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V O L . X X I V N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 8 16 H E A LT H C A R E F O C U S average of 40 per day in the winter to 60 per day in the summer. For its Boothbay Harbor facility, LincolnHealth hires an extra nurse to accommodate the surge: the facility has relationships with two nurses who, like the larger summer community, spend summers in Maine and winters elsewhere. Being part of a larger group also helps. When the summer surge comes to Pen Bay Medical Center, "we might call down hospitalists or house supervisors from other parts of the organization to help with patient care," she says. And temporary staff is used as needed. For example, an additional phys- ical therapist is hired at LincolnHealth's Damariscotta campus each summer due in part to increased numbers of recre- ational injuries. In southern Maine, York Hospital sees moderate seasonal fluctuation. In the past year, York's ER saw 1,020 patients in January and 1,354 in July. e hospital's emergency and walk-in care facility in Wells saw 804 in March and 1,513 in July. CEO Jud Knox says the hospital brings in temporary hires at both its York and Wells facilities. Many of them are returnees who, like the LincolnHealth nurses, work win- ters in the south. Staffing agencies pro- vide per-diem hires over the summer, especially to cover for regular physi- cians taking summer vacation time. More injuries In the summer, hospitals say they see more recreation-related injuries and tick-borne illness, plus more primary- care ailments due to the return of the summer population. "We have a lot of folks along the midcoast who come to live here for three to six months," says Wade. "It makes their care more complicated because you've got their primary care physician in another part of the country and yet you're providing care here for part of the year." To address that situation, MaineHealth seeks to establish its own primary-care rela- tionship with summer residents, and to coordinate care with the patient's physician in their winter community. MDI Hospital has the same situation. "We're the primary care provid- ers for the 3 million people who come on the island to visit. So we see a lot of primary care ailments," says Donaldson. "And then, also, a lot of orthopedic injuries — more ankle sprains and broken wrists." » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Every smile tells a story. And each one can say something powerful. As the nation's leading dental benefits provider, Delta Dental makes it easy to protect your smile and keep it healthy with the largest network of dentists nationwide, quick answers and personalized service. Learn more at NortheastDeltaDental.com. I GUESS THEY LIKE ME YOU LOOK AWFULLY FAMILIAR I CAN'T REPEAT IT BUT IT'S GOOD MY EMPLOYEES ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF IT'S TOO GOOD TO PUT DOWN THIS IS FUN, I THINK EMERGENCY ROOM PATIENT VISITS PER MONTH S O U R C E S : MDI and York hospitals A S O N D J F M A M J J J F M A M J J A S O N D 2017 MDI Emergency visits per month York Hospital ER patient volume August 2017 – July 2018 1,400 1,400 1,200 1,200 1,000 1,000 800 800 600 600 400 400 200 200 0 0

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