TAMC marks NationalHospitalWeek
PRESQUE ISLE — A hospital is more than a place where people go to be healed, it is a part of the community that fosters health, represents hope, provides comfort to the sick and welcomes new life into the world. The Aroostook Medical Center is celebrating hospitals’ important role in creating healthy communities during National Hospital Week, set to take place May 9-15.
“Hospitals create healthy communities in many different ways, including taking care of the sick, providing education and promoting wellness,” said Dave Peterson, president and CEO of TAMC.
The Aroostook Medical Center employs over 1000 people, making it the largest employer in Aroostook County. Like other hospitals, TAMC supports a variety of activities that improve the health of the community, including health fairs, flu vaccination clinics, health screenings, informative health-related classes and much more.
According to Peterson, it takes a group of skilled and dedicated employees to provide top-notch healthcare.
“The Aroostook Medical Center is comprised of compassionate doctors, mid-level providers, nurses, technicians and others who provide care to patients, as well as administrative assistants, business professionals, laundry, maintenance and food service employees, and many, many others. The broad range of skills our employees bring to their work is amazing,” he said.
TAMC is celebrating National Hospital Week by holding several activities for employees, including a trivia contest, frozen yogurt social, scrapbooking event and more.
The nation’s largest health care event, National Hospital Week, dates back to 1921 when it was suggested by a magazine editor who hoped a community-wide celebration would alleviate public fears about hospitals. The celebration, launched in Chicago, succeeded in promoting trust and goodwill among members of the public and eventually spread to facilities across the country.
Fun facts about TAMC:
• TAMC has a total of 161 beds (89 at A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle and 72 at Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill);
• Last year almost 95,000 patient visits were made to TAMC’s family practice, pediatrics and specialty service centers;
• TAMC provides many different health care services not typically found in rural communities and not available anywhere else in Aroostook County, including heart catheterization (a test that examines blood flow in the heart), radiation therapy cancer treatment and kidney dialysis;
• Volunteers donated 11,931 hours of their time to TAMC last year;
• Laundry staff at TAMC processed 569,547 pounds of laundry in the past year — about as much as all of the laundry done last year by everyone living in the town of Westfield; and
• TAMC Food Services staff prepared 90,007 meals for patients, employees and visitors last year.
