Knox Center for Long Term Care achieves national quality goals

ROCKLAND — The Knox Center for Long Term Care in Rockland was recognized by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for achieving Tier 4 Recognition by reaching all four of the national quality goals set by AHCA/NCAL:

Safely reducing hospital readmissions within 30 days during a skilled nursing stay by 15 percent;

Increasing staff stability by reducing nursing staff turnover by 15 percent;

Achieving customer satisfaction, as evidenced by having 90 percent of residents and families willing to recommend their center to others, and;

Safely reducing the off-label use of antipsychotic medications by 15 percent. 

The Knox Center was one of only three facilities in Maine to achieve Tier 4 Recognition.

Carl Chadwick, administrator of the Knox Center for Long Term Care said in a news release: “Continuously improving the quality of care we provide is nothing new for Knox Center for Long Term Care.  However, once we saw these issues were a priority at the national level, we knew we had to redouble our efforts and ensure the proper processes were in place.

This was truly a team effort, with everyone focused on the goals and improving the lives of our residents.”

Announced in February 2012, the AHCA/ NCAL Quality Initiative aims to further improve the lives of individuals receiving care in long term and post-acute care centers by setting specific goals in four selected quality areas.

AHCA/ NCAL member centers that met these goals were identified using data from outside sources on readmissions and antipsychotic use, while national surveys were used to collect staff turnover and customer satisfaction data was submitted directly from members.

Knox Center for Long Term Care, as well as other achievers from across the country, will be honored at AHCA/NCAL’s upcoming Quality Symposium, taking place February 23-25 in Austin, Texas.

For more information about the AHCA/ NCAL Quality Initiative, visit qualityinitiative.ahcancal.org. 

The Knox Center for Long Term Care is an 84-bed long-term nursing home and skilled rehabilitation center, located at the site of the former Knox County General Hospital. Since 1975, the Knox Center for Long Term Care has been caring for members of Midcoast families and providing them with a loving home, where they receive both the sophisticated technical care they require and the dignity and respect they deserve. Specialized care is provided for residents with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of memory loss.

The Knox Center for Long Term Care is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services. Penbayhealthcare.org/knoxcenter.

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 12,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.

Camden National Corporation appoints Deborah Jordan chief operating officer and creates new executive position of chief customer experience officer

CAMDEN — Gregory A. Dufour, president and chief executive officer of Camden National Corporation, and Camden National Bank ("Camden National") announce the promotion of Deborah Jordan to executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Camden National and the creation of a new executive position of Chief Customer Experience Officer; both will report directly to Dufour.

In her new role, Jordan's responsibilities will expand to include Operations and Technology, Human Resources and Development, Retail Loan Production and Credit Administration. Currently, she oversees Finance, Marketing, the Office of Project Management, and Strategic Planning.

The newly created position of Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer will be responsible for developing company-wide programs that will leverage Camden National's already established customer service expertise to fuel future growth in the rapidly changing financial services environment. The nationwide search for this position will begin on January 1, 2015.

"Our new executive structure allows us to leverage the skills and talents of our existing team that is responsible for our current successes, while at the same time positions us for future growth," said Dufour. "As a successful and proven leader in our organization, Debbie will align our support, technology and finance functions which will enable me to work more closely with our commercial, retail and investment management teams as well as the newly established Chief Customer Experience Officer."

Jordan joined the Company in 2008 as senior vice president, chief financial officer and principal financial and accounting officer and was promoted to executive vice president in 2011. Previously, she was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Merrill Merchants Bancshares, Inc. in Bangor. Jordan is a certified public accountant who worked at Arthur Andersen and Co. She is a graduate of Eastern Maine Community College and Husson University. Jordan and her family reside in Camden.

Camden National Corporation's Board announces 11 percent increase in quarterly dividend

CAMDEN — Gregory A. Dufour, president and chief executive officer of Camden National Corporation (NASDAQ®: CAC; "Camden National" or the "Company") announce that the board of directors of the Company increased the quarterly dividend by $0.03 per share to $0.30 per share.

In making the announcement, Dufour said, "This dividend increase balances our desire to maximize shareholder return while maintaining appropriate capital levels for continued growth and changes to capital requirements in 2015 as a result of new regulations."

The $0.30 per share dividend is a 11 percent increase from the $0.27 per share dividend declared in the third quarter of 2014 and the same period a year ago. The dividend is payable on January 30, 2015 for shareholders of record on January 16, 2015.

Learn more about Camden National at www.CamdenNational.com. Member FDIC.

Georges River Land Trust earns national accreditation

ROCKLAND — Georges River Land Trust has achieved land trust accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.

“We are very excited and honored to be receive this national recognition,” said Jim Robbins, board president of Georges River Land Trust. “We are so grateful to our members and volunteers who helped us reach this well-earned milestone. This is a tremendous accomplishment for the Georges River Land Trust.”

Georges River Land Trust, based in Rockland, has been working to conserve the ecosystems and traditional heritage of the Georges River watershed region through permanent land protection, stewardship, education, and outdoor experiences for over a quarter of a century.

Accomplishments include more than 3,400 acres conserved and 50 miles of trails created in 14 towns along the St. George River.

