ANNUAL REPORT ~2010~ 30 years of Cancer Care in Bermuda 1980-2010 “Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for all that you have done for our family. Thank you so very much for everything. May God continue to bless you all.” “It is with a grateful heart and warmest thanks to you that I pen these words. Truly, words alone are not in any way sufficient to express how grateful I am to you for the professional care and spirit of love that you exhibited towards me “It is hard to express during the many years you attended me.” how wonderful and caring all of you are.” “A small token of my admiration for all the good works; you guys are awesome.” “Your wonderful staff deserves great praise for their generous and compas- sionate care. We appreciated their always tender and empathetic presence that helped to make a very traumatic time more bearable.” “Thanking you for your tireless efforts. May this donation help your “Once again your organisation proved to be a organisation as you godsend. We so appreciated the kindness and continue to comfort and support given by P.A.L.S. to my sister.” help others in need.” I wish you continued success in your noble mission. I trust that these gifts will help in some small way towards the fantastic work that your organisation performs.” ~ MISSION STATEMENT ~ To provide cancer patients with quality care primarily in the home setting in order to enhance quality of life. To provide support and assistance to cancer patients and their families. To meet physical, emotional and social needs of patients. To promote health, dignity and independence, regardless of ability to pay, to the extent of the resources of P.A.L.S. To maximise the use of volunteers and voluntary funding by encouraging support for P.A.L.S. from the community at large. W W P.A.L.S. 18 Point Finger Road, Paget DV 04 • P.O. Box DV 19, Devonshire DV BX Email: [email protected] • Website: www.pals.bm Chairman’s Report P.A.L.S. provides cancer care in Bermuda. The demand for our services has never been greater. While we are pleased to be the beneficiary of very generous donations from people from all walks of life and income levels, our annual operating expenses are now $1.2 million. The cost of caring for patients continues to rise, reflecting both the higher price of sophisticated medications and, fortunately, the fact that patients are living longer with this disease. Our volunteers are key to P.A.L.S. success. The support they provide to this organisation cannot be measured in monetary terms – be it visiting patients in their homes or driving them to medical appointments or the dedication of our Memorial Committee in responding personally to every donation received in memory of loved ones. Our Bermuda National Standards Committee Certification has been maintained again in 2010. The Board operates on the basis of continuous improvement of its operations. Policies and procedures have been introduced, refined and updated, thanks to the untiring efforts of Board member, Pat Purvey. Corporate governance has been strengthened, with the formation of the Audit Committee, chaired by long-time director Robin Judah. P.A.L.S. is fortunate to have Alan Pailing as a director, providing ongoing leadership for improving our IT capabilities. The long time chairman of the Memorial Committee, Margaret Tricker, has retired from that position after more than 25 years. We thank her profusely for the thousands of letters she has penned over this period, and are pleased that she will continue as a member of the Board of Directors of P.A.L.S. Our Secretary and Legal Adviser, Neysan Sohbani, has accepted an exciting new overseas assignment and is not standing for re-election to the Board. He has provided us with outstanding legal advice and we wish him and his family well in their new life. Peter Watson was appointed to the Board in July. Peter brings valuable accounting experience to P.A.L.S. and will be a member of the Audit Committee. P.A.L.S. was very fortunate to receive a large donation from The Patrick and Beryl Campbell Trust, a long-term supporter of P.A.L.S., which has been added to our endowment funds for providing care for cancer patients in Bermuda. We are pleased to have been able to continue funding research at Dana-Farber, thanks to the head shaving events undertaken over the last several years by the Bermuda participants in the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Three research projects are currently underway and are described later in this report. Funds raised by St. Baldrick’s “shavees” are used for children’s cancer research and care and