Hamilton,Bermuda, February 8, 2019 – The Bermuda” Health Council” will” be continuing” a series” of” meetings” with stakeholders and  groups within our  communities for the purpose of supporting the improvement of how we deliver care, pay  for care, and the results we receive  from our health system.
This series of meetings with diverse stakeholder groups are essential to  combat gaps in collaborative understanding and to review any issue we are experiencing in today’s health system.
These meetings are also to underscore and to expand on the great”work that  is being done by so many here in Bermuda.
While we are moving towards a healthier Bermuda, there is still much work to be done and lessons to learn.
The goal of this series is to,with intention, promote the inclusion of systems thinking and individual empowerment in healthcare; and provide ways in which more collaboration and integration of care can help transform health.
Dr Ricky Brathwaite, Acting CEO and Director, Health Economics  said: “As an organisation, we are committed to  having the innovative, hard and  even  complex conversations. We find  that even within some of those complicated talks,so much is learned on both sides. We may not always agree, but  learning why a perspective may exist is often” more” important” than the perspective itself. That learning then leads to better policies, better approaches, and better outcomes. Over” the last year, we have heard a common theme that there are provider and parent groups that have not been given a chance to share their voices regarding the priorities of our health system. For example, it was really constructive a few weeks ago to discuss ways to improve the efficiency of practice and  manage  the  cost of prescription  medications with the pharmacists. Before that, the nurses were excited to provide their perspectives on how they can contribute more to improving community care and  population health.
The Health Council supports and encourages the public to ask questions about their healthcare.Discussing the needs of the community, and having the conversation is necessary to improve the quality of care in Bermuda.
The truth is that there are opportunities to become less fragmented and  create more fundamental cohesion.We all must empower each other’s voices, and start to think from a systems view and not as individual stakeholders. We have to start believing in this as an integrated community of health in which everyone’s role is important to maximising our wellness. We must hear from the seasoned and the upcoming, the workers and the currently unemployed,the fully-abled and those with limitations.
Everyone has a stake in the outcomes, and the Health Council is intent on hearing and sharing those ideas.
A  calendar of meetings and the thoughts generated within these sessions will be shared on our website and on”social media platforms in the coming weeks. We look forward to talking to Bermuda.