MDI Hospital

10/30/2025

💗 Wear Pink 2025 for Breast Cancer Awareness 💗

This month, MDI Hospital & Health Centers team members came together to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
Wearing pink is one small way we honor survivors, remember those we’ve lost, and raise awareness about the importance of early detection and regular screenings.

Together, we stand strong for our patients, families, and community. 💕
Learn more about MDI Hospital's Breast Health Center at: https://www.mdihospital.org/health-centers/breast-center-at-mdi-hospital/

10/29/2025

🏥 National Stroke Awareness Day — Advancing Stroke Care at MDI Hospital 💙

Stroke is one of the leading causes of serious long-term disability in the United States. Each year, nearly 800,000 people experience a stroke — that’s one every 40 seconds. Recognizing stroke symptoms quickly and acting fast can save lives and improve recovery outcomes.

At Mount Desert Island Hospital, we’re committed to improving stroke recognition and response through evidence-based care. Our team is actively working toward the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Rural Recognition, which honors hospitals that demonstrate excellence in stroke care and ensure patients in rural communities receive timely, high-quality treatment.
To achieve this recognition, our hospital aims for at least 75% compliance across key stroke measures, including:

🧠 Door-In/Door-Out time ≤ 90 minutes for patients transferred for acute therapy
🧠 Door-to-CT ≤ 25 minutes
🧠 Documentation of last known well or time of symptom discovery
🧠 IV thrombolytic therapy within 60 minutes of arrival and within 4.5 hours of onset
🧠 NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) completed and documented
🧠 Dysphagia screening prior to oral intake
🧠 EMS pre-notification prior to arrival
🧠 CT or MRI interpreted within 45 minutes of arrival
🧠 Stroke consultation completed

Our multidisciplinary stroke team is using these benchmarks to guide real-time process improvements, strengthen collaboration, and ensure that every patient experiencing stroke symptoms receives timely, coordinated care.

For questions about our stroke readiness efforts, please reach out to Abby LaPlante, Quality Coordinator, or Jon Bell, Director of the Emergency Department.

10/28/2025

When Megan and Bailey Stillman learned they were expecting their first child, the couple imagined the journey unfolding close to home. Bailey had grown up in Bar Harbor, Megan in Brewer, and together, they had built their life on Mount Desert Island. Megan was already an established OB patient at MDI Hospital when, at around 20 weeks pregnant, they received the news that the labor and delivery unit would be closing.

The couple went to all the community meetings and events following the closure, wanting to voice their concern and learn all they could. But as their pregnancy went on, they began to see a new picture of what their journey could look like.

Megan continued her prenatal care at Lisa Stewart Women's Health Center, only leaving the island for appointments three times. When it came time to deliver, they headed to Bangor. They spent three days in the hospital and on the day their daughter Perry was born, nine other babies shared the nursery, but Megan and Bailey said they never would have known. “It was so quiet and peaceful.” Megan said, adding, “At the end of the day, we’re in Maine, it’s always going to have that small-town feel.”

Being there also gave them a new understanding of reasons for the labor and delivery closure back home. “While we were in Bangor, we gained a lot of perspective that we are so grateful for,” Bailey said. “In August alone, there were something like 150 babies born at Northern Light [Bangor]. The doctors and nurses talked about how important that kind of volume was for patient safety, and when we were there, experiencing it first-hand, we got it.”

Now, with their beautiful little girl, Bailey and Megan feel nothing but gratitude. “We hope everyone can rally around what we do have here on the island because it’s really great. We went to all the town meetings, we were concerned about the closure, but we would not change a single thing about our experience here or our time up in Bangor.”

Read the full story on our website: https://www.mdihospital.org/featured/from-uncertainty-to-gratitude-a-birth-story-rooted-in-trust-and-community/

10/24/2025

Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who came out to support runners at the Mile-Marker-10 Water Station and at the End-of-Race Medical Tent! 👏💙

We love volunteering for the Mount Desert Island Marathon! 🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏻‍♀️ Learn more about the event on their website: https://www.runmdi.org/

10/24/2025

Happy Business Friends Friday! 🤝🏻 A huge thank you to Bangor Savings Bank for their generous support as a Champion of Care in MDI Hospital's Business Friends Society!

With 173 years of community commitment and branch locations across Maine and New Hampshire, Bangor Savings Bank continues to make a powerful impact. 💙

Bangor Savings Bank and The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation are dedicated to strengthening our region through grants, sponsorships, volunteerism, and meaningful partnerships. That’s what community banking is all about!

