ROCKPORT and BELFAST — The Coastal Healthcare Alliance, which includes Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital, has issued its first digital-only annual report with a focus on how the hospital contributes to the wellbeing of the communities it serves.

The annual report can be found at PBMC and WCGH | Annual Report 2022.

“We’re proud to support our community by reducing our environmental impact,” said Mark Fourré, MD, president of PBMC and WCGH, in a news release. “We’re prouder still of all our efforts to promote good health in our communities, many of which are highlighted in the annual report.”

Among other stories, the report features the hospitals’ efforts to help those experiencing food insecurity. By stocking “Help Yourself” pantry shelves in its primary care offices in Rockland, Rockport and Belfast, the two hospitals have provided more than 9,000 pounds of fresh produce and thousands of pounds more in shelf-stable food in 2022. The program has been so successful that the hospitals are putting pantry shelves in additional locations in 2023.

“Hunger is a health care issue,” said Deidre Dority, who organizes the pantry shelf program for PBMC and WCGH. “Even though PBMC and WCGH don’t charge for this program, we know it’s the right and necessary thing to do to improve the health of our communities.”

Another story in the report, highlights the Belfast public nurse position that is funded in large part by WCGH as well as the City of Belfast. Public health nurses are an essential part of the health care safety net in our communities.

In her role as Belfast Public Health Nurse, Susan Dupler, RN, dresses the wounds of homeless, visits the homebound to administer COVID vaccines, organizes safety events for children and plans educational luncheons for seniors, as well as coordinates blood drives and vaccine clinics for the community. She was a founder of Community Food for Children, which provides free meals for children in Belfast throughout the summer months.

“Susan’s contributions to our community are symbolic of everything we stand for,” said Stacey Hall, WCGH population health manager. “She combines her A+ clinical skills with her firm grasp of social determinants of health to work toward making our community the healthiest it can be.”

According to the news release, not in the report but worth noting as other ways PBMC and WCGH contribute to their communities: In 2021, Pen Bay Medical Center provided $13.1 million in community benefits, including care for Maine residents with income below 150% of the federal poverty level, charity care and bad debt.

Fourré pointed to the ongoing COVID response as another example of the hospitals’ commitment to the community. PBMC and WCGH set up mass vaccination clinics as soon as vaccines were available, vaccinating more than 21,000 local residents in six months.

“Our ability to provide free care to our communities’ most vulnerable citizens and our commitment to stand up vaccination clinics during the pandemic is, in part, dependent on our non-profit, tax exempt status,” Fourré said. “We are proud of the significant impact we have on the health of our communities.”

About Pen Bay Medical Center

Pen Bay Medical Center is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of eight 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.

Waldo County General Hospital

Waldo County General Hospital is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of eight 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 wcgh.org.