CMMC School of Radiologic Technology

Students Receive Awards

Students from the Clark F. Miller School of Radiologic Technology at Central Maine Medical Center School took four awards at the annual meeting of the Maine Society of Radiologic Technologists.

Patty Leslie of Topsham, a junior radiography student, received second prize in the Maine Society of Radiologic Technologists (MSRT) Student Scientific Exhibit for her exhibit, “Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty.” The exhibit took the $250 prize.

"Positron Emission Tomography," an entry by senior radiography student Jonathan Turner of Jay, took second place in the MSRT Student Essay Contest. The entry received a $150 prize.

Senior radiography student Doug Clark of Auburn received third place and a $100 prize for his essay, “The Use of Intravascular Brachytherapy in Preventing Restenosis.”

Irene Dube of Auburn, a junior radiography student, won an honorable mention for her essay entitled, “Radioimmunotherapy in the Treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”

The Maine Society of Radiologic Technologists student exhibit is open to all students currently enrolled in a radiologic science program. There are five schools of radiologic science in Maine.

The CMMC School of Radiologic Technology was founded by the late Clark F. Miller, M.D., in 1949. It was the first school of its kind in Maine.

06/17/2004

Back To Top
 

Volunteer Appreciation Banquet

Honors Adult Volunteers

VOLUNTEER BANQUET – CMMC’s adult volunteers, who together gave some 58,000 hours of service to the Medical Center last year, were honored recently at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. Among those joining in the festivities were the following: from left, Dick Leavitt of Auburn, 6,190 hours of service; Jane Holmes of Norway, 228 hours; Harold Lucas of Auburn, 3,356 hours; Maryanne Jackman of Minot, 6,250 hours; Pam Heald of Buckfield, 802 hours; Roy Lowe of New Gloucester, 4,183 hours; Gretchen Ward of Lewiston, 336 hours; Susan Bowie, director of Volunteer Services at CMMC; and Edgar Lane of Turner, 1,103 hours

Central Maine Medical Center’s adult volunteers gathered recently at the hospital for their annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet.

Among those honored was Anthe James of Lewiston, who has given 58 year of service as a Woman's Hospital Association Gift Shop volunteer.

CMMC’s adult volunteers were collectively honored for giving over 58,000 hours of service to the hospital last year.

A number of CMMC managers acknowledged individual volunteers in a post-dinner ceremony. Many of those who recognized their volunteers spoke of how important volunteer support is in maintaining day-to-day activities at CMMC.

“The evening was a splendid affair with entertainment provided by singing duo Side By Side. The event’s theme was “casino,” complete with decorations and gifts in ‘Vegas style,’ ” said CMMC Volunteers Director Susan Bowie.

The following volunteers were honored at the Appreciation Banquet:

100 hours or less of service

Debra Angelides and Snoopy (service dog) of Sidney, 36 hours; Joline Beaudoin, 81 hours; H.W. Beatty of Windham, 70 hours; Connie Bishop of Auburn, 67 hours; Crystal Brown, 62 hours; Gisele Chabot of Lewiston, 44 hours; Joe DeFilip, 61 hours; Sarah Deletetsky of Auburn, 75 hours; Siggy Fields of Auburn, 25 hours; Esther Gould of Brunswick, 99 hours; Debra Hamner, five hours; Phyllis Henderson of Auburn, 92 hours; Jane Holmes of Norway, 23 hours; Barbara Kern of Auburn, 12 hours; Kim Knight of Auburn, five hours; Jean Libby of Auburn, 25 hours; Ruth Michaud of Auburn, 26 hours; Troy Morgan of Auburn, eight hours; Sue Peters of Lewiston, 16 hours; Ben Roberts of Litchfield, 40 hours; Carla Scott, 93 hours; Valerie Seamon, 15 hours; Jane Stone of Raymond, 30 hours; Carla Thibault of Auburn, 11 hours; Marilyn Vanier of Auburn, 25 hours; Bud Wilcox of Lewiston, 55 hours; Ruth Young of Naples, 25 hours; and Mike Zubiate of Auburn, 50 hours.

100 to 500 hours of service

Anne Ceplikas of Auburn, 278 hours; Priscilla Band of Lewiston, 345 hours; Lorraine Bolen of Lewiston, 107 hours; Dick Bussiere of Auburn, 464 hours; Henry Coombs of Auburn, 227 hours; Lillian Coombs of Auburn, 356 hours; Judy Carver of Poland Spring, 824 hours; Pat Duval of Auburn, 289 hours; Lorraine Hamann of Lewiston, 388 hours; Virginia Jones of Rumford, 130 hours; Priscilla Lavoie of Lewiston, 197 hours; Marsha McKenna of Rumford, 156 hours; Claire Naum of Auburn, 162 hours; Sue O'Leary of Lisbon, 134 hours; Tonie Ramsey of Auburn, 352 hours; Lorraine Samson of Lewiston, 175 hours; Janice Sites of Lewiston, 107 hours; Anne Tetreault of Lewiston, 184 hours; Art Turley of Lewiston, 372 hours; Lorraine Vaillancourt of Auburn, 130 hours; Vergie Wade of Monmouth, 480 hours; Pam Washington of Rumford, 130 hours; Gretchen Ward of Lewiston, 336 hours; and Ruth Young of Naples, 25 hours.

500 to 1000 hours

Rita Beaulieu of Lewiston, 874 hours; Joe Bennett of Lewiston, 511 hours; Carol Berg of Auburn, 784 hours; Pete Bouchard of Lewiston, 692 hours; Betty Bubier of Greene, 560 hours; Pauline Burns of Auburn, 949 hours; Gillian Curtis of Greene, 727 hours; Larry Doble of Lisbon Falls, 570 hours; Sylvia Fisher of Hartford, 676 hours; Lorna Fournier of Auburn, 742 hours; Dale Gowell of Auburn, 842 hours; Jean Hamel of Auburn, 650 hours; Pam Heald of Buckfield, 650 hours; Judy Holbrook of Auburn, 874 hours; Barbara Lander of Auburn, 974 hours; Jeanne Laliberte of Auburn, 842 hours; Norm Laliberte of Auburn, 903 hours; Veny Lavoie of Lewiston, 781 hours; Frank McAvoy of Lewiston, 771 hours; Roger Nadeau of Lewiston, 791 hours; Joan Neal of Auburn, 830 hours; Claire Poirier of Auburn, 724 hours; Bob Saindon of Auburn, 716 hours; Ann Walton of Lewiston, 603 hours; Evelyn Thomas of Lewiston, 655 hours; and Harold Warner of Auburn, 666 hours.

1,000 to 2,000 hours:

B. Bernier of Litchfield, 1,454 hours; Marie Banville of Lewiston, 1,688 hours; Janice Bilodeau of Auburn, 1,818 hours; Pauline Blais of Lewiston, 1,460 hours; Connie Brann of Auburn, 1,830 hours; Florence Chandonnet of Lewiston, 1,568 hours; Mildred Dumais of Auburn, 1,064 hours; Jean Gilbert of Turner, 1,941 hours; Carol Kypta of Lewiston, 1,937 hours; Ed Lane of Turner, 1,103 hours; Bruce Macomber of Auburn, 1,032 hours; Mary Morgan of Greene, 1,358 hours; Pat Records of Turner, 1,494 hours; Glenys Ryder of Danville, 1,019 hours; Wes Ryder of Danville, 1,049 hours; Ray Turcotte of Lewiston, 1,787 hours; Brenda Weeks of Auburn, 1,269 hours; and Don Weeks of Auburn, 1,825 hours.

2,000 to 3,000 hours

Muriel Adams of Auburn, 2,101 hours; Betty Audet of Lewiston, 2,235 hours; Bruce Bartlett of Auburn, 2,590 hours; Cep Ceplikas of Auburn, 2,077 hours; Joan Levenson of Auburn, 2,400 hours; Judy Moreau of Lewiston, 2,300 hours; Mildred Rideout of Greene, 2,850 hours; Jackie Thornton of Lewiston, 2,516 hours; Ken Thurlow of Mechanic Falls, 2,943 hours; Dick Therrien of Lewiston, 2,280 hours; Bea Wailus of Greene, 2,648 hours; and Nancy Warner of Auburn, 2,854 hours.

3,000 to 4,000 hours

Mike Bussiere of Lewiston, 3,348 hours; Lennie Butler of Auburn, 3,569 hours; Jackie Culina of Auburn, 3,734 hours; Pauline Fournier of Lewiston, 3,839 hours; Betty Giroux of Lewiston, 3,398 hours; Helen Hewins of Greene, 3,372 hours; Harold Lucas of Auburn, 3,356 hours; Jim McDonough of Auburn, 3,148 hours; Louise Plouff of Greene, 3,375 hours; Esther Robinson of Auburn, 3,771 hours; Ellie Rolerson of Lewiston, 3,055 hours; and Lucille Welch of Lewiston, 3,860 hours.

4,000 to 5,000 hours:

Mary Brogan of Greene, 4,211 hours; Lora Clark of Auburn, 4,436 hours; Dick Gould of Brunswick, 4,567 hours; Jackie Harkins of Mechanic Falls, 4,498 hours; Roy Lowe of New Gloucester, 4,183 hours; Don Nason of Auburn, 4,369 hours; and Glen Spiller of Lewiston, 4,008 hours.

5,000 to 6,000 hours

Annette Dubuc of Lewiston, 5,883 hours; Marion Hammond of Greene, 5,274 hours; and Phyllis Latlippe of Auburn, 5,712 hours.

6,000 to 7,000 hours

Ray Ames of Lewiston, 6,987 hours; Mary Ann Jackman of Minot, 6,250 hours; Dick Leavitt of Auburn, 6,190 hours; and Gabe Parent of Auburn, 6,132 hours.

7,000 to 8,000 hours

Hartley Fogg of Auburn, 7,135 hours

Over 8,000 hours:

Marie Vickery of Auburn, 9,330 hours; Helen McGuire of Lewiston, 10,164 hours; Eileen Danforth of Lewiston, 11,206 hours; Aneta Belanger of Greene, 13,470 hours; and Mary Nichols of Lewiston, 14,474 hours.

06/17/2004

Back To Top
 

CMMC School of Nursing

Holds Graduation

Carrie Walker of Livermore Falls is “pinned” by her daughter, Kaylyn, at the recent Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing graduation ceremony.

The Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing graduated 47 students Thursday (May 6) in a ceremony held at the Bates College Chapel in Lewiston.

