ELLSWORTH — Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital seeks support to strengthen the healthcare team of tomorrow with the launch of their Spring Community Appeal. With a focus on workforce development to ensure quality care for area residents well into the future, the community is invited to help invest in the effort.

Maine Coast Hospital has been a vital community resource for almost 65 years, according to the hospital, in a news release. An investment in its workforce is a commitment to supporting patients and families, caregivers and staff, and the community. The benefits of investing in workforce development go beyond the bedside.

For the past two years, MCH has partnered with Eastern Maine Community College to teach nursing curriculum to 12 Hancock County residents. These students complete their nursing education onsite at the hospital. Additionally, MCH now educates medical assistant students onsite, with several Hancock County residents currently completing their education and training at no cost, while receiving a full-time hourly salary and benefits. Upon successful completion of the 17-week program, participants will be able to work as medical assistants, helping to alleviate a crucial shortage of these professionals.

Initiatives like the nursing collaborative and the medical assistant training program benefit patients and community in so many ways:

Training and educating the caregivers of tomorrow for sustainable, well-paying careers,
Addressing gaps in our workforce, and
Attracting and retaining skilled healthcare professionals who will call Hancock County home.

“These programs are just the beginning,” said Maine Coast president John Ronan. “Our goal is to expand and create additional opportunities for education and training in other professions, like surgical technology. We can’t sit back and hope to have a highly skilled workforce; it’s in our best interest to work together now and encourage the next generation of caregivers to consider healthcare as a career.”

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust supports Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital’s Employee Occupational Training program.

“The Bank’s philanthropic priority is ‘education and workforce development’ because we recognize that many are not able to cover the full cost of higher education,” said Jack Frost, V.P., Director of Community Giving, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “Occupational credentials and certifications allow individuals to advance their career and gain greater job stability.  Northern Light has taken a proactive approach to investing in advanced training and education that make it possible for employees to advance into positions such as CNAs, LPNs, and Medical Assistants.  We are honored to be a 2021 Business Partner that is playing a part to ensure skilled, compassionate care is provided to all patients in our community.” 

For more information on ways to support this exciting endeavor, please reach out to JoAnn Brown in Philanthropy at 207-664-5548 or joann.brown@northernlight.org. To donate, the online link is: www.northernlighthealth.org/giveMCH.