Upgrades to the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s laundry department have passed through the testing phase, bolstering productivity and efficiency.

The laundry facility is tasked with cleaning all linens, blankets, curtains, clothes and scrubs from all BHB facilities, including King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, Agape House, the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre and group homes.

Michael Richmond, BHB president and chief executive officer, said that an effective laundry service was vitally important, with about 6,000lb of laundry cleaned, dried and pressed daily.

“Prior to the upgrade, our laundry staff were hampered by old equipment that was prone to breaking down,” Dr Richmond said. “They had to work with an infrastructure that hadn’t been properly upgraded in over 60 years.

“The ultimate beneficiary of the upgrade is patient care, so my thanks go to all involved in making this project a success and special appreciation for our laundry staff for all they do each day to help us deliver the highest quality and safest care to our patients.”

Krizzy Philips, the laundry manager, added: “I’m excited to see a laundry facility that helps laundry staff support the clinical services across all our campuses.

“The new equipment makes a huge difference to our productivity and efficiency, and we are proud knowing that we are now meeting international laundry standards.”

The upgrades included the installation of six new washing machines, six new dryers and two new folding machines.

Meanwhile a series of infrastructure upgrades were made, including new hot and cold water lines, steam piping, a new building to house a new hot water system and redesigned infrastructure to allow easier repairs and maintenance.

The project started in July 2022 and cost $6.6 million, in line with its original budget. The impact of the costs on BHB, however, was eased by a $1.3 million donation by a single donor through the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Foundation.

Kim Pratt, executive director of the BHCF, said: “We are very grateful to our donor, the Pritzker/Schwartz, Vlock family, who could see the importance of a modern laundry to the delivery of high quality patient care.

“The donor had originally reached out during Covid-19 to see how they could help, but responded when they heard BHB needed to upgrade and expand the laundry facility. The donor stated that they knew this would have a long-lasting effect.”