Peter R. Miller, RN, MSN, ON-C, faculty member of the CMMC School of Nursing, delivered the commencement address. Peter E. Chalke, president of the Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing and president and chief executive officer at Central Maine Medical Center, offered the welcoming remarks.

Having successfully completed the CMMC School of Nursing’s (SON) two-year, four-semester registered nursing education program, the graduates were awarded associate degrees in the applied science of nursing. A number of graduating students received awards during the ceremony.

The CMMC School of Nursing’s President’s Award for the senior student attaining the highest academic achievement went to Kimberly J. Papsadora of Rumford.

Papsadora was also the winner of a CMMC Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing in surgical nursing. Papsadora was also recognized as a high honors student.

Charity McKay Norris of New Gloucester was the recipient of the Dr. Mary Ann Burn Award for service beyond the call of duty, and for unusual thoughtfulness, gentleness and kindness.

Greg Andrew LeClair of Lewiston was presented the Central Maine General Hospital-CMMC School of Nursing Alumni Association Award. The winner of the Alumni Association Award is chosen by members of the graduating class as the person they would most like to have take care of themselves or their family. LeClair was also recognized as a honors student.

Melissa Ann Bourgeois of Hallowell was honored with the CMMC Board of Trustees Award, which is awarded to the student who demonstrates gentleness, independence, understanding, caring, compassion and love in communicating with and caring for people. The recipient must also exhibit excellence in delivering nursing care. Bourgeois was also recognized as a honors student.

Diane C. Thorpe of Union was presented the CMMC SON Board of Trustees Award, which is given each year to the student who demonstrates leadership qualities, displays concern and understanding for others, makes decisions and assumes responsibility for his actions, and establishes trust in interactions.

The Dr. Donald H. Horsman Memorial Award was presented to Aleta Joy Cugno of Bowdoin. She was chosen for the award by the nursing school faculty on the basis of a number of personal and professional criteria.

Daniel Andrew Elliott of Rumford was given the Samuel L. Singer and Ruth Small Award, which is presented to a student who will become a credit to himself and his profession, and who shows pride as a representative of the CMMC SON and maintains good academic standing.

Clifton Edward Fournier of Mechanic Falls was presented the Charles E. Fortier Jr. Memorial Award, which is given to the student whose ”behavior as a whole is indicative of a people-oriented person,“ who directs ”his or her expression in action rather than denying its existence,“ and whose ”sense of humor permeates all of his or her activities.“

CMMC Medical Staff Awards for Excellence in Nursing were also presented to the following graduates: Bobbie Jean Olsen of Canton, pediatric nursing; Elizabeth Ann Como of Lovell, mental health nursing; Robin Ellen Levasseur of Turner, medical nursing; and Laura Suzanne Dolan of Auburn, obstetrical/gynecological nursing.

Also comprising the CMMC SON’s Class of 2004 are: Tanya Marie Bartlett, Poland; Jessica Sarah Bilodeau, Lewiston; Shandi Lee Blanchette, Canton; Terry J. Bronson, Brunswick; Linda Raye Rogers Doiron, Steep Falls; Lynne Marie Dostie, Raymond; Ashley Christina Doyle, Lisbon Falls; Jenna Lynn Fleury, Lewiston; Cynthia Suzanne Gahagan, Lewiston; Kimberly Ann Hall, Livermore; Kelly Jean Hatch, Hebron; Jennifer Pauline Hebert, Lewiston; honors student Harold Herschlag, Bryant Pond; Nicole Marie Johndro, Detroit; Jennifer Rebecca Jones, Stoneham; Denise M. S. Kidder, Dixfield; Ryan Marshall Kimball, South Paris; Kim Roy Kunkel, Scarborough; Shane Michael Levasseur, Turner; Anna Elizabeth McCabe, Gray; Heather A. Morin, Auburn; Laurie Ann Murphy, Lewiston; Debora Jean Ouellette, Turner; Amy Nicole Remillard, Leeds; Jeffrey Rowe, Norway; Jill Choiniere Smith, Leeds; Colette Sparks, Bailey Island; Debbi Lynn Tiner, Lewiston; Tammy Lynn Vigue Twombly, Old Orchard Beach; Carrie Julia Walker, Livermore Falls; Melanie Lee Whited, Minot; Alyson Elizabeth Whiting, Lewiston; Samantha Jeanne Whittier, Lewiston; Marie C. Wilday, Bryant Pond; and Charlene Kemp Willette, Sabattus.

Presenting the awards at the commencement ceremony were the following: CMMC School of Nursing President Peter E. Chalke; Sharon Kuhrt, director of the School of Nursing; Susan C. Baltrus, associate director of the CMMC School of Nursing; CMMC Medical Staff President Lanny Oliver, M.D.; Michael J. Monzel, M.D., chairman of the CMMC Nursing Scholarship Committee; Dorothy Crowley-Noel, President, CMGH/CMMC School of Nursing Alumni Association; and Pauline V. Beale, O.D., chairman of the CMMC Board of Trustees. Therese Demers, Assistant Chaplain, CMMC Pasoral Care, gave the invocation and benediction.

05/17/2004

Back To Top
 

Parul T. Kohli, M.D.

Joins CMMC Medical Staff

Parul T. Kohli, M.D., an internist, has been appointed to the Central Maine Medical Center Medical Staff. She is practicing in association with Central Maine Internal Medicine at 12 High Street, Suite 400, Lewiston.

She completed residency training in internal medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo. While serving her residency, she worked as a clinical instructor at the university.

A graduate of the Delhi Public School, New Delhi, India, she majored in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and English with honors. She earned her medical degree at R. G. Kar Medical College at the University of Calcutta in Calcutta, India, where she ranked number three in her class and was recognized with a scholarship for her academic achievements.

She completed a rotating internship at General Hospital, Chandigarh, India, and served on the medical staffs at Government Medical College and Hospital and City Hospital and Heart Care Center, both in Chandigarh, India.

She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is a member of the American College of Physicians.

She lives in Auburn with her husband, Sumit Kohli, M.D., a gastroenterologist who practices with Central Maine Gastroenterology Associates in Lewiston.

Central Maine Internal Medicine is a group physician practice also comprised of Oscar S. Cabatingan, M.D., James G. Joseph, M.D., David N. Lauver, M.D., William M. Lee, M.D., Phuong-mai Pham, M.D., Pamela E. Ross, M.D., Alan D. Verrill, M.D., and nurse practitioners Mary Ellen Davis, R.N., and Deana C. Albert, R.N. The practice can be reached at 795-5700.

05/17/2004

Back To Top
 

CMMC Achieves Highest Possible Customer Satisfaction Scores

For Nursing and Medical Staff

CMMC employees gather in the hospitals new Main Lobby to celebrate the medical center’s recent patient satisfaction score.

Central Maine Medical Center has achieved the highest percentile rank possible for patient satisfaction with its nursing and physician staffs.

Press Ganey, Inc., the nation’s largest hospital patient survey organization, has notified CMMC that for the January-March survey period the hospital scored in the 99th percentile for patient satisfaction with CMMC nursing and physician staffs. This result was drawn from a survey of 861 hospitals, including some of the nation’s most prestigious healthcare organizations.

Overall patient satisfaction with Central Maine Medical Center during the same time period registered in the 98th percentile, according to Press Ganey results. The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute, which opened in May 2003, earned a patient satisfaction score in the 98th percentile as compared with 70 other cardiac programs nationwide.

The Press Ganey survey process involves the objective assessment of patient satisfaction though a third-party survey process. Patients are asked to answer more than 50 questions concerning the care they received at the hospital. The surveys are collected, tallied and analyzed by Press Ganey, which returns survey reports to hospitals on a quarterly basis.

CMMC began working with Press Ganey some seven years ago as part of a commitment to monitor and improve patient care. The medical center scored in the mid-80s for overall patient satisfaction at the outset of the survey process.

“We have been working for a number of years to improve patient care by using the Press Ganey survey results as a guideline. It’s been an incremental process with the goal of making steady progress over an extended time period. I think these latest results show that the process is working. We are very pleased to achieve such results,” said Jeri Maurer, CMMC’s guest relations coordinator.

Maurer said a major patient care focus at CMMC during the past few years has been recognition of each patient’s emotional and spiritual needs. She also said that CMMC has made a sustained effort to eliminate barriers to service and reduce inconveniences for patients. Once such initiative, called Renew, has involved hospital staff in intensive four-day workshops designed to help care providers look at their lives and their work in a spiritual context with the intent of helping them better relate to their patients on a spiritual level.

Improved communications between staff and patients has been central to the hospital’s long-term effort to enhance patient satisfaction. “When you listen to your patients, they really become much more comfortable with their hospital stay,” Maurer says.

Founded in 1985 by Irwin Press, Ph.D., and Rodney F. Ganey, Ph.D., to provide information for the assessment and enhancement of the health care experience, Press Ganey has developed national databases of comparative satisfaction information that enables its clients to benchmark their results with peer organizations.

05/17/2004

Back To Top
 

CMMC Cardiopulmonary Nursing Unit

Selected as Best Nursing Team

From left, Nancy Ouellette, R.N., Erin Pendexter, R.N., Paul Gerencser, Advance for Nurses representative, and Sharron Seileman, vice president for nursing at Central Maine Medical Center.

A Central Maine Medical Center nursing unit has been named one of Advance for Nursing magazine’s Best Nursing Teams for 2004.

The CMMC Cardiopulmonary Nursing Unit was selected as Best Nursing Team – Knowledge/Recruitment and Retention by Advance for Nursing’s three-person panel of judges. All the judges were registered nurses.

Five New England hospitals, including CMMC, were selected for Advance for Nursing awards. Other winners were Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Conn., Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn., Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Marlborough Hospital in Marlborough, Mass.

“We are extremely proud of our M-4 nursing staff,” said CMMC President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Chalke. “This staff reflects the values and dedication demonstrated on a daily basis by all of CMMC’s employees, so it is gratifying that an independent organization has recognized their professionalism.”

The CMMC Cardiopulmonary Unit was selected for the award based upon information provided by CMMC cardiopulmonary nurse Erin Pendexter, R.N., who nominated the nursing unit.

“I personally have experienced nursing care for sick family members at other hospitals,” wrote Pendexter. “Given the choice my family members would be cared for by this nursing team. They don’t just provide care; they care for the mind, body and spirit of their patients and family members.” This commitment to well-rounded nursing care is what the judges found appealing about CMMC’s Cardiopulmonary Nursing Unit.

“One area that our nursing unit is unique is the level of spirituality we provide for our patients with our nursing care, for families who are dealing with very sick and sometimes dying loved ones, and with each other,” Pendexter wrote.

