Looking to Expand & Face Main Street
MDI Hospital Talks Conceptual Design of Its Major Expansion Project, Other Hospital News
BAR HARBOR—Mount Desert Island Hospital hopes to expand and modernize its main Bar Harbor campus, including its emergency department. It hopes to begin work in 2025 on a 42,600-square-foot expansion.
The critical access hospital gives Mount Desert Island first responders 24-hour hospital access. Though it serves a town of approximately 5,500 and an island of approximately 10,500 in the summer months through October its volumes at the emergency department triple. CEO Christina Maquire has said that Mount Desert Island has welcomed more than a quarter of the state’s 15.3 million visits.
Those people want to know where the hospital is when they need it. They also want to receive care from a modernized facility.
“This project is a long overdue project to bring this hospital into the 21st Century,” Derek Veilleux, principal and director of Healthcare Practice SMRT Architects and Engineers told the Bar Harbor Design Review Board Thursday afternoon. The presentation was a pre-application of the schematic design.
He said he grew up in Maine and it took him a very long time to realize that there was a hospital located in Bar Harbor off Wayman Lane.
The plans would triple the emergency department’s current footprint to 10,524 square feet.
That expansion would allow for 16 care spaces, numerous triage areas, better airflow (to reduce potential for infectious airborne disease spread), and more patient rooms.
All of that will have the modern infrastructure and equipment needed to support it as well as a new emergency room patient entrance and covered bay for ambulances.
The big project requires demolition and construction on the site to create a new Main Street entrance, a visual orientation toward Main Street, that expanded emergency room, and other changes. The hospital hopes to replace aging or obsolete mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems and bring it up to code. It also brings a great deal of light into the hospital.
“I appreciate the courage the hospital has for doing this,” Design Review Board Vice Chair Erin Cough said.
“One of the most beneficial aspects of this project is its intent to engage Main Street with green space,” Phil Chaney, associate principal and design leader of Healthcare Practice SMRT Architects and Engineers said.
Surgical services will expand. The plan creates a new main entrance that is separate from the emergency department and ambulance entrance.
”Currently patients and visitors to the hospital and emergency department, as well as ambulances and emergency vehicles, enter through the main entrance at the rear of the hospital,” Veilleux, wrote in a July 5 letter to the town. “This requires traveling down residential, neighborhood roads. This project will separate these entrances and make site improvements to vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well as relocate and improve the parking layout.”
This new entrance that will be created will come directly from Maine Street and be visible from that road and accessible from there. The hospital owns those properties along Stanwood Place already and they will be demolished.
On the design before the Design Review Board, Stanwood Place no longer exists.
“What we will be proposing is that the town potentially abandon Stanwood and let us take over that. It is a dead end into the parking lot,” Maguire said.
”The new main entry will have a covered drop off and vestibule, as well as seating for patients and visitors. The interior of the 3,650 sf main entry addition will house reception, registration, blood draw, and lounge/waiting space,” Veilleux wrote. “The area of the existing hospital (5,800 sf), in the vicinity of the new main entry addition, will be renovated for a new pharmacy, conference/public meeting space, and a new lab adjacent to blood draw.”
The emergency department addition of 1,200 square feet will be along Wayman Lane and be where the second floor entrance currently sits. The ambulance entrance (a 2,750 square-foot footprint) will be at the rear, will be covered, and will have room for two vehicles as well as a decontamination room.
The emergency entrance is still under design development.
“The current emergency department is undersized for the total number of annual visits. This is especially true in the summer months when the visitor population on MDI increases significantly and the emergency department lacks adequate patient care spaces to meet the demand. This project includes a 5,950 sf renovation of the existing emergency department and a 3,500 sf addition to expand the emergency department which will increase the number of dedicated patient care spaces from approximately seven to 16,” Veilleux wrote.
Approximately 1,500 square feet will be added to the hospital’s Copper Gilmore Health Center at 17 Hancock Street. This will relocate services from the main hospital.
The overall height of the existing hospital will remain the same.
Since September 2023, the hospital has been upgrading its mechanical infrastructure in its Core Generation Renovation Project.
“Our pressure is to take the pressure off Wayman Lane residents,” Maguire said. Ambulances will still go that way, but other hospital visitors will not.
“You guys are busy,” Design Review Board Chair Barbara Sassaman said.
“We are,” Maguire agreed. Later, she added, “This team has spent countless hours trying to come up with a design that matches.”
THE KOGOD WINDOW
The Design Review Board tabled discussion about the movement of a window at the hospital’s Kogod Center on Stanwood Place.
The discussion was about moving a window that was facing west on the original permit and design, but is not there and is actually now on the north side.
According to Sassaman, the town’s code states that the façade facing the street is meant to be treated as the front façade and windows need to comprise no less than 20% of the street-facing façade. Currently, there are no windows on that second floor.
“There’s no other building that has a second-floor blank wall that faces Main Street and that’s part of the code,” Cough said.
To comply with the town’s rules, it can be simulated windows, board member, Mike Rogers said, asking if that’s possible for the hospital.
He and Sassaman said they’ve received a lot of feedback from people in the community about that second-floor blank façade and how the building is not oriented toward Main Street.
“There was some pushback from people who said, ‘What happened? That’s just a big, blank wall up there,’ ” Sassaman said.
The major donor requested that the window be moved, architect Mike Sealander said, and the hospital complied to that request though the window space had already been framed out. However, that was not what the board had originally approved.
“It’s just a giant blank wall and giant blank walls are something that the code doesn’t like,” Sassaman said.
“For us it’s either putting in a simulated window or knocking a hole in the wall and installing it,” Maguire said. She also said that she’s only received positive feedback about the building.
Maquire and Sealander said that part of the concern was that the second floor wall there was both a dorm room and attached bathroom and they worried about the privacy of its occupant.
