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V O L . X X X N O. X V J U LY 8 , 2 0 2 4 18 H E A LT H C A R E / W E L L N E S S M ount Desert Island Hospital, in the coastal Hancock County town of Bar Harbor, serves a year-round pop- ulation of some 5,500 plus a seasonal spike of summer residents and Acadia National Park visitors. e need can be daunting for a hos- pital whose last major renovation to its emergency department took place more than 20 years ago and whose surgical suites haven't changed in 30 years. An expansion project is underway to address those needs. "Since our ED was last renovated more than 20 years ago, there have been major advances in treatments, methods and care," says Christina Maguire, the hospital's president and CEO. "e global pandemic brought to light the urgent need for a new facility as it changed how care is delivered, requiring better airflow and handling, and separate zones for optimal infection control." MDI Hospital is one of several expansion projects planned, under- way or recently completed at hospi- tals and health care centers around Maine. at ranges from the recent completion of Maine Medical Center's 300,000-square-foot Malone Family Tower in Maine's largest city, to moving a midcoast island's clinic into its own building, to converting a former dental clinic into a comprehensive health cen- ter in the forested north. 70,000 patient visits MDI Hospital has its own niche. Patients come in from surroundings that are often isolated and remote; travel can be arduous, especially in winter. During the summer and fall, the area experiences a marked increase in population from summer residents and temporary workforce. As a national park gateway community, Bar Harbor also sees a major influx of tourist visitors. "In 2023, the state of Maine counted 15.3 million tourist visits across all modes of transportation, and Mount Desert Island welcomed 25% of those vacation- ers," notes Maguire. As a critical access hospital and safety- net health care provider, first responders rely on MDIH's 24-hour accessibility — especially in the busy months from June through October, when emergency department visits triple. P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D Healthy health care Hospitals and health care centers around Maine have a slew of upgrades in the pipeline B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r Christina Maguire, president and CEO of Mount Desert Island Hospital, says the pandemic brought to light an urgent need for a new emergency department and surgical suites. F O C U S Malone Family Tower I n June, Maine Medical Center completed its $378 million, 300,000-square-foot Malone Family Tower, in Portland, to primarily serve cardiac and cardiovascu- lar patients, as the final piece of the medical center's multiyear expansion and modernization project. The building includes 96 private patient rooms, 10 operating rooms, nine procedure rooms, 40 pre- and post- procedure beds, a 20,000-square-foot sterile processing department, space for patients and visitors and multi-disciplinary collaboration and learning spaces. MMC performs the most cardiac and cardiovascular procedures in Maine. With more procedures requiring large, interdisciplinary teams, advanced imaging and other technologies, the new operating and procedure spaces can accommodate the latest cardiac therapeutics and treatments.

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