Several of the CMMC Cardiopulmonary Nursing Unit team members have completed an intensive four-day workshop on spirituality that included a three-month practicum. The workshop included a Myers Briggs personality inventory and training to help nurses recognize the various ways they make decisions, process information, learn new technology, and better understand each other and the way in which they function.

05/17/2004

Back To Top
 

CMMC's Health and Wellness Services

Announce Program Offerings

Central Maine Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Services is offering the following programs:

Boot Camp: The Toughest Class You’ll Ever Love! From eight-count pushups to easy-to-follow yet challenging agility drills, this action-packed class is sure to keep your mind motivated and your muscles fit! Mondays from 5:15 a.m. to 6:15 a.m.

Cardio-Kickboxing – A fast-paced class based on traditional kicking and punching techniques choreographed into combinations that challenge and strengthen the entire body. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

“TKO” Total Knockout – This hi-lo kickboxing class combines basic jabbing, kicking, and athletic drills into interesting and fun combinations. Mondays from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Hi NRG Step – Perform exciting step moves and heart-pumping athletic drills. Wednesday from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Saturday Aerobics – A combination of step and a circuit based on the needs of the class. An aerobics class based on the area of the body you want to work for the day. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Pilates – A combination of western and eastern philosophies that teaches breathing with movement, body mechanics, balance, coordination, spatial awareness, strength and flexibility. Helps build heart health as well as builds stamina. Six-week program.

Beginner Back Breakers Class – Take a break and strengthen your back. Learn to increase core strengths, prevent injury, improve the strength of abdominal and low back muscles, and trim a couple of inches from the mid-section. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Advanced Back Breakers Class – Review skills and increase core strength from gains made in the beginner class. Pilates- and yoga-style movements for greater strength. Exercises on the physio-ball. Tuesdays and Thursday from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Healthy Lifestyle Changes – this six-week class will give you the foundations for leading a healthy life. It includes a pre- and post-test measurement, six educational classes and 12 exercise sessions with a personal health counselor. You will establish persona nutritional and exercise goals. Classes held Monday nights from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The next class series begins May 10.

All programs are offered in the CMMC Health and Wellness Center, 12 High Street Medical Office Building, Lewiston.

Fees are assessed for participation in these programs.

Call 795-2473 to register or to obtain more information.

05/05/2004

Back To Top
 

CMHVI Wellness Van

Risk Screening Dates

Central Maine Heart & Vascular Institute Wellness Van to Offer Cardiovascular Health Risk Screenings Throughout the Central & Western Maine Area.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of nearly one million Americans every year. Many people are unaware that, to a large extent, the disease is both modifiable and preventable. That is why CMHVI is providing free cardiovascular risk assessments. By answering a series of questions regarding health, family background and lifestyle habits, the assessment will immediately provide individuals with a personalized report of their specific risk factors for developing heart disease. Included with this service is free blood pressure and osteoporosis screening. Cholesterol testing is also available for a small fee (results are given to people within 5 minutes).

Individuals knowing their personal risk profile will enable them to take control of their health and provide them with the best defense against cardiovascular disease.

CMHVI’s Wellness Van will be at a Wal-mart store near you, from 10am – 3pm.

1st Tuesday of Every Month: Wal-Mart Supercenter Store, 201 Civic Center Drive, Augusta

1st Wednesday of Every Month: Wal-mart Supercenter Store, 1240 Main Street – Route 26, Oxford

2nd Wednesday of Every Month: Wal-mart Supercenter Store, 30 Landing Road.Windham

4th Wednesday of Every Month: Wal-mart Supercenter Store, 258 River Road, Mexico

Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute is committed to improving the health status for individuals who live and work in our communities.

For more information contact Donna Jordan, RN at 795-2614 or email Donna.

Visit CMHVI's website.

04/21/2004

Back To Top
 

CMMC and Bridgton Hospital

Recognized as a Healthy Workplace

Central Maine Medical Center and Bridgton Hospital have been recognized for their community health promotion activities.

The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, Health and Wellness has recognized both CMMC and Bridgton Hospital as a Healthy Workplace. CMMC’s Health and Wellness Services has also been named a Work Healthy Award winner by Healthy Androscoggin.

The Governor’s Council Healthy Workplace Award recognized CMMC in the Large Business Award category for its role in supporting a healthy Maine through physical fitness and sports programs.

Bridgton Hospital was recognized the Medium Business Award category for its Wellness Team and Community Health Promotion efforts.

The Healthy Award from Healthy Androscoggin's Worksite Committee recognizes businesses and organizations in Androscoggin County that have placed a high priority on promoting good health for their employees.

CMMC was presented a Certificate of Leadership recognizing its commitment to supporting tobacco-free lifestyles, encouraging physical activity and promoting healthy eating.

CMMC’s employee health and wellness program targets new hires, injured and sick employees, and those employees with unidentified risks. Using an integrated plan that encompasses prevention, assessment, and treatment, CMMC provides employees with a customized wellness plan. Screening programs such as the Scorekeeper cardiac risk assessment and job placement assessments promote early identification of employees at risk of disease and/or injury. Personal health counselors work with employees to help them attain and maintain better health.

“Our goal is to provide a safe and health environment for our employees while encouraging and supporting health life choices,” said Pamela Edgecomb, manager of CMMC’s Health and Wellness Services.

CMMC and Bridgton Hospital are affiliates of Central Maine Healthcare.

04/07/2004

Back To Top
 

Lewiston/Auburn will "Go Red"

During American Heart Month

News Release from the American Heart Association.

Mayor Lionel Guay of Lewiston and Norm Guay of Auburn issued proclamations today declaring February as American Heart Month and encouraged all citizens in the twin cities to wear red during February to raise public awareness about the leading killer of women in Maine - heart disease.

This year, the American Heart Association is celebrating American Heart Month by launching a new campaign - Go Red For Women - to empower women with the knowledge and tools they need to make positive lifestyle changes that will help reduce their risk of heart disease. To raise awareness, February 12 has been designated as the Wear Red for Women Day in Central Maine. Both mayors are supporting this effort by urging everyone in the twin cities to wear red in recognition of family, friends and neighbors who have suffered from heart disease.

"Red is a powerful color. It makes a bold statement, "said Dennise Whitley, the American Heart Association spokesperson. "We hope the people, both men and women, of the twin cities will make their own statement by wearing red and showing their support in the fight against heart disease. Thanks to both mayors for setting the stage and recognizing this important month. And, a special 'thank you' to the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute for their excellent community programs to create awareness about the risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of American women. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than half a million women each year- about a death a minute. That's more lives than the next 7 causes of death combined, and nearly twice as many as all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Heart disease is also the leading killer in Maine , claiming the lives of more than 2,200 women each year.

"Our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends are all at risk for heart disease," Whitley said.

"There are many ways that local and state leaders in Maine have helped reduce risk across all populations and help save lives, such as providing smoke-free work places and utilizing Maine's tobacco settlement money for health related efforts and many others. The American Heart Association looks forward to continuing to work with the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute and the cities of Lewiston and Auburn to accomplish these goals."

02/13/2004

Back To Top
 

MaineCare Budget Crisis

It's Time for a Permanent Solution

Mission

Our mission is to provide the highest quality care for sick and injured patients. Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center have been faithfully serving our community for over 110 years. Physicians, nurses and other health professionals provide care to several hundred thousand people each year. We treat each patient compassionately and professionally regardless of their ability to pay for their care.

Resources to Fulfill our Mission

Our continued ability to offer a comprehensive scope of clinical services and quality patient care is directly related to having adequate resources available to fulfill our mission. Hospital operations are financed almost entirely by charges to patients covered by private insurance, Medicare and MaineCare (Medicaid).

Most people would expect that each health plan should pay at least the cost of a patient’s care. Not so with Medicare and MaineCare. Both government programs pay hospitals far below the cost of care. MaineCare is already the worst offender even before the current round of proposed cuts. Hospitals end up shifting patient care costs to private insurance plans to make up for underpayment (losses) from Medicare and MaineCare. People with private insurance are already paying higher charges that are, in essence, hidden taxes being imposed by the federal and state government.

Budget Band-Aids

Maine has serious fiscal problems due in part from ongoing MaineCare budget deficits. Hospitals have already felt the impact of the MaineCare budget problems as we were forced to absorb $58 million in MaineCare cuts last year and further cuts under the 3.5% Dirigo cost cap. The Governor proposed another $25.5 million cut this month. Hospitals are anticipating a cut of a similar magnitude in the 2005 budget as next year’s budget already appears to be out of balance.

The latest idea being floated in Augusta is a “tax and match” program. The state would impose a “sick tax” on hospitals designed to generate additional federal Medicaid dollars. Supposedly, the amount of tax money will eventually be returned to the hospitals. A tax is still a tax. When this was tried in the mid-1990’s, there was a lot more tax than match. History has shown us that when state budgets get tight, the promised match is reduced. Even worse, the federal government may disallow the entire “tax and match” scheme and Maine hospitals would be left with a $16 million tax. In any event, hospitals will be forced to pass along this new tax to the private insurance plans that is yet another increase or “hidden” tax on Mainers paying for their health insurance coverage.

It’s Time for a Permanent Solution

Parallel to growing budget deficits has been the growth of the number of MaineCare enrollees. Historically, about 10% of Maine’s population has been enrolled in MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program). Enrollment has skyrocketed in recent years growing from 175,000 in 2001 to 242,000 today. Both of our local hospitals are seeing more MaineCare patients than ever before. Another 75,000 Mainers become eligible to enroll in MaineCare in July. To put the growth of this program in perspective, 1 out of 4 people in Maine will be eligible for MaineCare as compared to one in ten just a few years ago.

While we support the concept of providing coverage to more citizens, expanding eligibility while reducing budgets doesn’t make sense and is dangerous to the people of Maine. We foresee a never-ending series of cuts to hospitals and other caregivers and the continued necessity to pass along these cuts to private insurers. Maine will also face never-ending MaineCare budget deficits. Arbitrary cuts to providers and budget gimmicks alone will not solve these problems.

In the meantime, there is a solution to the FY 2004 and FY 2005 MaineCare deficit problem. The federal government sent $53 million to Maine last year specifically targeted for relief from rising Medicaid (MaineCare) costs. The Legislature could use $8.5 million and a similar amount the next fiscal year of these federal dollars currently sitting in a state account to close this year’s budget gap.

Maine hospitals want to be part of the solution, but we can only stretch so far to cover rising costs and higher demand for our services while at the same time receive drastically lower payments. We can and we must do better.

