Maine Coast Memorial Hospital’s doctors and other healthcare providers, working to further advance the quality of patient care, are receiving support from Maine Coast Healthcare Foundation. The Foundation was established in 2003 as a supporting organization of the Hospital, launching a planned giving program to build an endowment.

At their May, 2008, meeting the Foundation’s Trustees approved 13 grants totaling $70,000.

The following items are among those to be purchased over the next few months:
rocking chairs for new mothers in the maternity wing; audio-visual cabinet for the classroom; blanket warmer in support of patients with post-operative chills; education library for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists; 2 cribs for newborns; CO2 monitoring device for sleep studies; Skeeter Drill for intricate ear surgeries; 2 postpartum beds; and 5 Air Glide Patient Transfer Systems. The Hospital’s 2 regional clinics were also awarded grant funds: the Eleanor Widener Dixon Memorial Clinic will receive a blood pressure & oxygen monitor and an electronic bariatric table; the Southwest Harbor Medical Center will receive funds to assist with the cost of an EKG machine and autoclave system.

“The Trustees were thrilled with the grant proposals and the fact that many of the requests will now be realized in accordance with the Foundation’s endowment spending policy.” said Foundation Director, Jack Frost. These funds are being made available for the first time since the Foundation was established five years ago. Maine Coast Memorial Hospital has responded to the medical needs of the region for decades through its campus in Ellsworth, its clinics and its rehabilitation sites. The Hospital is constantly improving facilities and patient services to meet the growing needs within the region. Frost explained, “These grant awards are a significant boost to advancing the level of excellence in healthcare that the Hospital seeks to sustain for patients”.