d2ae42e0fa9d44fb9dd483447b097897

Our Blog

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 23:26:42 GMT

Want to find out more Helping Hands For Glendon news or find out more information about us and what we are doing, please take a look at our blog which we keep updated regularly.

Mammogram – To have or not to have?

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 23:13:00 GMT

By Antoinette Silcott, Senior Radiographer/Sonographer

Although women who are over the age of 40 as well as those who are classified as high risked are being vigorously encouraged to perform self and clinical breast examinations, an annual mammogram is also recommended.

Mammography is a non-invasive and inexpensive low-dose imaging modality which is used to image breast tissue by using external compression. It is considered to be the gold standard imaging tool for the early detection of breast tumors and cancer. Many countries worldwide, due to their advanced diagnostic capabilities and easy access to mammography service are able to participate in this widely recommended screening initiative.

However, unfortunately in Montserrat there is no direct access to a mammography unit, hence patients are referred overseas to get these examinations done.

While this is viewed as some access, the process is usually delayed due to unavailability of the service on the island and insufficient available appointments in other countries, thus limiting the ability of any chance for early detection. However, the availability of mammography services on Montserrat will provide many benefits.

These benefits include but not limited to: compliance to a routine mammogram examination, quick access to the service to allow early detection and improved outcome, overall cost reduction of examinations and associated expense and economic benefits such as medical tourism.

Therefore, with these benefits the question that must be asked is- “Is it still justifiable to allow our women to suffer and be snatched away by this dreaded disease as a result of non-compliance due to limited access to such an essential diagnostic imaging service on our Island”?

The importance of having a CT Scan on the Island of Montserrat

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 10:39:59 GMT

Hello I’m Dr Ingrid Buffonge I am a Montserratian. I am the Minister of Health and Social Services in Montserrat. I hold the portfolios for Social Services, Education, and Youth Affairs and have been a medical doctor for 22 years with a lot of that time spent on Montserrat.

This message is in support of the Helping hands of Glendon whose projects are intended to create funds for Glendon hospital Montserrat.

Montserrat’s position as a British colony allows us constant access to funding through DFID and this allows us stability in rough times such as at present when the economies of other small islands states heavily dependent on tourism are experiencing quite a greater struggle. However, colony status also means that we are not in full control of the money we receive. Our small population size is often given as a reason why our funding agents feel that Montserrat does not qualify for certain items or a certain level of development.

Yet development requires population growth and financial sector development these are dependent on improved investor confidence and on persons inside and outside of Montserrat including our diaspora having the assurance they require.

It is therefore essential that we pursue other avenues of funding for the progress we desire to be achieved. I am truly delighted and very impressed that the members of the Helping Hands of Glendon team have assigned themselves to this task.

So those of us in healthcare feel that Montserrat should be as good as the so-called developed countries of the world in terms of the emergency medical care we provide and this includes access to urgent care off island when necessary. We don’t expect to have everything on island but it is essential that we have what it is needed to ensure the rapid diagnosis of conditions that cause death or permanent disability, AND it is essential that we have protocols in place that ensure fast, safe and effective off island transfer of priority patients to pre-established destinations. For example, a heart attack protocol ensures rapid diagnosis and transfer to Guadeloupe for example where intervention in a tertiary centre can reperfuse coronary arteries and preventing death and disability.

If I could talk about one item needed in this moment it would be on island CT scanning. CT scanning has not been available on Montserrat but it needs to be.

CT diagnosis allows the clinician to answer 3 questions:

What intervention does the patient need?
Does the patient need to leave the island?
An if so where does the patient need to go?

As you can imagine not being able to answer any of these questions with a test available on island results in delays in optimal care and often unnecessary medical evacuation as before they can be answered the patient must travel off island for CT.

Patients requiring emergency CT scanning on Montserrat generally go to Antigua by medical evacuation which is costly, inconvenient, labour intensive and risky for patients who are potentially unstable. Scan results sometimes indicate that the patient can be looked after on Montserrat – they need not have left the island if they could have been scanned locally. On other occasions patients scan results indicate that they need to be sent somewhere else and not Antigua- Neurosurgery for example is not available in Antigua so an abnormal head CT after trauma requiring neurosurgical intervention if scanned in Antigua has wasted often 24 hours of critical time before transfer to the right place can occur. In most emergencies time is everything.

The government of Montserrat has recently committed to a local critical care service and this is fantastic. However, without CT scanning locally many patients who could benefit from this service still require medical evacuation to Antigua before the healthcare professional managing them can have a diagnosis which allows them to know what they are treating.

