Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 M A R C H 5 , 2 0 1 8 H E A LT H C A R E F O C U S 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 IT'S TOO GOOD TO PUT DOWN THIS IS FUN, I THINK Recent hospital investment in Maine T he status of hospital infrastructure throughout Maine is mixed, says Maine Hospital Association President Steven Michaud. Many have varying levels of investment in play. "But there are a lot of aging facilities out there that will need reinvestment," he says. "And that's what hospitals tend to do. You don't often see brand-new hospitals. It's just constantly trying to keep up. Many facilities in need of invest- ment do that in increments." Projects include: Current: York Hospital is planning a 20,000-square-foot, 20-bed acute rehabilitation addition. 2013: Augusta's new MaineGeneral Medical Center opened a 640,000-square-foot, four-story hospital costing $312 million. 2013: Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor broke ground for its modernization project, for a new 361,000-square-foot patient tower, state-of-the-art operating rooms and more. 2006: Calais Regional Hospital opened a new 25-bed facility. S O U R C E S : Bangor Daily News, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Calais Regional Hospital H ealth care is expected to be one of the Maine economy's growth areas in the coming decade. Maine's aging population is only part of the reason why. Hospitals around the state are expanding, adding private rooms and developing specialities. In 2013, MaineGeneral opened a $312 million hospital in Augusta. As detailed in this issue, Maine Medical Center plans to invest $512 million to expand its Portland hospital. S TA R T I N G O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » H Maine's hospitals in a nutshell Facts about Maine's hospitals: There are currently 36 hospitals serving communities throughout Maine, includ- ing 33 nonprofit general acute care hospitals, two private psychiatric hospitals and one acute rehabilitation hospital. These hospitals provide 22,000 full-time equivalent jobs. All are members of the Maine Hospital Association. One hospital, Mayo Regional in Dover-Foxcroft, is organized through a regional hospital administrative district. Another hospital, Cary Medical Center, is owned by the municipality. In addition, there are two government-run hospitals in Maine, the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor and Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta, and one federal facility, the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Togus. About 650 citizens serve as hospital trustees. Maine hospitals have focused on maintaining access to services and retaining physicians by employing more than 40% of the physicians in Maine. Since the Critical Access Hospital Program was established in 1998, 16 of Maine's hospitals have been approved as critical access hospitals: Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, Bridgton Hospital, Calais Regional Hospital, C. A. Dean Memorial Hospital, Down East Community Hospital, Houlton Regional Hospital, LincolnHealth, Mayo Regional Hospital, Millinocket Regional Hospital, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Penobscot Valley Hospital, Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Rumford Hospital, Sebasticook Valley Health, Stephens Memorial Hospital and Waldo County General Hospital. In 2014, Maine hospitals provided more than $570 million of uncompensated care to those who could not pay. S O U R C E : Maine Hospital Association

• Cover