News Release: Hamilton, Bermuda, February 14, 2020 – In 2019, the Health Council announced that $2 million in chronic disease funding has been made available to the public as part of their idea to address Bermuda’s high costs of non-communicable chronic disease.

As the first round of applicants have been approved, Dr Ricky Brathwaite, Chief Executive Officer of Bermuda Health Council said, “I was very excited as we approved our first set of awards. I found the initiatives to be forward-thinking and in line with our population health needs around preventing and managing chronic illness.
“In addition, having a group of diverse and critical reviewers to provide insights into how best to support these projects towards success, was exactly the type of environment we were looking to foster. If we are going to push the envelope on being creative in tackling health issues, efficient in our investments, and effective in our solutions, it has to be a team approach. This team approach is exactly what I have seen so far, and this is what I anticipate continuing with how we have carefully structured this programme.”
As we continue to provide support for innovative solutions, the Health Council seeks members to join the Review Panel. If you are interested in participating in the Review Panel for the Chronic Disease Innovation Programme, we welcome you to join the voluntary role. Responsibilities will include the following:
• Reading completed proposals and providing written comments
• Participating in a panel review meeting
• Conduct interviews with applicants (when needed)
• Assess/Score the proposals
• Make funding recommendations and
• Evaluate progress reports.
Members participating will be required to work with a team and have qualifications and/or knowledge relevant to the Programme. We want to ensure that each individual selected will be fair and objective.
The maximum amount awarded for ideas submitted is $200,000. Suggestions are being considered on a continuous basis; however, proposals for the Chronic Disease Innovation Programme must be submitted by a specified timeline.
A new timeline has been established for applicants submitting proposals to the Chronic Disease Innovation Programme. Applicants should use this table to learn about the application cycles and to assist them with proposal preparation and the submission process.
We are currently inviting proposals for programmes within the following categories:
  • Risk Assessment of Social Determinants of Health
  • Disease Registry Management
  • Lifestyle Management Programmes
  • Mobile Apps for Health Management
  • Nurse-led Community Health Programmes
  • Home Delivery of Health Products
  • Early Childhood Interventions
  • Smoking Cessation
We want to remind the public that categories are based on suggestions submitted by the public via external stakeholder suggestion survey. If you are interested in submitting a suggestion, fill out the form here or to find out the requirements in submitting a proposal, click here. For more information on the Chronic Disease Innovation Programme, please contact us at 292-6420 or email us at healthcouncil@bhec.bm.