James E. Cassidy, President and CEO, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center
Peter E. Chalke, President and CEO, Central Maine Medical Center

01/30/2004

Back To Top
 

CMMC and Bridgton Hospital

Public Flu Shot Programs

DOOR-TO-DOOR SERVICE – Elaine Drew, R.N., far left, and John Ludwig, R.N., far right, provide door-to-door service for Charles Taylor, left, and Matthew Smith, right, who drove up from Portland to Bridgton for Bridgton Hospital’s flu shot clinic.

Central Maine Medical Center and Bridgton Hospital together provided flu vaccinations to more than 600 people at two early November events.

On November 1, the first day of Maine’s hunting season, Bridgton Hospital held its 2nd Annual Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinic and served more than 300 people.

BH’s drive-through flu shot program ties in not only with the opening day of Maine deer hunting season – a major holiday for tens of thousands of hunters – but with the opening of the holiday shopping season as the Bridgton merchants have a special ‘Early Bird’ promotion in the downtown corridor.

The reaction to the BH clinic has been very positive. Matthew Smith, who lives in Portland and learned about the flu shots from his mother, summed up the feelings of many: “It would be difficult for me, during the week, to get to my doctor for a flu shot. Offering this on a Saturday, plus making it so easy with no waiting, is awesome. I didn’t mind driving to Bridgton. What a great community service the hospital is providing.” BH is already planning to offer the drive-through clinic again next year.

Central Maine Medical Center’s Family Practice Residency Program provided flu shots to some 300 people at the Central Maine Medical Center Family Health Expo held November 2 at the Auburn Mall.

“This year’s Expo flu shot clinic went very smoothly due, in part, to the relocation of the site and a streamlined intake process. The Family Practice Center staff did an outstanding job keeping up with the strong demand for the service,” said CMMC Communication Specialist Sue Smith, who organized the event.

11/19/2003

Back To Top
 

LifeFlight of Maine

Earns National Accreditation

In just five short years, LifeFlight of Maine has earned full accreditation from the Commission on the Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). Similar to the strict assessment of hospitals by the Joint Commission of Accredited Healthcare Organizations, CAMTS Accreditation is a voluntary external assessment of quality in all aspects of operations. While all ambulance services must be licensed, earning this accreditation means LifeFlight has earned the “gold standard” in critical care medical transport.

Norm Dinerman, MD, FACEP, medical director for LifeFlight commented, “Accreditation is another ‘mile marker’ in assuring a state of the art air medical system for Maine. Achieving this goal is especially satisfying as we just received the Jim Charlson National Safety Award at the annual air medical meeting and Maine voters overwhelming approved the transportation bond issue that will allow us to further enhance the critical care services we provide to the people of Maine.”

The transportation bond includes a public-private initiative to help LifeFlight improve air medical infrastructure across the state. That includes new hospital helipads, more sophisticated weather prediction systems at airports in central, eastern, and northern Maine, on-site refueling at hospitals in Aroostook County, and seed money for a critical care continuing education outreach program.

The staff and crews from LifeFlight of Maine invited the quality assessment from an outside review agency to benchmark their performance against the highest standards and best programs in the world. LifeFlight is the first ambulance service in Maine to achieve this recognition in medical transport. Only one in five critical care transport services nationwide have achieved full accreditation to date.

Staff from LifeFlight spent the last eight months preparing for the comprehensive survey process. Surveyors from CAMTS spent the last week in September in an on-site review of all operations, including medical oversight, quality assurance, patient and aviation safety, clinical care, aviation management and maintenance, communications, and community service. Surveyors commended the program on medical oversight, quality management, safety, and community outreach noting that the ‘quality management program was the best they had ever seen in a survey.’

In addition to the flight program and communications center, the Commission accredited LifeFlight’s ground critical care transport program that partners with United Ambulance in Lewiston and Meridian Mobile Health in Bangor.

“Our motto this year is ‘Raise the Bar’,” said Norman Lewdin, President and CEO of Eastern Maine Healthcare. We believe this brief mission statement eloquently sums up what we are trying to do for the people of Maine.”

“The CAMTS accreditation validates what we already believed … the LifeFlight team is one of the best in the country,” says Peter Chalke, President of Central Maine Healthcare. Every member of the LifeFlight team deserves the credit for this wonderful achievement. We are proud to play a role in the development of a program that has saved lives and continues to serve the people of Maine with distinction.”

Tom Judge, executive director of LifeFlight of Maine, noted, “we are very strong believers in external assessment of quality. Our parent organizations, Eastern Maine Healthcare and Central Maine Healthcare set achieving accreditation as a goal for LifeFlight from the beginning. Our performance should be measured against the best of the best. We are extremely proud of achieving this goal on behalf of all the patients we serve.”

Mr. Tom Judge was also recently elected President of the Association of Air Medical Services. This professional association is composed of 270 air medical service members in the United States and some 30 international members. This organization has it’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

11/12/2003

Back To Top
 

LifeFlight of Maine

Has Fifth Anniversary

LifeFlight of Maine, at five-year mark, has served over 2,700 patients

By Tom Judge, Executive Director, LifeFlight of Maine

Five years ago, Maine was the only state in the country without access to a dedicated, statewide air medical system. But LifeFlight of Maine has since delivered the promise of critical care plus the speed of medical helicopters to over 2,700 patients.

Attended by critical care registered nurse-paramedic flight teams, these patients have been transported from every hospital in Maine and directly from more than 600 accident scenes in over 200 communities in Maine’s 16 counties, including coastal islands. Nearly one third of all LifeFlight patients are under 25 years of age. Some 60 percent of patients have severe injuries requiring sophisticated healthcare services.

LifeFlight has been successful in accomplishing its goal of improving access to critical care, especially for patients in the most rural areas of Maine. Overseen by specialist and emergency medicine physicians from across the state, LifeFlight supports the care delivered by EMS providers and community hospital physicians, physician extenders, and nursing personnel on scene and during patient transport.

When LifeFlight started operations, only two hospitals in Maine — Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport and Goodall Hospital in Sanford — had on-site, dedicated, lighted helipads. But through the Community Helipad Project, LifeFlight has provided technical and fund-raising assistance to 15 hospitals and communities for building on-site helipads. Seventeen additional hospitals are actively planning to build on-site helipads.

LifeFlight has also created innovative partnerships with the cities of Bangor, Lewiston and Auburn to build dedicated hangar and maintenance facilities at Bangor International Airport and the Auburn/Lewiston Airport. Fuel and weather reporting systems have been installed at LifeFlight’s hospital base facilities at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston and Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

LifeFlight has also just received a national award for “significant contributions to the enhancement, development or promotion of aviation or aviation safety in the air medical transport community.”

Despite all that LifeFlight of Maine has accomplished in five short years, the team is looking optimistically to the future with more plans, goals and ideas. But first and foremost, LifeFlight recognizes that individual services and providers are the links in the chain of survival for critically ill or injured patients. LifeFlight’s success comes through the combined efforts of everyone in Maine’s emergency medical and public safety communities working together to make a difference.

So, on our fifth anniversary we want to say “thank you” for such resounding support from the people of Maine. LifeFlight has accomplished great things since its first flight from the woods of Deblois in 1998!

11/04/2003

Back To Top
 

CMH-CMMC 54th Annual Appreciation Dinner

Honors 183 Long-Term Employees

Central Maine Healthcare-Central Maine Medical Center honored 183 long-term employees at its recent 54th Annual Appreciation Dinner.

Among those recognized for their long records of service to CMH-CMMC was Ina Brainerd, social work director at Bolster Heights Healthcare Facility in Auburn, who has dedicated 40 years to caring for patients in residential care settings.

Also honored was 35-year veteran Charlotte Haskell, a certified surgical technologist in the CMMC Surgical Services Department.

Thirty-year employees feted at the annual dinner included: Robert Brown, a boiler operator in the Plant Operations Department; Cheryl Burgess, a medical secretary-transcriptionist in the Pathology Department; Sherrilyn Estes, Pathology Department office coordinator; Bambi Hathaway, R.N., manager of the CMMC Intensive Care Unit; Sheryl Ouellette, R.N., of the Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit; Richard Potter, a food service aide in the Food Service Department; and Josephine Swett, R.N., Special Delivery.

Ina Brainerd says she was “brought up in the healthcare field,” working first at Pease Nursing Home which was owned and operated by her family, and later at Greene Acres, which purchased her family’s business. “When I went for my interview I was holding my son, Bob, in my lap. He was under a year old,” she recalls. (Bob Brainerd is director of Health and Wellness Services at Central Maine Medical Center.)

Eventually, Ina became the administrator at the now-defunct Grandview Boarding Home, which at that time served as both a nursing home and boarding home. She was Grandview’s administrator for 20 years.

When Grandview closed in October 1998 and the facility’s residents were moved to Bolster Heights, Ina transferred to the Auburn facility, where she began work as a licensed social worker.

“Retirement is not yet in my vocabulary. I have worked as a C.N.A., a medication technician, activity director, administrator, and licensed social worker. It has given me great pleasure and satisfaction,” Ina says.

Also recognized at the dinner were the following individuals:

25 years of service

Susan Clough, R.N., Special Delivery; Gail Clukey, information associate, Bladder Control Center; Lana Driscoll, R.N., Same-Day Surgery; Lorraine Fournier, R.N., charge nurse, Endoscopy-Minor Surgery; Susan Gajarski, C.T. scan aide, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Penny Goodwin, R.N., Emergency Department; Gale Groves, lead registrar-phlebotomist, Pathology; Cynthia Harradon, manager, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Joyce Hume, patient account representative, Patient Financial Services; and Anna Jipson, care associate, Oncology Nursing Unit.

Barbara Johnson, certified residential medication aide, Bolster Heights; Rachel Lavertu, care associate, Oncology Nursing Unit; Ann McKenney, clinical coordinator, Special Delivery; Mary McRae, clinical coordinator, Cardiopulmonary; Mona Murphy, technologist supervisor, Pathology; Erin Pendexter, R.N., Cardiopulmonary; Diana Poliquin, infection control coordinator, Quality Services; Kathryn Rousseau, R.N., Endoscopy-Minor Surgery; Mary Beth Small, R.N., Single Stay Unit; Bonnie Sollien, reimbursement analyst, Finance; Valerie St. Clair, R.N., Special Delivery; and Cheryl Turcotte, R.N., Special Delivery.