CT scanning is necessary for the following emergency conditions:

Strokes- this is a common diagnosis on island because of the high prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity. Strokes can be due to blood clots requiring blood thinning medication and in some cases removal of the clot. Rapid diagnosis and very early treatment is necessary to achieve a good outcome – early and appropriate intervention prevents death and disability. Some strokes are bleeds in which case starting blood thinning medication without a CT diagnosis would kill the patient. International stroke guidelines recommend CT scanning with the first hour of care – this is impossible if patients must travel to Antigua first.

Early CT scanning within one hour is also strongly recommended when trauma CT scans of the head and neck are required and these patients should not have this delay and risk -of having to go to Antigua for a scan, or worse, not having scan.

Pulmonary embolism which has taken the lives of persons on Montserrat requires CT diagnosis.

Some surgical emergencies require urgent CT scanning before the surgeon can make decisions on care. Delays to CT or lack of access to CT when patients are in critical condition and too unstable to travel are also really important factors to consider.

There are also less immediately life threatening conditions for example for the diagnosis of some cancers that would be able to be diagnosed early and more conveniently with local scanning.

Well a good CT scanner in 2020 is will cost about a million Us dollars – 800,000 pounds.

I am confident that the helping hands of Glendon is a safe and transparent charity for individuals to make donations to. I am hoping that the charity will be able to reach out to businesses, large companies and philanthropists who may want to donate. I know there are other groups out there who are fund raising for Montserrat – I am hoping that these groups can work in unison with the helping hands of Glendon in raising the money that Montserrat needs to realise the progress that we all desire.

Helping Hands for Glendon – One Year On

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 11:39:59 GMT

Many residents of Montserrat will tell you there is no place like this tiny island they want to live. It’s vibrant green hills, deep valleys and the velvet blue of the Caribbean Sea truly makes it a paradise. However, never far from the minds of residents is that living in paradise comes with a price.

The current Glendon Hospital boasts very kind and dedicated nurses and doctors but it lacks many of the essential equipment and technologies that people come to expect as necessary for proper healthcare. This is not a new challenge and since occupying a former primary school government after government has been working to find the funds to build a more fit-for-purpose medical centre for residents and visitors. Later this year, a groundbreaking for a new facility is expected.

Will this new facility come with the requisite equipment and technologies? A group of concerned Montserratians are not leaving this to chance. Drawn together because of similar experiences at the hospital, five nationals decided to join forces to support bringing improved health services to the island.

Helping Hands for Glendon was established in February 2020 by Nurse Brenda Daley, Randolph and Judith Baker, the late Hugh Scantlebury and his wife Doreen. Their shared experiences centred around the lack of essential lifesaving equipment and the need for individuals to travel to other neighbouring islands to receive medical assistance. They each had a vested interest in supporting the health and wellbeing of the people on the island of Montserrat.

The non-profit organisation was formed with the aim of raising awareness of Helping Hands for Glendon, identifying the medical needs of the island, fundraise for essential lifesaving equipment, and support the upskilling of medical practitioners.

“Health care is ever more crucial at this current time and should be reflective of the needs of the country. Having health care that is local to you is paramount, and individuals should not have to travel to other islands to receive health care especially in a global pandemic,” said President of the foundation Nurse Brenda Daley. “For the past 25 years Glendon hospital has been situated in St John’s Primary School with limited essential lifesaving equipment… it is time for change.”

The non-profit is concerned that with the UK government’s recent announcement cuts to their foreign aid package, this will inevitably have a direct impact on Montserrat which will not be beneficial to the island. This concern, they say, makes the need for Helping Hands for Glendon more urgent than ever. This was not the time to wait for someone else to solve the island’s ongoing healthcare challenge, it was time for the people to take a proactive approach in investing in their own healthcare.

The group set themselves an ambitious target to tackle what has been a growing area of need for Montserratian women. They want to purchase a mammogram machine, which costs in the region of £200,000.

“We acknowledge that this is a huge goal, however we do believe it is achievable. A year on from where we started we have raised an outstanding £10,000 of course this is no where near £200,000 but it’s a dent in our goal and we are optimistic we will reach our target,” said Denise Scantlebury, who along with her sister Deidre coordinate the organisation’s publicity and outreach work.

“We are looking into match funding and other funding streams to maximise what we have already raised. We acknowledge that we have set ourselves a high benchmark, but we are dedicated to the task at hand. We commend and applaud the Pink Ribbon Charity who have successfully drawn awareness to the importance of breast cancer, and we want to build on what they have achieved by Montserrat having their own mammogram machine which is accessible to all,” Daley added.

