospital, a patient has to be referred by his or her doctor. Hopefully, you will never have to be flown overseas for treatment, but if you do, you will be in the care of some of the top medical practitioners in North America.

What you will find, however, is that health care in Bermuda is one of the most expensive in the world. A Bermuda Health Council report from 2014 shows that among OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, only the United States has a higher cost per capita for health insurance than Bermuda.

Bermuda has no equivalent to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Instead, every employee must have health insurance. Employers usually pay 50% of the employee’s health insurance, but some pay more as part of the benefits package.

It would be difficult to put a cost on how much a single employee could expect to pay, as health insurance plans vary from company to company. But a new employee could expect the cost to be around $1,000 or more per month typically (but not always) shared 50/50 with your employer. If you have a spouse and/or children, they can be added to your health plan. That cost could be as much as $2,500 per month.

Health plans often include medical, dental, and optical.

You are not free to shop around for your health insurance — you have to enroll with the plan offered by your company. But you are allowed to choose which general practitioner (GP) to see for your health concerns.

A doctor’s visit can run anywhere from $80 to $150, depending upon the physician. If your plan does not cover the total cost of a doctor’s visit, and you are being cost-conscious, the insurer can help you choose one with a lower cost.

Many plans cover up to 80% of the expense for prescriptions, but you can expect to pay something when you see the pharmacist.

New employees can ask their company’s human resource director what their policy does and does not cover or to contact your insurer for that information

Opticians and optometrists operate privately.

Dental care is of a high standard— from orthodontic treatment to routine maintenance and cleaning.

Cancer prevention, detection and treatment under one roof

From healthy lifestyle programmes and early detection screenings to life-saving treatment, your good health starts with proactive care. Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre is the Island’s leading not-for-profit working to serve the community building healthier lives free of cancer and disease.

The Centre has a multidisciplinary, experienced team consisting of radiologists, oncologists, diagnostic imaging technologists, radiation therapy nurses and therapists, patient service staff, community outreach professionals, accounting and administrative personnel. This dedicated team provides compassion with care throughout all areas of the cancer journey. The Radiation Therapy Unit which opened in 2017, has a clinical affiliation with Dana-Farber/ Brigham and Women’s Cancer Centre in Boston.

Clinical services include 3-D Mammography, Ultrasound, Breast and Prostate Biopsies, Bone Densitometry and Radiation Therapy cancer treatment. Prevention is a vital part of the Centre’s mission and is provided through a variety of community outreach programmes within the community. To book screening mammogram appointment, please call the Centre directly at 236-1001. For our other clinical services, speak to your doctor about making Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre your choice.

As a registered not-for-profit (charity #70.), the Centre believes that health screenings such as mammograms and ultrasounds, and treatment like radiation therapy should be accessible by everyone. The Centre’s Equal Access Fund subsidises the cost of services for those who cannot afford them, regardless of whether it is a $326 mammogram or $100,000 for radiation treatment.

To make this possible, the Centre relies on the generosity of the local community, corporations, foundations and fundraising events to support its mission. Annually the Centre needs to raise over $2.5 million to help approximately 860 people receive clinical services they otherwise might not afford; and $100,000 to continue providing prevention and early detection education programmes which reach over 7,000 people island-wide.

The Centre is tremendously grateful for the continued support from all sectors of the community who provide financial support through different avenues, whether it is by volunteering, participating in one (or more) of our eight annual fundraising events, hosting independent third-party fundraisers, making a donation directly to the Centre or sponsoring Centre events and programmes. These opportunities and more are available on the Centre’s website. If you’d like to host a fundraiser, we’d love to hear your ideas!

Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre provides a specialist approach to patient care. With its convenient central location, extended appointment hours, and free parking, our not-for-profit provides you with easy access and affordable care. For more information on Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre call 236-1001 or visit www.chc.bm.

State-of-the-art True Beam™ linear accelerator used for radiation therapy

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HEALTH CARE Cancer can be prevented

Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre shares things you can do today that will lower your risk of being diagnosed with cancer

Locally over 300 people are diagnosed with cancer annually. It is estimated that 30-50% of cancers can be prevented and more than half the cancer deaths can be prevented.

Senographe Pristina Mammography System with Dueta (Technologist with patient)

Preventing Cancer

It is possible to change the course of some cancers in a population, including Bermuda. HPV is the cause of almost all cervical cancers. The virus, which affects both males and females, has also been linked to cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and throat.

In addition to leading a healthy lifestyle and following cancer screening guidelines, vaccinating against HPV will be a step toward preventing cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anus and throat cancer. There is strong evidence that an individual's risk of developing cancer can be substantially reduced by healthy behaviour: • don't use tobacco, and reduce alcohol consumption • get sufficient physical activity • eat healthy foods and eat in moderation • participate in cancer screenings according to recommended guidelines • get vaccinated against the Human

Papillomavirus (HPV)

Screening Tests

Starting as early as 40 years of age, getting screening tests regularly may find breast, cervical, and colorectal (colon) cancers early when treatment is likely to work best. Lung cancer screening is recommended for some people who are at high risk. Bermuda's cancer screening guidelines can be found on the Centre's website (https://www. cancer.bm/cancer-information/ bermudas-cancer-screeningguidelines).

Vaccines

Vaccines also help lower cancer risk. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine helps prevent most cervical cancers and several other kinds of cancer in both males and females. The Hepatitis B vaccine can help lower liver cancer risk.

Healthy Choices

You can reduce your risk of getting cancer by making healthy choices like maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, avoiding tobacco, limiting the amount of alcohol you drink, protecting your skin and practising safe sex.

Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre provides a series of programmes highlighting healthy lifestyle choices which, together, can make an enormous impact on people's likelihood of developing cancer and other non-communicable diseases over their lifetimes. Presentations and workshops are provided free to the community and can be requested through the Centre's website (https://www. cancer.bm/cancer-information/ reducing-your-cancer-riskpresentations).

Affording Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment

Affording health care can be challenging, not everyone has health insurance, and in other cases, health insurance may not cover the full cost of a needed service. As a registered charity, Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre believes that everyone should have access to health care. Through the ongoing generosity of the local community, the Centre's Equal Access Fund can help subsidise the cost of mammography, ultrasound, breast and prostate biopsies and radiation therapy treatment at our Centre for those who are uninsured and underinsured.

In addition to the physical illness and emotional distress caused by cancer, the high costs of care is a burden to patients, their families, and to the public. By preventing some of these cancers, the burden of cancer will be reduced, and the number of deaths caused by cancer will decline.

Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre provides a specialist approach to patient care. Services include mammograms, ultrasounds, breast and prostate biopsies, bone densitometry and radiation therapy. With its convenient central location, extended appointment hours, and free parking, our not-for-profit provides you with easy access and affordable care. For more information on Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre call 236-1001 or visit www.chc.bm.