Hamilton Medical Center has the most up-to-date medical technology on the island in a spa-like setting.
Stepping into the new Hamilton Medical Center feels more like visiting a spa than a trip to the doctor’s office. Because while the HMC-Burnaby Urgent Care and Medical Imaging clinic boasts some of the most brilliant technology in the world, owner, Dr. J.J.Soares insists it was just as important to create a relaxing environment for his patients.
People can now avoid waiting lists of up to six weeks and walk into the Burnaby Street clinic for state-of-the-art MRI and CAT scans and ultrasounds, as well as regular GP services, urgent care and blood testing. Dr. Soares says it was vital to create the right vibe. “I had in my mind it would feel like a spa experience,” he says, “and Shelley Ray, Senior Interior Designer at L & S Design Ltd., helped us deliver on that.”
“We agonised over the details. Buff colours, open space, minimalist textures. I wanted it to be relaxing, but I didn’t what it to lose its medical or clinical credibility. “I think we achieved that. Several staff now have Zen music playing at their stations, which never happened before. That just shows you how
your surroundings can make you feel differently.” The finishing touch to the calming veneer was provided when Dr. Soares stumbled across artwork on Instagram from Saltus Grammar School student Alex Pilgrim, who had captured idyllic scenes from around the island.
“We were looking and looking for watery, calming imagery and then we found these beautiful photographs from Alex,” he says. Three of Alex’s images are displayed on giant panels around the building, including one in the lobby.
The relocation to the four-floor 15,000 square feet building has been a five-year journey for Dr. Soares, whose operation was previously squeezed into 2,000 square feet on Victoria Street. “We outgrew the old facility,” Dr. Soares says. “If you ask my wife, I always like a project — and this was a big one. “I thought Bermuda really needed a modern, sophisticated medical center where one could get everything they need medically under one roof. “One thing Bermuda is missing is convenience and choice. We provide that.”
Equipment includes the Hitachi Oasis, which provides the most powerful MRI scan in the world, a GE HD750 CT Scanner which gives “amazing imagery” and a GE CT Senographe Pristina Mammography System.
Dr. Soares says, “There is a long waiting list for CAT scans and MRIs. It’s our plan to offer them on a same-day or next-day basis. “Patients want to know what’s wrong with them. Some of them go out of their minds waiting weeks and weeks just to get an exam. “When we delay diagnosis, we delay treatment. We are not doing as well as we should be for the patient.” The MRI scan is open, which removes any feeling of claustrophobia. It can also accommodate larger patients.
Dr. Soares says, “What’s really incredible about it is that the parents of a small child can be right there by their child, holding them still while they are having the exam. Nervous, confused or elderly patients can have a loved one by their side.”
The mammography machine gives patients control of the pressure applied to their breasts, while they listen to relaxing music and watch calming images on large TV screens. “To give a patient that degree of control is reassuring and calming, especially if they are anxious about their mammography,” Soares says.
While the facility is spacious, the medical equipment is vast in size and every inch of the lower three floors is put to use. The top floor will be rented out to other doctors. Tiled floors and white walls with taupe undertones help create a clean look, while physical distancing and sanitising methods are in place as Covid-19 requirements.
Opening hours are from 8am to 7pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturday, to give as many people as possible the chance to make use of the facility. Staff are English and Portuguese speaking.
BCM McAlpine and DeSilva’s Construction were the main contractors on the project. Excavation took several months longer than expected and further delays inevitably came as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hardest setback came through the sudden death last year of architect Simon Hodgson, an old Saltus friend of Dr. Soares. The MRI and CT Suite has been named after Hodgson. “Simon was a long-time friend,” Dr. Soares says. “He was in my year at Saltus. He was my right-hand man for all architectural projects, particularly this one. “A year ago, he had a terrible accident at someone’s house. We really lost out. Bermuda lost out.”
Dr. Soares has also named the building after his late father, John A Soares, and the mammography suite after his mother, Alberta May Soares. “My dad has passed away now but he would be looking down and remembering it was always a big thing to own a building in Hamilton,” he reflects. “Dad was a humble taxi driver. My parents didn’t have a lot of money but they made sure that they at least paid for me to get a good education at Saltus. “They instilled a good work ethic. It paid off, I guess.” The clinic has 14 staff, including Dr. Soares and fellow doctor, Iniekem Ufford. Dr. Soares says, “I’m proud of the fact we have long-term staff who are very professional, friendly and courteous.”