“However, we do recognise that a mammogram machine is a long term goal financially, therefore in the interim we will be spending some of the money raised on other lifesaving equipment such as an ECG machine which is already in budget of what we have already raised.”

Brenda Dailey - President

Returning Montserratians

A common thread that the organisation has found is that many Montserratians now living in the Diaspora would love to return to live on the island, but the main concern the state of healthcare. Issues such as ongoing dialysis and assisting patients who have had a stroke. “The answer to these questions is no. This level of care is not available on the island. If these facilities were available on the island many would return home to support their community,” the officials said.

Every Little Bit Helps

As of Friday January 29, 2021 Helping Hands for Glendon has raised £10,000. The began with £5 and consider the current tally a massive accomplishment, given the ongoing global pandemic.

“It gives us the motivation to keep pushing forward,” Daley shared.

One of the high points for the group was the month of October 2020.

“People were starting to recognise who we were as a charity and what we were trying to achieve. We received more followers on our social media platforms and our donations were starting to increase due to public awareness which helped to elevate our vision. Another high point was raising awareness of prevalent health care concerns, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.

“We have made progressive steps to where we are now, because we have shown transparency and have demonstrated a monthly account of finances we have received. This we feel has built trust with the community that follows us, and we want to continue building these effective partnerships.”

A Team Effort

The group recognises that their contributions are only a drop in the bucket of what will be needed to provide residents of Montserrat, top quality healthcare.

“We have engaged with the Montserrat UK Office, Programme Management Office in Montserrat, Monserrat Ministry of Health and Social Care, and members of the current Montserrat government, and our initial feedback has been positive and they are in support of what we are doing. Therefore, we want to continue updating these groups on our progress.

“Our support from the hospital staff has been positive and we have received a number of testimonials from medical professionals who have worked/working at Glendon hospital and we have more to come.
“We have started engaging with local businesses and residents, but we know this is an area of development for our charity. Soon you will be seeing donation boxes popping up around the island giving people easier access in donating to our care.”

What is next?

The group is using the power of social media to continue to increase awareness about their fundraising campaign. There are a range of exciting themes on promoting health and wellbeing that will be shared across social media in the weeks ahead. Other ways they are communicating with the public are through local radio, word of mouth, online newspapers and a WhatsApp group.

Moving forward they aim to

Build effective links with local business
Raise more money to buy essential lifesaving equipment
Host fundraising events on the island of Montserrat
Hosting rooms in social media platforms such as Clubhouse and Facebook to raise awareness of the charity

“Helping Hands for Glendon is not just a charity. It is a concept built on an idea that ‘we’ can support one another to help build something bigger than dreamed, that is building a health care system that we all have had a hand in creating and being a part of. Something that is unique to us all.”

How to Connect and Donate

Donate to Helping Hands for Glendon as every helping hand makes a difference

Find out more about us through the following:

Instagram – @helping_handsglendon
Facebook – @helpinghandsforglendon
Twitter – @forglendon
Website – helpinghandsforglendon.org
Email – hello@helpinghandsforglendon.org
Linktree – https://linktr.ee/helpinghandsforglendon
WhatsApp: 0 7957 976403
Go Fund Me: gofundme.com/1wo7srb7yo
Montserrat – Bank of Montserrat – Hands for Glendon account – Account Number: 652 1479

In the hot seat

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 23:06:27 GMT

IN THE HOT SEAT with Helping Hands for Glendon CHARITY

On this episode of In The Hot Seat our host Vernaire Bass sat down with the committee members of the charitable organisation - Helping Hands For Glendon.

During the conversation they discussed their reasons for starting the charity, the issues that they are trying to address, their Go Fund Me and their plans for the future.

�� DONATE TO HELPING HANDS ��

- Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/1wo7srb7yo

- Bank of Montserrat Account: 652 1479 (Ref: Helping Hands For Glendon, Telephone number)

- WhatsApp: +44 7957 976 403

- Email: hello@helpinghandsforglendon.org

Surviving kidney disease

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 10:39:59 GMT

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, April 1, 2019

Chronic Kidney Disease need not be a death sentence, even for persons who cannot afford it.

That’s because treatment and transplants, which attract high fees at private institutions, are available in Guyana free of cost at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The Ministry of Public Health also provides financial assistance to patients who might have incurred additional expenses during treatment.

Colvin Luthers, age 46, is one of those who owes his survival to these services.

