Modular units to bring relief to space-needy Rand Memorial Hospital

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE installation of modular units at the Rand Memorial Hospital is underway and soon residents will no longer have to sit and wait on the porch at the Accident and Emergency Department.

Four structures –located on pylons at the western entrance to the hospital’s grounds – will serve as the Special Pathogens and Rehab Services Units.

According to hospital administrator Jessica Cartwright, the units should be ready by the end of the month.

“Our intent is to ensure that we had a facility that would allow us to decompress the emergency room from what we call PUIs or persons under investigations for COVID-19, as well as those unsuspected infectious diseases, and also allow us the space in our emergency room and take our citizens off the porch,” she said.

The Accident and Emergency unit at the Rand had been modified to accommodate the growing number of

COVID-19 patients. Rehabilitation Services were relocated at the nearby Sir Charles Hayward Library following damage during Hurricane Dorian.

Last December, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville said the government heard the cries of residents and had announced that large hurricane-rated modular units were acquired and would be erected on the hospital’s grounds.

During an update on Monday, Ms Cartwright reported the units are currently on pyles and are mounted. They are now securing them.

“We envision in the next three weeks we would be in a position to complete the connections and tie-ins and make it ready for us to use as an inpatient space,” she said.

The units arrived in December, but there was a delay in installation. Work began last week putting the units on pyles.

Ms Cartwright said they are excited at the progress and want the work to be completed as quickly as possible.

monaco oceans wee event’s discussion on coastal resilience focused on t He baHa m as

THE BAHAMAS took centre stage during this year’s Monaco Oceans Week, as international experts gathered to share analysis of major threats to the world’s marine environments.

The event also featured discussion of methods of preserving oceans, and ideas for opportunities for building Blue economies in areas threatened by climate change.

The event, held from March 20-26, saw scientists, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and public authorities hosted by Prince Albert II of Monaco, an ocean advocate who founded the Prince Albert of Monaco II Foundation in 2006, a non-profit committed to planetary health.

Prince Albert hosted a panel on Coastal Resilience for The Bahamas, where Grand Bahama Port Authority director Rupert Hayward discussed solutions to climate threats. Blue Action Ventures, of which Hayward is the founder and president, coorganised the event with Prince Albert.

Mr Hayward said: “As a low-lying island nation, The Bahamas is at the forefront of the battle to preserve oceans and coastal communities from climate driven threats. We have a great deal to share with the world about what the future will look like if climate-driven threats are not addressed.

At the same time, we are grateful for this opportunity to brainstorm with some of the world’s leading experts on strategies that can be employed at home to build resilience in the face of stronger storms, while also generating millions of dollars of investment and thousands of high-skilled jobs.”

Blue Action Ventures is undertaking a number of efforts in The Bahamas, centred around mangroves, sustainable aquaculture, reef restoration, and support for entrepreneurs. Among these is the Blue Action Lab, a non-profit focused on solutions for a climate resilient future, including education and capacity-building. The lab is working with partners including the University of The Bahamas.

Meanwhile, the recentlylaunched Blue Action Accelerator, a Grand Bahama-based sustainability investment platform, is working with international partners to raise $10m to fund and support up to 35 science and technology start-ups working to mitigate climate change, increase ocean health, and build coastal resilience in vulnerable countries such as The Bahamas.