are separate from the donations received by P.A.L.S. directly which are used entirely by P.A.L.S. for the provision of care for cancer patients in Bermuda. I am pleased to note that P.A.L.S. has completed 30 years of dedicated services to the community, providing medical care at no cost to the individual cancer patients and their families. For a majority of P.A.L.S. existence, we have been led by Ann Smith Gordon, whose extraordinary leadership has given P.A.L.S. its leadership position in the charity sector in P.A.L.S. ANNUAL REPORT 2010 • Page 2 Bermuda. Our Treasurer, John Hill, has logged 21 years of dedicated service and careful oversight of P.A.L.S. funds. Our nurses do the impossible and P.A.L.S. would not exist without them. Carolyn Arnold and Lynette Waldron run the office and are the face of P.A.L.S. My personal thanks to these individuals and the entire Board of P.A.L.S. for their continued interest and to our many donors for their ongoing financial support. “Support for P.A.L.S. is Support for Cancer Care in Bermuda”. Gavin R. Arton Chairman 30 years of Cancer Care in Bermuda 1980-2010 P.A.L.S. ANNUAL REPORT 2010 • Page 3 Patron Lady Gozney Board of Directors Gavin Arton Mark Crockwell Jeanne Edridge Stephen Fallon Jo-Ann Fox Debby Graham Alan Pailing Pat Purvey Robin Judah Diana Simons RN Berlene Smith Neysan Sobhani Margaret Tricker Dr. Wilbert Warner FRCP(C) Peter F Watson FCA (from 20 July 2010) Officers Gavin Arton, Chairman Jeanne Edridge, Deputy Chairman Ann Smith Gordon, MBE, JP, President and CEO John H. Hill, Treasurer Neysan Sobhani, BA, LL(Hons) Secretary Berlene Smith, Assistant Secretary Medical Director Dr. Sharon Alikhani, MBBS MSc MRCGP Spiritual Adviser The Ven. Andrew W. Doughty, B.D., A.K.C., Archdeacon of Bermuda Legal Adviser Neysan Sobhani, BA, LLB(Hons) P.A.L.S. ANNUAL REPORT 2010 • Page 4 President’s Report I pen these words with great pride as we honour P.A.L.S. 30th Anniversary of giving hands on care to any cancer patient in Bermuda who require our special services. P.A.L.S. was officially founded by Hilary Soares in September 1980 though informal meetings and some patient visits by volunteers had taken place earlier in the year. Now in my 28th year, first as Chairman and since 1995, as President and Chief Executive Officer, P.A.L.S. has gone from strength to strength and is today considered one of the most loved and respected charities of these Islands. From the first donation of 10¢ and the first office in a broom cupboard at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH), our annual expenses now approximate $1.2 million and at last, since October 2002 we are happily settled in our own purpose built headquarters at 18 Point Finger Road. From one part time nurse in 1983, we now employ five registered nurses trained in oncology who care for patients Island wide. Our kind and giving volunteers enhance the lives of our patients and are the backbone of P.A.L.S. own on-going fund raising events. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Bermuda and as such, our most recent financial year ending 30th June 2010 was another year of efforts to give each and every P.A.L.S. patient all the care and comfort they need and deserve. Funding is always a great concern to any charity. This is especially true with the huge cost of many newer cancer drugs that would be denied to many patients without P.A.L.S. financial assistance. Though anxiety over the employment of a permanent oncologist continued, we were pleased to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) intended to improve the coordination of treatment and care of P.A.L.S. cancer patients, in particular those admitted to KEMH. In this regard, we were delighted when BHB authorised Dr. Sharon Alikhani, the Palliative Care Physician, to act as P.A.L.S. Medical Director at no cost to P.A.L.S. This arrangement will greatly facilitate our ability to form a successful collaboration and ultimate best care for our patients. Communication will be greatly enhanced by regular meetings between the Medical Director, P.A.L.S. nurses and myself. Last year, I joined some 50 organisations which came together to participate in the Social Agencies and Services Convening to learn about the many organisations serving our community. Suggestions have been made from time to time for P.A.L.S. to expand to include all palliative patients in Bermuda. Discussed by the Board, it was agreed this would be a huge undertaking requiring unquantified resources and therefore it would be best for us to concentrate on our original purpose and not be in danger of losing our focus.