20 years

Nancy Bennett, R.N., Endoscopy-Minor Surgery; Peter E. Chalke, president and chief executive officer, Central Maine Healthcare; Nancy Chasse, unit secretary, Endoscopy-Minor Surgery; Beverly Chipman, physical therapist, Physical-Occupational Therapy; Paul Dagneau, painter, Plant Operations; Nancy Duchesneau, unit assistant, Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit; Alma Jordan-Ames, mammography technologist, Sam and Jennie Bennett Breast Care Center; Juli Kane, CT scan technologist, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Cynthia MacLean, R.N., Same-Day Surgery; and Richard Marsh, M.D., Central Maine Pediatrics.

Guy Perry, residential floor technician, Bolster Heights; Jody Scrutchfield, senior laboratory technologist, Pathology; Sandra Shapleigh, case manager, Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute; Claire Smith, R.N., medical oncology; Kim Sutton, assistant manager, Physical-Occupational Therapy; David Walter, M.D., Central Maine Pediatrics; and Ona Winslow, linen service aide, Bolster Heights.

15 years

Michael Barnies, director, Security and Support Services; Lisa Bonang, radiologic technologist, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Carrine Brunetti, unit secretary, Same-Day Surgery; Cynthia Bruno-Chessey, NOVA representative, Patient Financial Services; Sandra Burgess, secretary, Pathology; Crystal Conant, office coordinator, Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology; Rita Coolidge, care associate, Cardiopulmonary; Kathryn Crocker, R.N., Central Maine Rehabilitation Center; Marcia Cylik, secretary-patient registrar, Emergency Department; and Lynda Dow, collection representative, Advanced Collection Services.

Charles Goodwin, certified residential medications assistant, Bolster Heights; Heather Gould, radiologic technologist, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Jayne Hollstein, certified residential medications assistant, Bolster Heights; Janis Hunter, senior diagnostic sonographer, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Babette Ann Irwin, manager, Physician Recruitment; Kimberly Jacques, R.N., Pediatrics Nursing Unit; Dianna Keich, R.N., clinical supervisor, Central Staffing; Brenda Kimball, secretary, Radiology-Medical Imaging; and Walter Klymman, environmental services technician, Environmental Services.

Doris Lemaster, R.N., Emergency Department; Laurel Letourneau, L.P.N., Family Practice Residency Program; Donna Libby, information associate, Cardiac Care Unit; Lisa Mathieu, R.N., Outpatient Rehabilitation Services; Arlene McConnell, unit secretary, Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center; Clarence Meservey, environmental services technician, Environmental Services; Charles T. Orne, executive vice president for finance, Central Maine Healthcare; Suzanne Pomerleau, office manager, Bolster Heights; Norene Rand, food production assistant, Food Services; and Brenda Rivard, transcriptionist, Radiology-Medical Imaging.

Karen Short, residential activity assistant, Bolster Heights; Susan Sproul, clinical assistant, Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology; Michael Tremblay, supervisor, Environmental Services; John W. Welsh, chief executive officer, Rumford Hospital; Stephen Weymouth, technical associate, Surgical Services; Ann White, R.N., Endoscopy-Minor Surgery; Patricia Wilkins, payroll supervisor, Finance; Debra Wilkinson, transcriptionist, Health Information Management; and Cynthia Williams, accounts payable supervisor, Finance.

10 years

Stephanie Anderson, medical technologist, Pathology; Dean Blanchard, medical technologist, Pathology; Jane Brodsky, R.N., Post-Anesthesia Care Unit; Denise Brooks, R.N., clinical coordinator, Central Maine Internal Medicine; Thomas Byrne, M.D., Family Practice Residency Program; Alice DiPaolo, clinical information specialist, Information Services; Donna Dube, medical technologist, Pathology; Neil Duval, M.D., Pulmonary-Critical Care Associates; Sharon Grant, certified sterile processing and distribution technician, Sterile Processing and Distribution; and Sandra Harris, M.D., Infectious Disease Practice.

Julianna Hayes, R.N., Intensive Care Unit; Jennifer Jordan, R.N., clinical assistant, Infectious Disease Practice; Melissa Labrecque, regional budget analyst, Finance; Joan Larson, food service aide, Food Service; Elaine Law, R.N., Special Delivery; Paul Leclair, systems programmer, Information Services; Cheryl Ann Letourneau, transcriptionist, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Aline Mailhot, clinical assistant-medical assistant, Central Maine Internal Medicine; John McGoldrick, M.D., Emergency Department; and Bethany McGrail, R.N., Intensive Care Unit.

Joel McMullin, respiratory therapy practitioner, Respiratory Therapy; Patricia Morin, R.N., clinical assistant, Central Maine Internal Medicine; Karen Pacheco-Corwin, R.N., Special Delivery; Joan Parker, R.N., Medical Oncology; Julie Rowe, clinical coordinator, School of Radiologic Technology; Carrie Steele, radiation therapist, Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center; and Darlene Tabor, information associate, Central Maine Rehabilitation Center.

Five years

Tracy Ackley, radiation therapist, Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center; Nicole Anderson, speech therapist, Outpatient Rehabilitation Services; Tom Armor, senior nuclear medicine technologist, Nuclear Medicine; Robert Armstrong, director of long-term care, Bolster Heights; Mae Audibert, emergency technician, Emergency Department; William Baker III, senior security officer, Security; Sherron Bassett, R.N., Intensive Care Unit; Gina Bauer, PC-network specialist, Information Services; Jean Bear, clinical data coordinator, Quality Services; and Daniel Beaule, supervisor, Security.

Linda Beaulieu, human resources assistant, Human Resources; Ann Bedard, environmental services aide, Environmental Services; Eric Belanger, supply chain coordinator, Materials Services; Michael Boutin, R.N., Cardiac Care Unit; Michelle Bowie, charge respiratory therapist, Respiratory Therapy; Gail Breton, claims processor, Patient Financial Services; Denise Brown, supervisor, Environmental Services; Kathy Burnham, critical care technologist, Intensive Care Unit; Judith Cartmel, R.N., Cardiac Care Unit; and Gisele Castonguay, lymphedema specialist, Outpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

Brian Chipman, R.N., Intensive Care Unit; Wanda Clark, phlebotomist, Pathology; James Cole III, PC-network specialist, Information Services; David Cowan, coordinator, Environmental Services; Kathleen Allen-Dyke, senior accountant, Finance; Tammy Edwards, bookkeeper-clerk, Advanced Collection Services; Sharon Folker, outpatient coder, Health Information Services; Pamela Fortier, certified surgical technologist, Surgical Services; Michael Friendly, M.D., Emergency Department; and Deborah Gould, staff accountant, Finance.

James Hagen, vice president, Central Maine Healthcare administration; Michael Hamel, PC-network specialist, Information Services; Robin Jarvis, R.N., Emergency Department; Jennifer Jordan, engineering-maintenance technical secretary, Plant Operations-Biomedical Engineering; Timothy Kelly, physician assistant, Emergency Department; Tina Kelly, human resources coordinator, Human Resources; Dianne Keys, film/microfile clerk, Radiology-Medical Imaging; Paula King, physical therapy assistant, Physical-Occupational Therapy; Claire D. Koski, clinical assistant, Central Maine Pediatrics; and Susan Lafrance, critical care technologist, Intensive Care Unit.

Jacqueline Litif, R.N., Post-Anesthesia Care Unit; David Low, supervisor, Biomedical Engineering; Dawn-Rae Mailhot, phlebotomist, Pathology; Gina Mallozzi, team leader, Neurology Medical Practice; Michelle Mann, R.N., Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory; Rhonda Martineau, clinical assistant, Central Maine Pediatrics; Warren McCrater, environmental services aide, Environmental Services; Kimberly McGraw, paramedic, LifeFlight; Marjorie McLellan, activities coordinator, Bolster Heights; and Keith McLeod, technical services manager, Information Services.

Evelyn Mitchell, information associate, Cardiopulmonary; Patricia Murphy, dosimetrist, Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center; Betty Ouellette, guest relations-dietary coordinator, Bolster Heights; Brenda Page-Melotto, R.N., Special Delivery; Carol Parker, payroll specialist, Finance; Peter Pelletier, respiratory care practitioner, Respiratory Therapy; Claudette Poulin, care associate, Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit; Jessica Richardson, clinical coordinator, Surgical Specialists; Danice Rinderknecht, M.D., CMMC Family Practice Residency Program; and David Roberts, retail operations supervisor, Food Service.

Loni Romestan, transcriptionist, Health Information Management; Jennifer Ryder, R.N., Cardiopulmonary; Tammy Sharma, environmental services aide, Environmental Services; Jennifer Stapleton, medical information secretary, Health Information Management; Katie Tibbetts, switchboard operator, Security; Darlene Tremblay, R.N., Emergency Department; Carol Trexler, certified surgical technologist, Surgical Services; Jacqueline Turcotte, R.N., Cardiac Care Unit; Dulsie Varney, R.N., Pediatrics Unit; and Keith Wilkes, respiratory care practitioner, Respiratory Therapy.

11/04/2003

Back To Top
 

Yue Guo, M.D.

Named to Central Maine Medical Center Medical Staff

Yue Guo, M.D.

Yue Guo, M.D., a medical oncologist-hematologist, has been named to the Central Maine Medical Center Medical Staff. She has joined the group medical oncology-hematology component of CMMC’s Comprehensive Cancer Program. The practice has offices at 12 High Street, Suite 205, in Lewiston.

Guo recently completed a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.

Prior to beginning her fellowship, she completed a three-year residency in internal medicine at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Guo earned both her bachelor’s degree in medicine and medical degree from Beijing Medical University in Beijing. After graduating from medical school, she worked for four years as a hematology attending physician at The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University.

She has contributed to several professional publications throughout her years of research at the National Institute of Health, The Schepens Eye Research Institute at Harvard Medical School, and Boston Medical Center.

The hematologist-oncologists associated with CMMC Comprehensive Cancer Program provide care for patients with cancer and blood disorders. The practice is also comprised of Hans L. Boedeker, M.D., Nicholette Erickson, M.D., Jeffrey M. Miller, M.D., and Donna K. Thompson, M.D.

10/29/2003

Back To Top
 

Central Maine Healthcare

Partners with Rx Cares For ME

Now it’s easier than ever for Maine residents to find free and discount prescription assistance programs. Central Maine Healthcare has joined with other leading Maine health care groups to offer Rx Cares For ME, a new website and toll-free number created by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Rx Cares For ME helps eligible Mainers locate and utilize all prescription assistance programs, including pharmaceutical company programs and state programs.

