Ministers help celebrate Public Transport Wellness Day

Remarks by Minister of Health and Environment Trevor Moniz

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am excited to be here today to mark the Department of Public Transportation’s fourth Wellness Day which is being extended to all Ministry of Tourism Development and Transport employees.

The objective of the day is to provide information to Ministry of Tourism Development and Transport employees which will promote and encourage healthy lifestyle choices, so that everyone can live their 'Best Life'.

There will be free health screenings courtesy of the Department of Health’s Health Promotions Team, the Department of Health’s Oral Health Section, Bermuda Health Care Services and Brown-Darrell Clinic, the Dr. Beresford Swan Dialysis Unit, the Bermuda International Eye Institute, Open Airways, the Chronic Disease Management Centre and the Diabetes Resource Centre.

Organizer and Wellness Coordinator, Nurse Beverley Howell, has also partnered with other healthcare providers who will provide mini foot exams, lung function tests, mini oral exams, as well as mini medical assessments.

Thank you to the Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre, Moon Gate Insurance, the Bermuda Podiatry Centre, Orthopedic Physiotherapy Associates, the Women’s Resource Centre, Saving Children And Revealing Secrets (SCARS), CADA, the Centre Against Abuse, the BIU Members Credit Union and the Bermuda Tissue and Organ Donor Association – to name a few organizations – which will also be manning various information booths.

There will be a Zumba Demonstration at 1pm as well as exercise demonstrations to get us all moving and improving…and performances by The Northlands Primary School’s ‘Hot Steppers”.

Thank you also to Barritts and Butterfield & Vallis who have donated healthy beverages including water and healthy snack choices today.  

Special THANKS to The Fairmont Southampton Hotel, The MarketPlace, Lindo’s and Chefs Shawn and Lisa Ming of Paradise Cakes and Catering for sponsoring a delicious Appreciation Lunch for employees which will be served by members of the DPT Management team from noon until 1:30 p.m.  

Thank you also to Dunkley's Dairy who will operate a booth providing healthy food options as well as distributing wellness flyers.

The Bermuda College Department of Nursing Education will be promoting the Nursing Education pathway in an endeavour to recruit caring, compassionate persons who are interested in pursuing a Nursing career.

DPT will promote its Complete Health Improvement Program (known as ‘CHIP’), a lifestyle education intervention program that can, arrest and may even reverse many chronic ‘killer’ western lifestyle diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension (high blood pressure), High Cholesterol, Heart Disease and Obesity. CHIP is facilitated biannually by DPT wellness coordinator, Beverley Howell.

According to the 2011 Health in Review Report, obesity, diabetes and Congestive Heart Failure continue to plague our island at alarming rates – rates above the average for OECD countries.

The report shows that 24 per cent of Bermudian adults are considered obese while 19 per cent of young Bermudians (aged 11 to 18) are considered overweight or obese.

These numbers are startling – and are one of the reasons why events like todays are so important in our community.

Today’s attendees will be given a passport to be stamped at the various health booths.  After visiting at least 90% of the booths, participants will be entered into a draw for small prizes as incentives to promote the continued pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

So in closing I would like to say Take Care, Live Well & Healthy, Be SAFE and have a GREAT day!

Thank You.

Remarks by Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell

Good Morning and welcome to the fourth Department of Public Transport wellness day.

We all know the importance of health and wellness but don’t always do the right thing.

With so much information available - both good and bad - it is easy to get confused and leave living a healthy lifestyle to another day. Tomorrow perhaps, next week or even next month.

However, we need to make the commitment every day as we all know that healthy employees are happy employees - and happy employees are productive employees.

The objective of the DPT Wellness Day is to provide information which promotes and encourages healthy lifestyle choices for the Ministry of Tourism Development and Transport employees.

There will be free health screenings in addition to health and wellness information in the form of demonstrations and displays.

I urge you to take advantage of today’s wellness day – and to incorporate all that you learn into your everyday lives. Encourage your friends, family and community to also embark on a healthy lifestyle.

I would like to thank those who have gone the extra mile to organize today’s activities – Beverly Howell – wellness coordinator for the DPT, our sponsors, healthcare providers and the DPT staff that I’m sure will avail themselves of the free health screening on offer today.

A Spanish proverb says: “A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”

Imagine if DPT mechanics didn’t look after the health of our busses – they wouldn’t work and this would affect the travelling public. So we must look after our health as we would our tools.

I’m now happy to introduce my colleague the Honourable Trevor Moniz, Minister of Health who will explain more of what today’s health screenings entail and also offer a few words on living a healthy lifestyle.  

Thank you.