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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E Eventually, as the hospital created three more COVID-19 units, 55 windows were removed, including on the fourth and fifth floors, requiring an 80-foot lift. Mary Anne Ponti, chief of nurs- ing operations and incident command operations manager, had to put into operation what Hancock designed. She says listening to him discuss what they were going to do and how they were going to do it was "amazing." A nurse for 40 years, she'd never seen anything like it. "It proved to me that this team can do anything we need to do," she says. Bridgton and Rumford plans In Bridgton, Peter Wright, president of Bridgton and Rumford hospitals, was also following the virus. He's chairman of the American Hospital Association policy board, which in the first week in March had a serious conversation about potential impact. He was ready when planning started at CMH. Preparation at the hospitals, which each have 25 beds, was on a smaller scale and came with unique challenges. "I had to plan for my hospitals, how we were going to serve our commu- nity," Wright says. "at's our primary responsibility." While there's "tremendous depth in the ranks" at CMH, the smaller hospi- tals don't have the full-time specialists, or resources, that CMMC has. He told the staff, "Let's remind our- selves what it is that we can handle and how much of it we can handle at once. It was a good exercise for us." Once planning began, "We just went to work and did what we always do, just shifted our focus from one aspect of community health to another." Planning, then waiting Across departments, people fell into their roles. "People were able to take their skills, what they do with their normal day jobs, and apply it toward what we needed to do to get things done," says Kenny-Lynch, the director of infection detection. "To change protocols and processes, basically to shut the hospital down and gear it up to one particular disease, was incredible." C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Since 1989 Local Decisions Be Budget! 800.924.4229 www.bdtme.com Problems Solved. Budget Document Technology is an industry leader in providing digital solutions for document creation, production, and distribution. • Multi-functional Color & B&W Copiers • Printers & Scanners • Postage & Mailing Equipment • Software & Network Solutions • Managed Print Services Helping Maine get business done! CONFLUENT MAINE Windham, Maine BUILDING ON OUR PROMISE Confluent Maine ( Formerly Tube Hollows International ) A former lumber-storage building was transformed into a world-class precision manufacturing facility. W W W. S H E R I DA N C O R P. C O M At Sheridan, this is how we build on our promise. It went from 'Hey, look what's going on here' to "Oh boy, here it comes. — Joanne Kenny-Lynch director of infection prevention, Central Maine Healthcare

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