TAMC invites community
to join in Hospital Week events
PRESQUE ISLE — National Hospital Week will have special significance this year for The Aroostook Medical Center (TAMC) as activity ties in to the health care organization’s 100th anniversary celebration.
THE VERY FIRST public hospital in Presque Isle can be seen to the right of the building in this 1947 photo of what was then Presque Isle General Hospital and is now Presque Isle City Hall. The history of Presque Isle’s first public hospital will be the topic of a public presentation at TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital Monday, May 7 at noon as the health care provider celebrates National Hospital Week and its centennial. 
A number of events planned during the week of May 6-12 will reflect both TAMC’s rich history and its close connection with the Aroostook County community it serves. Public functions are planned to welcome and engage area residents with TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital and its health centers throughout central Aroostook.
A weeklong event, which kicks off first thing Monday morning, May 7, is a food drive to benefit local area food pantries and the Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter for the Homeless. Area residents and TAMC employees are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items by dropping them off at the Gould Memorial Hospital, the Walk-in Clinic on North Street in Presque Isle, Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill, or at any of TAMC’s Health Centers in Ashland, Caribou, Fort Fairfield or Mars Hill.
The idea to hold a community food drive came from TAMC’s social services/case management/utilization review department. The group wanted to give back to the local community in a meaningful way.
“There are many of our friends and neighbors in Aroostook County who rely on their local food pantry to help put food on the table. Now that the holiday and winter seasons are behind us, the shelves at many of these pantries are running bare,” said Laura Turner, food drive chair. “We wanted to come together as a TAMC family and county community to help stock the pantries and make a positive difference.”
One opportunity for community members to drop off their donated non-perishable food items will be at noon on Monday, May 7 when TAMC hosts a public presentation, open to community members at no charge, on the history of Presque Isle’s first public hospital — which later became TAMC. The presentation, prepared and delivered by Kim Smith of the Presque Isle Historical Society, will cover the humble beginnings of the hospital in 1912 and the story of growth to what has become the largest and most comprehensive provider of health care services in northern Maine. It will be held in the McCain rooms just off of the Pinkham Entrance by the back of the Gould Memorial Hospital. Refreshments will be served.
At the same time community members visit for the history presentation, they will also get to tour a re-created patient room from 1912. Several TAMC employees have been volunteering their time for several weeks to turn a small conference space into a hospital room circa the year the area’s first public hospital opened. The 1912 patient room is also located in the conference area just off the Pinkham Entrance and will be set up throughout National Hospital Week for employees and community members to visit.
On Tuesday, May 8 from noon-2 p.m., TAMC will offer free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings for area senior citizens in the McCain Conference Room at Gould Memorial Hospital. The screenings are open to all seniors with special invitation to members of TAMC’s Senior Connection Program. Information on the special program will be available at the time of the screenings for individuals who want to learn more or enroll.
The final public event hosted by TAMC during National Hospital Week will be a free conference for cancer patients, survivors, family members, caregivers and health care professionals. The 2012 Northern Maine Survivor Symposium will be held Friday, May 11 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the McCain Conference Room.
The theme for the day-long event is “Hope and Encouragement: The Power of Positive Thinking.” Several speakers and panelists are scheduled to participate including physicians, cancer survivors and caregivers. Betty Walker of Caribou will be this year’s keynote speaker. She will share her story of battling endometrial cancer as she was looking forward to becoming a grandmother for the first time.
Presentations on nutrition, emotional support and the terms health care providers use to talk about cancer will also be featured throughout the day. Area non-profit organizations will be on-hand to share information.
Pre-registration for the Northern Maine Survivor Symposium is required. For more information on the symposium or to register go to www.tamc.org or call 1-800-227-2345.
On Saturday, May 12, TAMC is the site for a free Shriner’s Hospital screening clinic hosted by the Aroostook County Shrine Club. The clinic, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., is open to children ages birth to 18 and will be held in TAMC’s Orthopedic Suite in the Millennium Medical Office Building on the A.R. Gould campus.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of pediatric specialty hospitals founded in 1922 to treat orthopedic conditions. There are 18 orthopedic Shriners Hospitals, three Shriners Hospitals dedicated to treating children with severe burns, and one Shriners Hospital that provides orthopedic, burn and spinal cord injury care.
In addition to community events at TAMC during National Hospital Week, the organization is also supporting two activities hosted by area organizations. On Thursday, May 10, TAMC joins other sponsors for the Tour of Italy and silent auction fundraiser for Hospice of Aroostook. The event begins at 5:15 p.m. at the Crow’s Nest Restaurant and Event Center in Presque Isle. Tickets are $25 each and include a five course Italian dinner, silent auction and dancing.
On the evening of Friday, May 11, TAMC joins other sponsors in supporting the Wintergreen Arts Center in presenting a concert by acclaimed musician Ellis Paul. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Crow’s Nest Restaurant and Event Center in Presque Isle. Tickets are $20 each and $15 for students and seniors.
For more information on National Hospital Week Activities at TAMC and community-supported events go to www.tamc.org.