You will find multiple windows on the second and third floor of Main Street and Cottage Street, Rogers said.
Six months was considered a reasonable timeframe for the hospital to decide what to do about the wall.
31st Annual David R. Harding Memorial Golf Tournament Presented by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust to be held September 26, 2024
Mount Desert Island (MDI) Hospital as well as Bar Harbor Bank & Trust proudly announce the 31st Annual David R. Harding Memorial Golf Tournament to be held on Thursday, September 26th at Kebo Valley Golf Club.
The David R. Harding Memorial Golf Tournament has been a signature event for Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, bringing together businesses and golfers from MDI and beyond to support many local organizations throughout the years. David Harding, for whom the tournament is named, was Chairman of the Board of Bar Harbor Bankshares for many years. Dave was a strong community supporter who was instrumental in launching the MDI YMCA. He loved golfing, and he loved Kebo.
In 2021, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust selected Mount Desert Island Hospital as the beneficiary for the tournament. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and Mount Desert Island Hospital raised $15,000 to support the funding of a new MRI machine for the hospital. In 2022, recognizing its vital services to our community, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust selected Mount Desert Island Hospital to manage the tournament and be the primary beneficiary going forward, that year raising over $31,000. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust continues to support as the presenting sponsor, and its employees volunteer their time to help organize and staff the event.
“We are thrilled to once again partner with Bar Harbor Bank & Trust for the 31st Annual David R. Harding Memorial Golf Tournament,” said Chrissi Maguire, President/CEO of MDI Hospital and Health Centers. “This event is a wonderful tribute to a remarkable person and showcases the incredible support and partnership the bank has shown the hospital over the years. The golf tournament highlights the vibrant spirit of our community and local businesses coming together for a day of friendly competition and collective dedication to advancing our mission of providing high quality care to our communities.”
Curtis Simard, President and CEO at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust says of the tournament partnership, “Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has been a steadfast supporter of MDI Hospital for over 125 years, and we have increased our support in recent years, knowing that charitable contributions are making a difference for the lives of those in the region. The Hospital leadership and team have never been more committed to providing comprehensive care to all in our community. We recognize the significant challenges associated with operating a critical access hospital and appreciate the steadfast dedication of MDI Hospital’s team to invest in the staff and technological advancements that lead to the highest-level patient outcomes.”
Individuals looking to partake in this event can secure their spot for $100 per golfer, signing up in teams of four. Individuals or pairs that register will be grouped in a foursome after registration.
For more information, and to register, please visit https://www.mdihospital.org/giving/golf/. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor at this event, please contact Claire.sasner@mdihospital.org
TACOS IN JULY
At the Side Street Cafe this month, every day is Taco Tuesday with $2 from every Bartender’s Choice beverage and every order of fish tacos donated to MDI Hospital.
Pink on the Links Benefitting the MDI Hospital Breast Health Center July 24th
Pink on the Links at Kebo Valley Golf Club
Nine Hole Golf Scramble
Wednesday July 24th
Benefitting the Breast Health Center at MDI Hospital
Registration & Silent Auction begins at 3 PM
Shot Gun Start begins at 5 PM
Dinner Served at 7 PM
For registration forms or hole sponsorship/silent auction donations, please text or call Cheryl Novins at 516-680-2713, Laura Morris at 201-264-6420 or Nancy FitzGerald at 973-479-2226.
Golf and dinner entry is $75 per person and you will be on 4 person teams. If you would like to attend dinner only, that will be $25.
Sponsorship/Donor Form
Registration Form
General Info Flyer
Dr. Sveva Brown Recognized for Excellence in Teaching by Tufts University School of Medicine
Dr. Sveva Brown, has been recognized for excellence in teaching as a part of the Tufts University School of Medicine LIC Clerkship during academic year 2023-2024. Third-year medical students identify many excellent teachers throughout the core clerkships on their anonymous end-of the clerkship evaluations.
Due to her exceptional teaching qualities, dedication, and positive attitude towards students, she was identified as particularly deserving of recognition and appreciation by the medical students at Tufts. Dr. Brown serves as an important role model for the next generation of physicians who are training in an increasingly complex environment.
2024 Employees of the Year
MDI Hospital and Birch Bay Retirement Village congratulate their 2024 Employees of the Year—Natalee Spencer and Lauren Shirley.
Natalee and Lauren were honored at the organizations’ employee picnics held last Friday, June 28.
Natalee’s nominator wrote, “The compassion she shows for her customers is appreciated and has also elicited many positive comments. There are patients who travel here to be drawn by her and have told me that they will not allow anyone else to draw them or go anywhere else to be drawn. Recently she has become an advocate for staff members of color and other nationalities employed at the hospital. Through her courage and willingness to speak honestly about the challenges she faces as an employee, a parent, and a person of color she is helping our leadership team understand the challenges faced by these employees. Through the sharing of her lived experiences a pathway for building a culture of inclusion and acceptance has been developed to unite the organization in an environment of inclusivity and belonging. She is a team member that understands and practices that concept, not only as it applies to her position in the Laboratory but also as an employee of the Hospital.”
Lauren is recognized “as the first customer contact- responding as a professional, friendly, and competent resource to anyone who calls or enters Birch Bay for the first time. Lauren is integrated in the customer service experience with vendors, resident, residents, families, potential residents, and visitors. If she cannot assist, she knows exactly who can. Lauren works well with all departments and department heads. Externally, Lauren is proud to share where she works with community members. She assists in coordinating several off-campus events such as the Golf for Alzheimer’s and the Trail of Treats event. Lauren is always thoughtfully organized making sure every event detail has been considered. She wants to see all departments happy and values the work that each department does to make Birch Bay such an amazing community.”
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