Luthers, who had worked as an Electronic Technician, in Montserrat for more than 15 years, was diagnosed with CKD in 2015. After the initial diagnosis, he came to Guyana to confirm his condition and access a more modern and available health service.

Colvin Luthers, Chronic Kidney Disease Patient who is currently on dialysis.

“Dialysis has changed my life drastically. I have been back in Guyana for about three years now… Montserrat does not have the medical assistance to deal with CKD patients so I was brought back to Guyana for a second opinion, third opinion and it was confirmed and ever since then, I have been on dialysis.”

The challenges he experienced as a Chronic Kidney Disease patient were many. In spite of it all, he persevered, sticking to his treatment schedules, honouring appointments and ensuring that his health remains his priority. He spoke of the availability of dialysis services at the Georgetown Hospital and explained that persons on dialysis have the option of undergoing kidney transplant surgery.

“Fighting kidney disease, you have to be physically and mentally strong, you have to want to live… it’s not an easy battle. There is a nickname you call kidney patients, you call them warriors. From a physical standpoint, there are scars, lots of scars… My independence is gone, when I left Montserrat, I pretty much left everything, everything just went down the drain actually and since I came back home, I am heavily and totally dependent on my family.”

Luthers remains on dialysis until a suitable donor is sourced for him to have a kidney transplant done. “Transplant is the better option for kidney patients but while that is happening there is a lack of donors, and I think people need to be aware more about the disease, more about donorship and let them know that donating a kidney won’t affect them in any way.”

Summing up his experience, he emphasised that family support is key to surviving the whole ordeal. He also noted that the work of nurses and doctors in this particular area is critical.

“Kidney patients develop a relationship with their doctor because everybody needs different care. There is no two same dialysis patients, everybody is an individual when it comes to kidney patients, and I know sometimes the doctors go above and beyond to assist their patients.”

18-year-old Abigail Mars has her own story to tell.

“I started showing symptoms of the nephrotic syndrome at the age of five; I would have had for example swelling of my eyes… After consulting with doctors, I was told it was an allergy and pills were prescribed. They worked for a while but by age 12 it had gotten worse, and when I went to the Georgetown Hospital it was there that I was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome. And at 15, in 2015, I was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease and I was placed on dialysis.”

Abigail reflected that she battled depression while trying to balance her academic studies while seeking treatment for her illness.

Abigail Mars, Post Kidney Transplant patient.

“It was really depressing because at 12, I was preparing for the National Grade Six Assessment, and it was really hard to manage the disease and study. Nevertheless, I did and thank God for that. It was really a tough journey because nobody wants to know that they are diagnosed with Kidney Disease at such a young age.”

Her depression also stemmed from people staring at her in public. “I never wanted to go outside because of the swelling… whenever I went out, everyone would stare at my puffy face and swollen feet and probably wondered why I looked the way I did. It affected my social life.”

As Abigail grew, she often was in and out of the hospital. By age 15 she was a hemodialysis patient. The former St. Joseph High School student spent a lot of time receiving treatment when she should have been preparing for the National Grade Nine Examination and onward to Caribbean Secondary Examinations (CSEC).

Eventually, the doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s department of Nephrology and Kidney Transplant advised Abigail and her mother on the possibility of having a transplant done. After necessary tests were done on her mom, the green light was given to perform the surgery.

“I actually did not want to go ahead with the surgery because I was scared for myself and also for my mother because she was a donor. I was thinking of all the possible complications.”

The surgery was successful, and Abigail is happy that she can now make a meaningful contribution to society. She finally had the opportunity to sit CSEC examinations in 2018 with passes in 12 subject areas. She is currently pursuing studies in Business Management and hopes to become an entrepreneur.

The Post Kidney Transplant patient advised that persons must “stay hydrated, drink a lot of water, at least eight glasses of water a day to keep your body hydrated. It helps with your kidney functions and keeping it in order. Even if you believe you are healthy, you should still check your kidney functions from time to time because this can happen to anyone.”

The Ministry of Public Health is also exploring options of having treatment services more accessible to kidney disease patients residing out of Georgetown.

At the recent observance of World Kidney Day, on March 14, Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence explained that the ministry is looking to establish clinics catering to kidney disease patients in various regions.

“Over the last year and a half, I have been looking at ways in which we can really help our patients. Last year, the ministry placed an ad in the newspapers for expressions of interest so we can work with private partners to offer dialysis; not only at the GPHC but to have walk-in clinics in Regions Two, Three, Six and Ten.”

Delicia Haynes.

Images: Department of Public Information and Ackeem Thomas.