Rx Cares For ME is a free and confidential service that provides one central point of access for Maine residents to find out if they qualify for prescription assistance. Over 325 assistance programs can be accessed from the website and toll-free number, and more than 1,400 prescription medicines are available to those who qualify.

The only information patients need to find out if they qualify is their age, income, family size, and the name of the prescription medicine they are looking for. After a quick search, detailed information on corresponding programs appears and includes eligibility criteria, contact information and application requirements.

Rx Cares For ME makes accessing prescription assistance programs easier than ever. The service can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.rxcaresforme.org or by calling 1-877-Rx-For-ME.

10/14/2003

Back To Top
 

William J. Phillips, M.D.

Keynote Speaker at Breakfast Forum

William J. Phillips, M.D., director of diagnostic and interventional cardiology at CMHVI

William J. Phillips, M.D., director of diagnostic and interventional cardiology at the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute, will be the keynote speaker at the first Central Maine Healthcare Community Breakfast Forum on October 16.

Phillips will discuss "CMHVI: Heart Care Close to Home," focusing on CMHVI’s role in delivering advanced cardiac services to the residents of central and western Maine. Prior to CMHVI’s opening last spring, many rural Maine residents were forced to travel long distances for sophisticated cardiac care, including open-heart surgery and cardiac angioplasty.

He will also talk about how patients at CMHVI are benefiting from the treatment of heart attacks with cardiac angioplasty. Recent medical studies have confirmed that emergency angioplasty is more effective than clot-busting drugs for treating heart attack patients.

In his work with CMHVI, Phillips has played a key role in planning and developing the full range of cardiac services that are provided by CMHVI.

He came to CMMC from Johnson City, N.Y., where he practiced with Cardiology Associates, a group physician practice. He also served as a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the Binghamton clinical campus of the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center in Syracuse, N.Y.

He has extensive experience in diagnostic and interventional cardiology, including cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, stenting and pacemaker implantation. He also helped create an interventional cardiology program at United Health Services Hospitals in Binghamton, N.Y.

He is certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Phillips is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Society of Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, and is a member of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the American Medical Association.

He has been involved in many clinical research programs and has coauthored numerous articles that have been published in professional medical journals, including Circulation, American Heart Journal, and Interventional Cardiology

The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute focuses on four service components: education and prevention; screening and risk-control services; surgical/clinical intervention; and cardiac rehabilitation and disease management. The program is housed in state-of-the-art facilities located at the corner of Hammond and Lowell streets in Lewiston.

The Community Breakfast Forum is open to the public and will be presented from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Conference Rooms A, B and C on the ground floor of the 12 High Street Medical Office Building. Those wishing to attend the breakfast are asked to call 795-2975 by October 10.

The entrance to the 12 High Street Building is located across the street from the CMMC parking garage. Free parking is available in the garage and in adjacent parking lots.

10/09/2003

Back To Top
 

Susan Baltrus, R.N.

Named Educator of the Year

Susan Baltrus, R.N., associate director of the Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing

Susan Baltrus, R.N., associate director of the Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing, has been named Educator of the Year by the Maine Council of Associate Degree Nursing Programs.

A member of the CMMC School of Nursing faculty for some 24 years, Baltrus has long been one of the school’s most popular teachers. In her role as the school’s associate director, she is responsible for academic and student affairs. She also teaches medical, surgical and critical care nursing in the classroom and instructs a clinical group in the CMMC Critical Care Unit.

“Sue receives the highest praise from students for both lecture and clinical areas. She is also well respected by nurses and physicians because of her knowledge and skills and her superb communication skills. Her standards are high but she is able to motivate and inspire students to perform to the best of their ability and her enthusiasm and commitment is contagious. She’s very deserving of this recognition,” said Sharon Kuhrt, director of the CMMC School of Nursing.

A graduate of the Central Maine General Hospital (now CMMC) School of Nursing, Baltrus earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and business from St. Joseph’s College in Windham. In 1992, she was awarded a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

In addition to her extensive experience as a nursing educator, Baltrus served for 10 years in nursing management at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway. She also worked for two years as a staff nurse at Togus Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Togus.

She is certified in medical-surgical nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is a member of the Maine Association of Associate Degree Nursing Programs (MAADNP). She has been president as well as vice president of that organization.

Her record of community service includes eight years work with the Rape Crisis Hotline and nine years as a March of Dimes Walkathon team captain.

Baltrus lives in Lewiston. She has two grown children; Allison Brown of Woolwich and Matthew Brown of Tucson, Arizona.

Founded in 1891, the Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing offers a fully-accredited two-year registered nurse education program leading to an associate degree in the applied science of nursing.

10/06/2003

Back To Top
 

Carmine Frumiento, M.D.

Joins the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute

Carmine Frumiento, M.D.

Carmine Frumiento, M.D., a cardiac surgeon, has joined the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute.

Prior to beginning his work at CMHVI, Frumiento completed a two-year cardiothoracic surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wis. During the first year of his residency training, he served under the direction of Richard P. Cochran, M.D. Last year, Cochran joined CMHVI as director of cardiac surgery.

Frumiento’s training includes a special emphasis on minimally invasive procedures.

A graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Frumiento earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, Vt. He completed a five-year general surgical residency at the University of Vermont-Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. As an intern, he was selected for the Department of Surgery’s Most Outstanding Intern Award.

He also completed a one-year surgical research fellowship at the University of Vermont-Fletcher Allen Health Care.

During the final year of his general surgical residency, he served as chief general surgical resident. He was also a clinical instructor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery.

Frumiento is certified by the American Board of Surgery.

He is the author of a host of scholarly articles and has made numerous presentations to healthcare professional organizations.

Frumiento is practicing with Central Maine Heart Associates, which also includes William J. Phillips, M.D., CMHVI’s director of interventional and diagnostic cardiology, cardiologist Richard F. Klonoski, M.D., and interventional and diagnostic cardiologist Mark E. Lanzieri, M.D.

The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute, a division of Central Maine Medical Center, opened in the spring of this year. Located in a newly-constructed facility adjacent to CMMC, CMHVI offers a comprehensive program for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease. The CMHVI single-stay unit features a unique nursing care model that adjusts to the patient’s evolving needs, allowing the patient to remain in one room from admission to discharge. CMHVI also maintains a prevention and screening program highlighted by the ScoreKeeper, a sophisticated cardiac risk assessment service.

Frumiento lives in Auburn with his wife, Laurie, and their son, Iain, 3, and daughter, Ellena, 16 months.

10/06/2003

Back To Top
 

CMMC's Family Practice Residency Program

Welcomes New Residents

Seven recent medical school graduates and two advanced level physicians in training have joined the Central Maine Medical Center Family Practice Residency Program. Joining the program are: from left, seated, Geniene E. Wilson, M.D. (American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles), Magili A. Chapman, D.O. (University Health Sciences in Kansas City) and Michael A. Kaylor, M.D. (University of Utah College of Medicine, Salt Lake City); standing, Timothy E. Burdick, M.D. (a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H., who transferred to CMMC after successfully completing his first year of residency in Connecticut), Michael Liu, M.D. (East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, N.C.), Narayana K. Padala, M.D. (NTR University of Health Sciences, Warangal, India), Balint L. Budai, M.D. (McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal), Nathan C. Raby, D.O. (University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford). Not pictured is Margarita Perchonok, D.O., (who transferred to CMMC from a family practice residency at Tufts in Boston after completing medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.)

All of these physicians are required to complete a three-year post graduate residency training program in family practice in order to be eligible to become board certified family doctors. Each will provide care to a group of patients/families at all stages of life, including pregnancy. They will also deliver babies. In addition, they will spend time at CMMC learning from primary care doctors and subspecialists physicians. The mission of CMMC’s Family Practice Residency Program is to graduate highly trained physicians prepared to begin family practice in a rural area. This year, the CMMC’s Residency Program celebrates its 25th year of educating new physicians. More than 100 doctors have graduated from the program.

10/06/2003

Back To Top
 

Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Recertified by AACPR

The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute Cardiac Rehabilitation Program has been recertified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACPR).

The CMHVI program is one of only 10 Maine-based programs of its kind that has earned AACRP approval, according to Kelly LeBlond, R.N., CMHVI’s manager of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services.

The certification process, which takes several months to complete, evaluates services using “very strict, best practice-based guidelines,” LeBlond explained. The evaluation considers a program’s policies and procedures, patient satisfaction levels, care outcomes, and long-term program success.

AACRP certification is becoming increasingly important to both healthcare providers and patients, LeBlond said, because in other parts of the country more and more insurance companies are covering only cardiac rehabilitation programs that have earned such a distinction.

The CMHVI Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is a three-phase program that includes both inpatient and outpatient components. Phase I is the bedside component of the program that introduces patients to the concept of cardiac health promotion and prevention prior to discharge. Phase II is conducted immediately after discharge and involves medically-supervised activities in a clinical setting and ongoing risk modification. Phase III is a longer-term exercise program conducted in Central Maine Medical Center Wellness Center.

The CMHVI’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program was established by Central Maine Medical Center some 20 years ago. When CMMC opened CMHVI last spring, the cardiac center assumed management and clinical oversight of the program.

The AACRP is a national, multi-disciplinary association dedicated to the improvement of clinical practice, promotion of scientific inquiry, and advancement of education for the benefit of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation professionals and the patients they serve. The AACRP rigorously reviews cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation programs to determine if they meet essential requirements for standards of care.

Anyone seeking more information about CMHVI’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is urged to call 795-2645.

10/06/2003

Back To Top
 

Karen Baldacci, Maine's First Lady

Tours CMMC's Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit

Karen Baldacci, Maine's first lady and the state’s honorary chairwoman of the March of Dimes' Prematurity Campaign, offers a rose to Deni Sevit, a 4-year-old who weighed only 15 ounces at birth.

Karen Baldacci, Maine's first lady and the state’s honorary chairwoman of the March of Dimes' Prematurity Campaign, toured Central Maine Medical Center's Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit recently as part of an effort to inform the public about the growing number of premature births.

"What's most striking to me is the increase in premature births. In Maine, that's one in 10 births, and we're up 36 percent in 10 years, and we don't know why," Mrs. Baldacci told a gathering on CMMC Special Delivery Family Birthing Center. "The technology is there; we're sav-ing these babies. Our goal with the March of Dimes campaign is to prevent them from being born too early and too small."

The reason for about half of pre-term births isn’t known, she said. Expectant mothers are eating right, taking their vitamins, seeing their doc-tors, gaining the right weight, "and we're still seeing such large increases in the deliveries of premature babies."

