Anniversaries of all sorts – weddings, birthdays, business openings – often prompt us to take a nostalgic walk down memory lane.

Not so with Quarry Hill. Even as the retirement and long-term care facility that sits on the grounds of the former Camden Community Hospital celebrates its 20th anniversary, it is focused on its future.

“We have so much to celebrate at Quarry Hill but we also have so much to look forward to,” said Loriman Looke, the senior executive director of long-term for Quarry Hill, as well as the Knox Center in Rockland and Penobscot Shores in Belfast. “We’re maintaining our guard against COVID, while also preparing for a very robust future and celebrating another anniversary 20 years from now.”

Quarry Hill is home to some 200 seniors from all walks of life, providing residential options that are considered among the best in Maine. In addition, Looke noted, Quarry Hill has also created dozens of good jobs with benefits for a generation of local residents.

“I know that all of us at MaineHealth are proud of being able to provide career options to local residents, and we remain committed to doing that for years to come,” Looke said. “We’ve worked hard to make this an attractive place to work and I think we’ve made a difference in the lives of our care team members.”

Said Nina Cunningham, RN: “My life is richer because of the relationships I have developed with residents as well as their families.” And contract nurse Shelly Sharp, LPN, commented, “I have never had any job treat me as much like a family member as Quarry Hill employees have. I literally feel like Quarry Hill is an extended part of my family.”

The origins of Quarry Hill date back to the 1990s when a small but determined band of local citizens who, in the late 1990s, saw a need for a community devoted exclusively to the well-being of older adults. The community’s main building, the Anderson Inn, and the first of Quarry Hill’s 45 independent living cottages, opened in 2002.

Fast forward to 2022-2023, and Quarry Hill finds itself celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of observances designed around the tagline “Rooted in Caring.” Easing cautiously into the celebrations in view of COVID concerns, the anniversary year began with specially decorated “Rooted in Caring” cookies, delivered to residents and care team members throughout the community. That was followed, in September, with an outdoor reception for Bob McKeown, Quarry Hill’s first executive director. Dozens of residents and their families, staff members and friends turned out to bear tribute to the leader who, in the minds of many residents and staff members, epitomizes all that Quarry Hill has come to stand for over the course of its two-decade history.

As it looks to the future, Quarry Hill will be adapting to the ever evolving health care environment as well as the needs of the community, while continuing in its role as one of the area’s top employers. In the spring, Quarry Hill and the Knox Center will hand off long- and short-term nursing care to Breakwater Commons, a new facility under construction in Rockland. Caregivers in those units will be invited to join Breakwater Commons. Quarry Hill’s independent and assisted living segments will remain on its Camden campus.

“I know that all of us in the MaineHealth family of health-related organizations are proud of being able to provide career options to local citizens, and we remain committed to doing that for years to come,” Looke said.

A video about working at Quarry Hill is available here: Quarry Hill culinary careers - YouTube

Pen Bay Medical Center is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,600 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With more than 19,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit pbmc.org.