Eastern Maine Medical Center

Description

Located in Bangor Eastern Maine Medical Center EMMC serves communities throughout central eastern and northern Maine

Under community direction it has grown from a fivebed general hospital into a comprehensive 411bed medical center The medical center and its medical staff of more than 300 physicians provide threequarters of the primarycare hospital services offered in the Bangor area as well as specialty and intensive services to the northern twothirds of the state

Our neighbors count on us as a resource for healthcare and health information as a source of support and assistance for area physicians and other healthcare providers and as a training ground for the health professionals of the future

EMMC also provides outreach clinics to many local hospitals in the region allowing easier access for patients and supporting the role of those hospitals in their communities

EMMC is an American College of Surgeons verified Level II trauma center and host of Lifeflight of Maine a statewide medical helicopter service that transports critically ill and injured patients

Whoever they are whatever their circumstances Maine people know they can count on Eastern Maine Medical Center We are committed to caring for everyone even those who cant afford to pay We stand ready 24 hours a day Because the way we see it nothing should stand in the way of quality healthcare

History

Working together the members of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems EMHS are taking care of this region of Maine we call home Together we are working to strengthen our communities and our healthcare system

How far weve come

In 1982 leaders of the Board of Trustees for Eastern Maine Medical Center EMMC realized that the future of healthcare in Maine would not be focused on single hospitals regardless of their size and depth of services As a result Eastern Maine Healthcare EMH was created as a means of developing a network of healthcare services that would offer equal access to high quality care while taking advantage of the many efficiencies that come from working together

When president and CEO Norman Ledwin was recruited to lead EMH in 1993 he was charged with developing a regional economically and clinically integrated system of providers to incorporate healthcare services from the Bangor region into the surrounding nine counties First EMH linked multiple similar providers such as hospitals so that efficiencies could be produced over a region and we could better weather the economic pressures being placed on healthcare providers nationwide Second EMH linked different levels of care such as home health hospitals longterm care facilities and physicians so that a continuum of care could be developed that would provide all of our communities with equal access to high quality healthcare Today this system is known as Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems EMHS Click here to see a list of EMHS members

In April 2006 EMHS welcomed M Michelle Hood as president and CEO Michelle came to EMHS from Billings Montana where she was president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System Montana Region as well as president and CEO of St Vincent Healthcare Michelles vision for EMHS is to improve access to quality healthcare for Maine people through innovative leadership and by collaborating with system members as well as other businesses and organizations in Maine and throughout New England

Perhaps the word collaboration best describes Michelles vision for EMHS Since her arrival she has met with and established collaborative memorandums of understanding with MaineHealth MaineGeneral Health St Josephs Healthcare and Penobscot Community Health Care These latest developments complement the longstanding collaboration EMHS has enjoyed with Central Maine Healthcare to plan specific clinical initiatives and establish LifeFlight of Maine which has literally touched every corner of our state By pulling together some of Maine finest healthcare resources Michelle hopes to improve the continuum of care throughout the state so no matter where a person is the same standards of care and protocols are in place We must bring together healthcare leaders social service leaders and other key constituencies to plan for an effective approach to these priorities or we risk wasting resources on a scattered approach Michelle is also committed to developing an integrated system of community benefit accountability which will demonstrate EMHS mission of serving in the best interest of the people of Maine Through Michelles leadership EMHS is well on its way to realizing its recently adopted vision of becoming the best rural healthcare system in America by 2012

In just a little more than a decade EMHS has evolved into a remarkable resource for central eastern and northern Maine Our success is based on a rich heritage of determination collaboration and flexibility in meeting the changing and growing needs of our communities With the diverse cultures of our respective members and their community members EMHS has maintained autonomy at both the institution and medical staff levels

Steps along the way
In the past decade Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems EMHS has made some significant steps to further our mission

In 1992 Acadia Hospital opened its doors becoming the first and only acute psychiatric specialty hospital in the northern two thirds of Maine Acadia is the only psychiatric hospital in the nation to achieve Magnet Hospital designation through the American Nurses Credentialing Center

In 1997 and 1998 Inland Hospital in Waterville and Charles A Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville joined EMH as a result of the systems first strategy to seek efficiencies by linking hospitals together

In 1997 Bangor Area Visiting Nurses and Hospice of Eastern Maine merged into EMH as part of the systems second strategy to strengthen continuum of care options

In 1998 EMH partnered with Central Maine Healthcare to establish LifeFlight of Maine the medical helicopter service literally linking every hospital in Maine to serve the most critically ill of the states patients needing this service

In 1999 The Aroostook Medical Center TAMC joined our mission through the strategic development of EMHS This was especially significant because of TAMCs ability to provide primary and specialty care TAMC is not only an EMHS partner in Aroostook County but also serves as a hub of more specialized services in support of the other providers scattered over the huge geography of Aroostook County

In 2000 Sebasticook Valley Hospital also joined EMHS and its team is working diligently to fulfill their vision of being the best small hospital in Maine

In 2003 Blue Hill Memorial Hospital joined EMHS as a member One result of this affiliation is their contribution to initiatives where their physicians and nurses work alongside those in EMHS hospitals to plan improvements in the quality of healthcare services we deliver through the region

In addition Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston worked with EMHS in 1998 to plan specific clinical initiatives over even a broader region such as the dramatic example LifeFlight of Maine which has literally touched every corner of our state

EMHS has also developed other important relationships that benefit patients in our region Houlton Regional Hospital and Mayo Regional Hospital are strategic affiliates meaning that both hospitals contribute to initiatives in which their physicians and nurses work alongside those in EMHS hospitals to plan improvements in the quality of healthcare in central eastern and northern Maine In addition EMHS collaborates with Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston to plan specific clinical initiatives over an even broader region CMHC also operates an LLC with EMHS that is known to many as LifeFlight of Maine a statewide medical helicopter service that has literally touched every corner of our state

Regardless of whether the setting is rural or urban EMHS pledges to put the patients needs and concerns first and provide them with the best possible care Going forward each member of EMHS and every member of their staff is expected to focus on our charitable purpose to always put the patient first