Additional Facilities at the Wellness Clinic in Palmetto Point.

Exciting news this week of additional facilities coming to the Wellness Clinic in Palmetto Point. As regular readers know we are big supporters of the Bahamas Wellness Clinic in Palmetto Point run by Dr Arlington Lightbourn, and we have been more than grateful for the fantastic service we have received from them.

I had a tour this week and was thrilled to see and hear of all the new developments. Firstly Jason Thompson took me around the currently unused back part of the existing building which is being converted to house a small operating theatre – for routine operations and a five bed unit for admissions. In other words procedures which require in-patient availability and a bed for recovery will by the early part of next year be available for people living in Eleuthera. There will be storage facilities as well as the necessary scrubs room and access will come directly through the existing building.

There is also going to be a CT scanner and mammogram machine in the facility. Such great news given the horribly high rate of breast cancer on the island.

Colonoscopies with be available in the existing clinic within the next few weeks. The preventative measures of all these diagnostic tests will mean that hopefully potentially serious conditions will be detected much quicker and more easily than the current system of needing to be referred to Nassau with all the expenses associated with it.

The Bahamas Wellness Clinic now has it’s own ambulance as well. After Jason had finished giving me the contractors tour ! – many of you will know that Jason is a top contractor here in Eleuthera as well as his role as head of HACE and ambulance driver – I met up with Dr Arlington Lightbourn and Paramedic Kishon Turner who gave me a good look at the Type 3 ambulance.

It had been used by the Canadian Public Health System – so it has been very well maintained. It means that any patients or emergencies who wish to be taken to the Bahamas Wellness Center in Palmetto Point can call directly for this dedicated ambulance. The plan is to buy 2 more and have them based at either end of the island. Cape Eleuthera in the south and Bogue in the north. The first ambulance will be ready to use in the next week or so. They are just awaiting some more supplies as well as having to license it.

Of course the HACE ambulance will still be available – but it will take some of the pressure off them In the 2 days prior to my visit they were called out to emergencies 5 times and of course that usually means at night ….

Kishon Turner was the paramedic who attended Bob when he had his fall back at the end of May. He was manager of the Emergency Transport System at Doctors Hospital in Nassau for 8 years and is now head of Emergency Medical Services for the clinic.

The funding for the new phase at the clinic will come from a private investment opportunity being headed up by Simplified Lending in Nassau and it is hoped that this phase will be up and running by early 2022.

They are looking at needing $1.7 million – of which around 80% of that will be the costs for the CT scanner – $900,000 and $350,000 for the mammogram machine. Let’s all hope that this works out in the projected time scale and that we will all benefit from this exciting and so badly needed facility. Phase 2 will see a 15 bed unit in the upper level of the existing building.

Thank goodness for people like Dr Arlington Lightbourn and his team who not only dare to dream about making our island a healthier and safer place – but have the drive and determination to make it happen.

Of course I have to put in a couple of shots of Sprawling Towers – right ?

And finally thanks to my sister Jane for this stunning picture of a flower on the cactus we have growing here at Colman Towers

She leaves next Monday after spending 2 weeks here being an absolute godsend to me – a real rock for me….. We will miss her but are so very thankful that she came back when we needed her …

Bob is continuing to improve slowly but steadily – here is the wonderful Dr Arlington removing the staples from the wound on the back of his neck – healing very well….

Take good care and continue to stay safe.