BAR HARBOR, Maine — Big changes are coming to Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor.
Hospital President and CEO Chrissi Maguire said updates and renovations would be made to several areas including their laboratory, physical therapy, orthopedics, and urology spaces.
"It's 129 years young next year, and we really needed to do some renovations," she explained.
Doubling patient capacity at the hospital's emergency room is a key component of the expansion, Maguire said, and should help solve one of the staff's biggest challenges during tourist season on the island.
Maguire said during certain times of the year they would have lines of people waiting to be seen.
Along with plans for a more visible and accessible main entrance, the upcoming acquisition of Acadia Family Center in Southwest Harbor is something hospital staff and Town Manager Karen Redderson are excited about.
"There’s some new educational opportunities that come with that, and we know there’s some preventative maintenance and health awareness classes that will be provided as well," Redderson said.
The hospital is also focusing on workforce development through the recently added Kogod Center for Medical Education, which is a space designed to help train future health care workers, like third-year osteopathic medical student Sam Anderson.
"I've learned great medicine here, gotten to work a lot on my suturing technique and patient history taking skills," Anderson said.
The education center allows trainees like Anderson the chance to learn about standard medical procedures but also how to care for the unique needs of MDI's rural communities.
"The injuries here are a little [different] from back home in Iowa," Anderson explained. "I hadn't learned so much about tick-borne diseases, so that's been really interesting."
And with the upcoming additions to the hospital, she thinks her and the staff will be able to help even more patients.
"To have more rooms, to have more space that can be accommodating for the different types of patients that come in, it'll be a huge utilization," Anderson added.