Possible factors, she noted, include women wait-ing longer to have babies, more in vitro fertilizations and multiple births, and problems associat-ed with substance abuse.

"With adequate dollars and research, hopeful-ly we can identify those unknowns out there," she said.

Baldacci said she and the governor have had a personal experi-ence with prematurity.

"My sister-in-law had a premature second ba-by. She was in that undefined category. She had a normal full-term first delivery, and though they did everything they should have done, she still had a baby at 32 weeks," she said.

Each week, some 25 pre-term babies are born in Maine.

Surveys show that most people are not aware of the grow-ing number of premature babies and the related health prob-lems often caused by premature birth. As a result, the March of Dimes has mounted a nationwide campaign to inform the public about the issue.

On her arrival at CMMC, Mrs. Baldacci was presented a bouquet of roses by Deni Sevit, a 4-year-old who weighed only 15 ounces at birth. "Without NICU, I'm sure she wouldn't be here," said Linda Sevit, Deni's mother.

Anyone seeking more information about the March of Dimes effort to inform the public about prematurity can visit www.modimes.org on the Internet or call the organization’s Maine Chapter at 207-474-9292.

10/06/2003

Back To Top
 

Franklin ScoreKeeper™

Cardiac Prevention and Early Detection Program Expands to a National Audience

Carol Domingue, R.N., clinical case manager for the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute, right, discusses ScoreKeeper results with Sue Turgeon, an employee of Skelton, Taintor and Abbott, an Auburn law firm.

Franklin Memorial Hospital, Central Maine Healthcare, Burgess Record, M.D., and Sandy Record, R.N., today announced the creation of a jointly owned corporation formed to further develop an distribute the Franklin Scorekeeper™ Software and provide related services and consultation to customers in Maine and throughout the nation.

The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute also announced the appointment of Burgess Record, M.D., as the Medical Director for Prevention and Outreach. Dr. Record has had a distinguished 30-year career in Farmington, and is a leader in community health promotion, disease prevention and chronic illness care.

"Comprehensive prevention is a very important part of the new Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute," said Peter Chalke, President and CEO of Central Maine Healthcare. We searched nationally for the best practice model and found it right next door in Franklin County. We are excited to be working with our colleagues in Farmington. Together we plan to reach the 400,000 people who live in central, western and mid-coast Maine and to respond to requests for this program coming from Maine and from away."

Franklin ScoreKeeper™ cardiac prevention and early detection program facilitates patient, physician and nurse counselor interaction. The initial consumer/nurse encounter ends with a clear assessment of the cardiac risk and produces an individually tailored recommendation for lowering the identified risks. The Franklin Scorekeeper™ program is designed to assist health counselors in helping people improve health behaviors and chronic disease self-management.

"Community based prevention programs like Franklin ScoreKeeper™ are an integral part of our approach to improving the health status of the communities we serve," said Richard Batt, President of Franklin Community Health Network and Franklin Memorial Hospital. There are documented results in Franklin County. We have one of the lowest adult smoking rates in Maine, we have seen a decrease in total and cardiovascular deaths, increased life expectancy and reduced healthcare costs for employers and insurance companies."

Franklin ScoreKeeper™ is much more than a simple screening tool. People are monitored on an ongoing basis. At the end of each encounter, the client is given a personalized health status report, a client-driven plan for modifying health behavioral risk and educational materials. The plan is also mailed to the client's physician.

Franklin ScoreKeeper™ is currently being offered at hospitals, physician practices, worksites, schools and community settings.

This is a program with a proven track record of results and is a useful tool for:

Employers seeking to moderate their healthcare costs

Physicians who can now easily monitor a patient’s compliance with their personalized health improvement plan

Insurance companies seeking to add prevention and risk factor reduction component to their health plans

People seeking to take personal responsibility for their own health

"Franklin ScoreKeeper™ has been recognized nationally as a model to reduce heart disease and stroke by Rural Healthy People 2010," said Burgess Record, M.D. “Reduced to its simplest terms, Franklin ScoreKeeper™ helps health professionals anywhere accomplish guideline-based health promotion, disease prevention an chronic illness care with ease and expertise. This is a made in Maine product that clearly has national significance.”

For further information contact:
Chuck Gill
Vice-President for Public Affairs:
(207) 795-2711:

09/19/2003

Back To Top
 

CMHVI’s Program Model

Borrows from Franklin Health Model

Intervention is just one component of the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute’s comprehensive cardiovascular care program. Prevention, screening and risk factor control are also central elements of the program.

CMHVI’s prevention and education program incorporates a nationally-recognized model developed just 35 miles north in Farmington, where Burgess Record, M.D., and his wife, Sandy, a registered nurse, created the Western Maine Center for Heart Health. Over a span of nearly three decades, their program has vastly improved cardiac health in the greater Franklin County area. (Click here for more information about ScoreKeeper™, a component of the Western Maine Center for Heart Health program.)

Widely-adopted as a program template, the Franklin Health Model centers on several key concepts, including the use of technology to assure evidence-based care. Evidenced-based care is a central component of the CMHVI’s comprehensive cardiac care program.

Evidence-based clinical practice is oriented around systems of care that have been proven effective. It is a system based on sound research rather than empirical conclusions gathered more by observation than testing. Much of CMHVI’s work is directed by interdisciplinary guidelines based on medical science and tested principles of care.

To accomplish its broad vision for cardiovascular health in central and western Maine, CMHVI adopted the Franklin Health Model and retained the services of Dr. and Mrs. Record.

CMHVI’s enactment of the Franklin Model has included the introduction of numerous prevention and education programs, including:

Raising Heart Healthy Kids – programs to help children learn about the heart and how to keep it healthy for a lifetime. Topics include: nutrition, physical activity, living tobacco-free, and knowing how the heart works.

Women’s Heart Advantage – an educational program about prevention and the detection of the risk factors and warning signs of heart disease designed especially for women

Participation in Healthy Community Coalitions

Membership in the Maine Cardiovascular Health Council

CMHVI has introduced the Raising Health Heart Kids and Women’s Heart Advantage programs to the greater Lewiston-Auburn region and in the Rumford, Bridgton and Brunswick areas.

The ScoreKeeper™ program, which offers the services of specially trained nurses – supported by Franklin ScoreKeeper™ software – who provide individualized health risk screening, counseling, referral and follow-up, assures a “continuum of care” across many sites.

09/19/2003

Back To Top
 

ScoreKeeper™

Evolved with Franklin Health Model

In 1974 two healthcare providers affiliated with Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington established the Western Maine Center for Heart Health. The prevention, screening and risk factor control program developed by the center would eventually be recognized as one of the world’s longest lasting and most successful community cardiovascular health initiatives.

With nearly 30 years of proven results, the “Franklin Health Model” – created by Burgess Record, M.D., and his wife, Sandy, a registered nurse – has been associated with improvements in health behaviors (such as smoking cessation), risk factor control (such as high blood pressure), perceived quality of life, health resource utilization (such as preventable hospitalizations), reduced healthcare costs, improved life expectancy and lower death rates.

Adopted as a program template by numerous healthcare and health promotion organizations, including private corporations, the Franklin Health Model employs a strong team approach and centers on several key concepts

The integration of healthcare, public health and community resources

Continuous attention to modifiable risk factors among at-risk people

An intensive education program

The use of technology to assure evidence-based care

One aspect of the Franklin Model’s outreach and prevention program is the screening program it offers to identify people with risk factors for developing cardiac disease or those who have emergent cardiac disease and might benefit from intervention.

The Franklin Model’s ScoreKeeper™ risk assessment service offers the services of specially trained nurses, supported by Franklin ScoreKeeper software, who offer individualized health risk screening, counseling, referral and follow-up. The ScoreKeeper™ service is now being offered regularly by CMHVI.

The Franklin ScoreKeeper™ software helps individuals, doctors, nurses and other health counselors identify, understand, improve and monitor the many interrelated behaviors, risk factors, illnesses and other factors that contribute to a person’s health status. Using laptop computers, nurses take ScoreKeeper™ to doctors’ offices, worksites, schools and community clinics.

A ScoreKeeper™ encounter can take as little as five minutes or as much as an hour, depending on the location, time available and purpose of the visit. At the conclusion of a ScoreKeeper interview, the individual client receives an easy-to-comprehend personalized report about their health status and their own potential for change. If a person has had several interviews, ScoreKeeper™ will print a flow sheet showing up to the last eight encounters, making it easy to track changes in blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and levels of physical activity. ScoreKeeper™ can also produce a medical report for the individual’s primary care provider.

To date, nearly 600 people have completed the CMHVI ScoreKeeper™ screening process at various locations, including:

Monmouth Health Center

Bridgton Internal Medicine

Swift River Health Care, Rumford

Elsemore Dixfield Center, Dixfield

Central Maine Cardiology Associates, Lewiston

Banknorth

Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, Auburn

Johns Manville, Lewiston

American Heart Association screening

Bureau of Health screening

Central Maine Medical Center-Central Maine Healthcare

Nearly 40 percent of those who participated in the screening have been referred to their healthcare provider for follow-up care.

09/19/2003

Back To Top
 

CMMC Medical Imaging Schools

Graduate Eight Students

From left, first row, Morgan Smith of York; Sarah Wing of Richmond; and Diana York of Belgrade; second row, Heather Taylor of Fayette; Remicca Levesque of Auburn; and Michelle Petela of Gardiner

CMMC medical imaging schools graduate eight students Central Maine Medical Center’s medical imaging schools graduated eight students recently at joint commencement exercises.

The Clark F. Miller School of Radiologic Technology and the School of Nuclear Medicine Technology graduated six radiologic technology students and two nuclear medicine technologists at a ceremony held at the United Baptist Church in Lewiston.

At its 59th commencement exercises, the School of Radiologic Technology graduated students who have completed the school’s accredited 24-month course that emphasizes classroom and clinical training.

Graduating from the School of Radiologic Technology were the following: Morgan Smith of York; Sarah Wing of Richmond; Diana York of Belgrade; Heather Taylor of Fayette; Remicca Levesque of Auburn; and Michelle Petela of Gardiner.

The Central Maine Medical Center School of Nuclear Medicine Technology graduated Tara Anderson of East Millinocket and Robin Richard of Livermore Falls.

The radiologic technology graduates are eligible to take the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) examination in radiography. Students passing the exam will become nationally certified radiologic technologists. The six students also completed Central Maine Community College’s requirements for associate of applied science degrees, which they were awarded in May.