We’re proud to partner with an organization that shares our dedication to local care and connection.

🔗 Learn more: www.bangor.com

No matter where your business is in its journey, Bangor Savings Bank is here to help.

We partner with New England businesses across all industries, offering the financial expertise and innovative solutions needed to manage today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities.

Learn more about our business solutions: bangor.com/business.

10/23/2025

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses: Congratulations Melanie Clauson, RN!

“Melanie Clauson repetitively goes above and beyond to ensure my mom receives the most appropriate care imaginable throughout her cancer journey. My mom came in for an outpatient lab. I popped into the oncology department to express my concerns. It was the end of the day and Melanie went above and beyond to advocate for getting additional labs ordered. She then knocked on the outpatient lab door to make sure the added labs were done. Then she spent time with her in the outpatient lab, saw how sick she was, and gently encouraged her to go to the ER. She didn’t stop there, she talked with the ED staff, stayed with her, and took the time to truly listen to her worries. The way she supported both of us through that moment meant the world to us. Her kindness, expertise, and genuine compassion brought us comfort when we needed it most. I know we are not the only recipients of her incredible care. All those Melanie Clauson cares for are beyond fortunate to have her world.”

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

“I’m honored to present this award to Melanie as she is a testament to the kind of compassion and caring all of our Infusion Center patients and families receive.”
-Deborah Block, RN, Vice President of Nursing Services/CNO

Read more about Melanie Clauson's DAISY Award here: https://www.mdihospital.org/featured/the-daisy-award-congratulations-melanie-clauson-rn/

You can learn more and nominate a nurse here: https://www.mdihospital.org/daisy-awards/

10/21/2025

Join us this evening at the Southwest Harbor Library for a panel discussion on Emergency Medicine & First Response on the island!

Register for in-person or online: https://swhplibrary.libcal.com/event/15448267

Quick panel change: Bill Cyr, Chief Operating Officer from Lifeflight of Maine will be joining us, as Kyle had a scheduling conflict and is unable to attend.

10/20/2025

🚨 Heart Saver & CPR Classes at MDI Hospital! 🚨
Join us for Heart Saver & CPR class at Lisa Stewart Women's Health Center and gain the confidence to respond in an emergency. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, boat captain or just someone who wants to be prepared—you can make a difference. ❤️
🗓️ Saturday, November 8 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
💵 $60 per person
📍 Lisa Stewart Women’s Health Center
📢 Classes are filling fast—sign up now!
📞 For more information, visit mdihospital.org or call Karen Vanzura at (207) 288-5082 ext. 1444

10/17/2025

Happy Business Friends Friday! 🤝🏻 Shoutout to The Swan Agency Real Estate — a proud Champion of Care member of MDI Hospital’s Business Friends Society! 💙🏥

With deep roots in Bar Harbor and a legacy dating back to 1975, Swan Agency has grown from a single local office into a statewide force in Maine real estate. 🏡🏢 From residential homes to boutique inns and B&Bs, their success is built on local expertise, deep community roots, and a passion for giving back.

That spirit shines through in their Sharing Our Success (SOS) program 💌—a unique initiative where brokers and the company donate to local nonprofits as a thank-you gift to their clients at closing. Clients get to choose from a list of amazing organizations, including MDI Hospital, helping them connect with their new community in a meaningful way. 🤝

It’s more than just real estate—it’s community building, the Maine way. 💪💙

We’re honored to have The Swan Agency as a partner in supporting local healthcare—and so much more.
👉 Learn more: www.swanagency.com

✨🏡Portside’s Fall Open House Weekend is almost here!
Join us this weekend, October 18th + 19th, as we showcase 60 incredible homes across Maine and New Hampshire. From scenic coastal getaways to charming countryside homes, we have something for everyone!

Discover newly listed properties, meet our local agents, and let your weekend lead you home!

📍Find full event details and featured properties on our blog: https://bit.ly/PortsideOpenHouseBlog

10/16/2025

📣This Saturday📣

Stop by the Pemetic Elementary School in Southwest Harbor between 10-2 for our free Community Health & Wellness Fair!

Local vendors, free health screenings, door prize, and more will be available.

We look forward to seeing you there 💙

10/14/2025

This week due to the holiday, produce will be available at the Help Yourself Shelves at Trenton Health Center, Community Health Center, Lisa Stewart Women's Health Center, Cadillac Family Practice, and Cooper Gilmore Health Center on Thursday instead of the usual Wednesday.