Georges River Land Trust was awarded accreditation this December and is one of only 285 land trusts from across the country that has been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008. Each accredited land trust must submit extensive documentation and undergo a rigorous review.

This review process honors only land trusts with the most streamlined operations and effective land conservation. Accredited land trusts are authorized to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation.

“This round of accreditation decisions represents another significant milestone for the accreditation program; the 285 accredited land trusts account for three quarters of the 20,645,165 acres currently owned in fee or protected by a conservation easement held by a land trust,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that, at the time of accreditation, land trusts meet high standards for quality and that the results of their conservation work are permanent.”

According to the Land Trust Alliance, conserving land helps ensure clean air and drinking water; safe, healthy food; scenic landscapes and views; recreational places; and habitat for the diversity of life on earth. Across the country, local citizens and communities have come together to form more than 1,700 land trusts to save the places they love. Community leaders in land trusts throughout the country have worked with willing landowners to save more than 47 million acres of farms, forests, parks and places people care about.

Recent Georges River Land Trust projects include permanent conservation of over 200 acres of land in South Thomaston, more than six miles of new trails, and a partnership with Colby College and the Kohler Foundation to conserve the Cushing property and artwork of Maine artist Bernard Langlais.

“The accreditation process has significantly enhanced our ability to ensure conservation in perpetuity. We all feel very proud and trust it will provide a high level of confidence for our community,” said Gail Presley, Executive Director of the Georges River Land Trust. “Strong, community supported land trusts like Georges River serve our residents as effective caretakers of our critical natural resources, and safeguard the land for future generations.”

The Georges River Land Trust's mission is to conserve the ecosystems and traditional heritage of the Georges River watershed region through permanent land protection, stewardship, education, and outdoor experiences. For information on the Land Trust call 594-5166 or visitGeorgesRiver.org.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission, established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country.

See a complete list of all recently accredited land trusts online at www.landtrustaccreditation.org/newsroom/press-releases. More information on the accreditation program is available on the Commission’s website, www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

The Land Trust Alliance, of which Georges River Land Trust is a member, is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. It works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats. The Alliance publishes Land Trust Standards and Practices and provides financial and administrative support to the Commission. It has established an endowment to help ensure the success of the accreditation program and keep it affordable for land trusts of all sizes to participate in accreditation.

More information can be found at www.landtrustalliance.org.

New Hope for Women receives $500 HopeLine Grant from Verizon Wireless

ROCKLAND — New Hope for Women (NHFW) has received of a $500 HopeLine Grant from Verizon Wireless. HopeLine collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories at Communications Stores nationwide. Phones that can be refurbished are sold, and those that cannot are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

Proceeds from the HopeLine program provide wireless phones and cash grants to local shelters and nonprofit organizations that focus on preventing domestic violence, raising awareness, and supporting survivors and their families.

The funds received from the Verizon grant were used to purchase gift cards from local retailers for gasoline, groceries, much-needed winter clothing and other necessities for NHFW's clientele and their children.

New Hope for Women offers support to people in Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, and Waldo counties affected by domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. It also provides important educational resources to assist communities in creating a safer and healthier future.

Learn more about New Hope for Women at www.newhopeforwomen.org or call 800-522-3304.

Everyman Rep receives $4,000 in grant funding

ROCKPORT —– The Everyman Repertory Theatre received grant monies totaling $4,000, with $3,000 coming from the Theatre Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to help fund its 2015 season and the maximum grant of $1,000 from the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission to help fund its production of Arlene Hutton's As it is in Heaven.

"This is the sixth time we've received this grant from MCF and the third time from MHC and MAC," said Everyman Rep's Artistic Director Paul Hodgson, "We're incredibly lucky to have these agencies in the state and we feel very lucky to be receiving this level of support from them."

While the Maine Community Foundation grant is to help fund the whole season, the Maine Humanities Council's and the Maine Arts Commission's Arts and Humanities Grant is specifically aimed at funding the upcoming production of Shaker play As it is in Heaven, which is being presenting with the Farnsworth Art Museum as the culmination of its Shaker exhibition, From Mount Lebanon to the World.

For more information, see the Everyman Rep's website (everymanrep.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/everymanrep).

The Everyman Repertory Theatre, founded in 2008, is a registered 501(c)3, nonprofit theatre company committed to bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Midcoast Maine.

The Maine Community Foundation is a statewide organization that partners with donors and nonprofits to strengthen Maine communities. For more information visit www.mainecf.org.

The Maine Humanities Council, a statewide non-profit organization, uses the humanities — literature, history, philosophy, and culture — as a tool for positive change in Maine communities. For more information visit mainehumanities.org/.

The Maine Arts Commission is a state agency that receives tax money appropriated by the Maine State Legislature. In addition, the Agency receives funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and other federal sources. For more information visit: www.mainearts.maine.gov/.

Rockport Garden Club recognized by Rockport Board of Selectmen

ROCKPORT — David Barry, vice president and Penny Baum, co-president of the Rockport Garden Club received a certificate from the Rockport Board of Selectmen in appreciation for all the Garden Club does for the town of Rockport.

The club provides the town with beautification using summer flowers and Christmas wreathes and garland. The club also donates scholarship funding to students pursuing degrees related to Garden Club philosophy.