The nuclear medicine graduates are eligible to take the ARRT certification examination or the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board examination in nuclear medicine technology. Given special recognition at the ceremony was Diana York, who was presented with the Clark F. Miller Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement. The award goes to the student having the highest overall grade-point average.

Diana was also presented The Student Leadership Award, which is given to the student who demonstrates exceptional leadership abilities in the classroom, in clinical settings and with underclassmen. The winner of this award is determined by a vote of fellow students and the school’s faculty. The award is sponsored by Nycomed Pharmaceuticals in Newburyport, Mass.

Sarah Wing was awarded The Central Maine Medical Center Award of Excellence, which is presented to the student who has contributed the most to the Radiology and Medical Imaging Department during his or her education at CMMC. Each member of the CMMC Radiology and Medical Imaging Department is eligible to vote for the person they feel should receive the CMMC Award of Excellence. The student selected to receive the award is the individual who others feel has displayed the greatest dedication to the department and to the profession of radiologic technology.

Sarah also took the Clark F. Miller Award for Clinical Excellence that is given to the student with the highest clinical scores.The Miller awards are named for the founder of the state’s first radiologic technology school, which was established at CMMC in 1949. Promoted to seniors during the ceremony were: Mary Cadman of Harrison, Douglas Clark of Auburn, Henry Fossett of Augusta, Eric Gagne of Oakland, Lori Guiggey of Auburn, Heather Lagasse of Caribou, Laurie Pelletier of Gray and Jonathan Turner of Jay. All of the graduates have been offered full-time employment in their field.

The CMMC School of Radiologic Technology, founded as Maine’s first radiologic technology program, has graduated 312 students since its establishment in 1949.

Since its creation six years ago, the School of Nuclear Medicine Technology has graduated nine students. It is currently the only program of its kind in Maine.

The CMMC medical imaging schools serve an important role in providing trained imaging professionals to fill a growing number of diagnostic and therapeutic positions throughout the nation. Maine, like most other states, is experiencing a shortage of medical imaging professionals.

09/11/2003

Back To Top
 

Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology

Welcomes Ingrid A. Maniaci, M.D.

Ingrid A. Maniaci, M.D.

Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology welcomes new doctor Ingrid A. Maniaci, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist, has been appointed to the Central Maine Medical Center Medical Staff. She is practicing in association with Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology at 12 High Street, Suite 200, in Lewiston.

She recently completed residency training through the Baystate Medical Center-Tufts University Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program in Springfield, Mass., where she was appointed a clinical associate. She also served as a resident physician at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Mich., and Detroit Medical Center-Hutzel Hospital in Detroit.

A graduate of the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks, N.D., she earned her medical degree at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in East Lansing, Mich.

She is the recipient of several academic awards. She is also affiliated with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association.

Prior to beginning her medical studies, Dr. Maniaci worked for 10 years in the healthcare field.

She lives in Auburn with her husband, Antonio. She has two grown daughters.

“Having raised two daughters, caring for women comes naturally to me,” Maniaci says. “Whether a woman is feeling vulnerable or feeling strong, she can face very sensitive issues. She should be comfortable with her healthcare.”

She says she decided to practice in the Lewiston-Auburn area and at Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology, in particular, because of the “incredible collaborative working atmosphere between providers and the welcoming atmosphere of the community.”

Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology is a group practice of physicians, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners that is dedicated to the healthcare needs of women. The other direct care providers comprising the practice are: obstetrician-gynecologists Thomas E. Page, D.O., Moira A. Shanahan, M.D., and Jennifer Weiner-Smith, M.D.,; gynecologist Susan W. Gaylord, M.D.; gynecologist-infertility specialist Michael T. Drouin, M.D.; certified nurse-midwives Irene M. Meyers and Lori Bellwood; and nurse practitioners Elizabeth A. Smith and Barbara Gervais.

09/11/2003

Back To Top
 

Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center offers IMRT

A new radiation therapy treatment for cancer

Central Maine Medical Center’s Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center is the first radiation therapy center in Maine to use intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), a precise and advanced approach to 3-D radiation therapy.

Doctors have long used radiation to destroy cancers in their patients. But a barrier to even wider use of radiation as a cancer-fighting tool has been the limitations on the ability to target tumor cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue.

CMMC’s Rydholm Center recently became the first cancer treatment center in Maine to treat patients with IMRT. Radiation oncologists at the Lewiston hospital are using IMRT technology to deliver uniform doses of radiation to tumors while sparing surrounding, normal tissues. IMRT uses a computer-controlled device called a multi-leaf collimator to change the beam intensity across the surface of the tumor. This method of treatment delivers an appropriate dose of radiation to the cancer, but spares normal tissue. In many cases, radiation delivered very precisely by IMRT can be used to destroy a tumor instead of only reducing it.

“IMRT allows us to protect healthy tissue while delivering higher radiation doses to the tumors,” says Grenville Jones, M.D., radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center. “Patients will experience fewer side effects and the research data indicates improved cure rates. This technology allows us to treat tumors to a higher dose which results in greater cure rates.”

IMRT is currently being used at CMMC to treat patients with prostate cancer and will be expanded to brain, head and neck, breast, lung, pancreatic, and other cancers in the future.

Central Maine Medical Center has been designated as a comprehensive community hospital cancer program by the American College of Surgeons. Some 800 new cancer patients diagnosed or treated at the hospital each year. The Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center treats 500 patients each year and offers a comprehensive scope of services including traditional radiation therapy, radioactive seed implants, and now IMRT.

For further information call the Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center at (207) 795-2440

08/26/2003

Back To Top
 

Central Supply

Changes name to Sterile Processing and Distribution

Central Maine Medical Center’s Central Service has gone national. Well . . . actually, it’s adopted the name used by most hospitals nationwide: Sterile Processing and Distribution (SPD).  

“The new name better describes the role of the department,” says David Andrews, R.N., the department’s clinical coordinator. “The change stems from a recent employee survey that revealed that SPD employees didn’t feel other hospital employees knew what is done in the department. This perception was proven true recently when we received a telephone for repair and were asked if we fixed vacuum cleaners.” SPD’s primary role is the cleaning and sterilization of surgical equipment and supplies. This process involves several techniques, including exposure to ultrasonic sound waves to remove minute debris, washing in super-heated water, and exposing the instruments to high-temperature, pressurized steam (autoclaving).

The department is equipped with an array of special equipment that is used to clean surgical apparatus ranging from forceps to surgical instruments like retractors and clamps to delicate instruments such as iris scissors for eye surgery and the equipment necessary to repair a leaking heart valve.

In the past few years, SPD has become increasing high-tech with the introduction of more effective and safer equipment. “For example, gas sterilization has been replaced by a process called Sterrad that uses small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. It is safer for both employees and the environment; releasing only oxygen and water vapor into the air as the end products. Also, we just installed a system that fills and empties the washer-decontaminators automatically and even brings the racks from one room to another,” says David.

Though the Surgical Services Department is the SPD’s “biggest customer,” the department also sterilizes instruments kits for Minor Surgery-Endoscopy, Special Delivery, the Emergency and Radiology-Medical Imaging departments, the nursing units and D.F.D. Russell Medical Center in Leeds and Turner.

The SPD staff includes Vicky Roy, a certified sterile processing and distribution supervisor who serves as the department’s lead technician. Other staff members are: Fran Moulton, Mary Lutz, Mila Raymond, Sharon A. Grant, Monique Levasseur, Diane Smith, Jay Beck, Tom Bolduc, Kevin Lapoint and Jim Strout. Nine SPD employees are certified sterile processing and distribution technicians and sport the acronym CSPDT on their nametags. One employee is eligible to take the certification exam in October. The newest staff members aren’t eligible to take the test until 2004.

08/08/2003

Back To Top
 

New Jersey Man

Is first LifeFlight patient to undergo cardiac surgery at CMHVI

New Jersey man is first LifeFlight patient to undergo cardiac surgery Lewiston crew plucks man from mountainside in western Maine.

Jack Kubovcik got a rare – thankfully – look at Central Maine Medical Center’s capabilities as a budding tertiary care center in July when he became the first emergency cardiac patient to undergo open-heart surgery at CMMC after transport by LifeFlight.

The 63-year-old Rockaway, N.J., resident was hiking a segment of the Appalachian Trail with his son, Eric, 33, when he collapsed. But even though the two men were several miles from the nearest road, a fortuitous combination of events would save Jack’s life.

First visit in 35 years

Jack and his wife, Angela, last visited Maine some 35 years ago. When they returned this summer, the plan was that Jack would meet their son and the pair would hike the Appalachian Trail from Grafton Notch to Mount Katahdin; Angela would drive back to New Jersey with their daughter, Amy.

Outwardly, Jack didn’t appear to be the “typical” cardiac patient, though experts agree appearance can be deceiving when cardiac health is concerned. Lean and seemingly good-natured, Jack was by all accounts in good health. A former bicyclist who covered some 6,000 miles annually, his interest in outdoors activities shifted to hiking about six years ago. The 260-mile hike that he and his son planned through Maine didn’t seem particularly daunting to him. The two expected that it would take them 29 days to reach the peak of Katahdin.

A hot, humid day takes its toll

The Kubovcik’s brief Maine hike began on July 4, one of the hottest and most humid days of the summer. Under a hazy sky, temperatures were cresting in the mid- and even high-90s at various locations statewide. The air was thick and oppressive as Jack and Eric made the summit of West Bald Pate and descended the “saddle” approaching East Bald Pate. As the terrain grew steeper, Jack began feeling poorly. At first, Jack says he attributed the nausea he felt to the heat and possible dehydration. He had something to eat and drink, but it didn’t alleviate the symptoms. Eric had ranged ahead of him on the trail and Jack called out for him to come back. Eric reached his father just in time to catch him as he passed out.

Eric had only recently completed a Basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in his adopted state of Washington and had made just a half-dozen calls. But he knew from his training that it was important to make sure his dad’s airways were clear. Jack’s breathing was shallow and his pulse weak. Eric says his first conclusion was that his father had heatstroke, but symptoms didn’t quite match up with the diagnosis. “His skin was cool and clammy,” he recalls, “that’s not a sign of heat exhaustion, so then I figured it could be shock.”

As luck would have it

As Eric was tending his father, another hiker came along. When Eric suggested the possibility that his dad was having a heart attack, the woman screamed. But she quickly regained her composure and offered to call 911 on her cell phone. “I told her to tell 911 to be prepared for flight out,” he said.

Soon another hiker came along. His name was Jeremy Wirth of Falmouth, and as providence would have it, he was also an EMT. With a bit more experience under his belt and the ability to assess things a litt