PRESQUE ISLE – The Aroostook Medical Center has pledged its support to the students, faculty and staff in the nursing and allied health programs at Northern Maine Community College by announcing a $45,000 gift to the Campaign for the County’s College.
CARL FLORA, left, chair of the board of directors for The Aroostook Medical Center and Northern Maine Community College Foundation board member; Bruce Sandstrom, senior vice president of finance at TAMC and NMCC Foundation board member; and David Peterson, TAMC president and CEO; present the first-year pledge of the health care organization’s $45,000 three-year commitment to NMCC representatives of the College, NMCC Foundation and Campaign for the County’s College leadership. Accepting the gift are NMCC President Timothy Crowley; Raynold Gauvin, chair of the NMCC Foundation board; and Brian Hamel and Robert Clark, two of the three chairs for the NMCC major gifts campaign.
The TAMC donation, pledged over three years, will provide funding to upgrade instructional technology for the nursing and allied health programs, as well as fund scholarships for students in the related programs.
The first $15,000 installment will support the establishment of a mobile computer lab for students enrolled in allied health courses. TAMC officials recently presented the funds to representatives of the College, NMCC Foundation, and volunteer leaders with the major gifts campaign.
“The Aroostook Medical Center is committed to continuing our long and mutually beneficial relationship with Northern Maine Community College to develop future health care professionals in ‘The County,’” said David Peterson, TAMC president and chief executive officer. “We see this contribution to the Campaign for the County’s College as an investment in workforce development for our community.
“The health care workforce is fragile and will need constant attention in the coming years to ensure services will be available where and when needed,” he said. “Therefore, TAMC understands the importance of expanding local educational opportunities in order to build a local skilled workforce.”
The remaining $30,000 balance of the pledge has been designated by TAMC to support student scholarships through the already established TAMC/Marge Haines Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The TAMC/Marge Haines Memorial Scholarship was initially funded in 2003 by a group of nursing professionals and TAMC’s medical staff and board of directors in memory of Marge Haines, a nurse at TAMC for many years. Eligible students must be enrolled in the nursing program at NMCC with a minimum 3.25 grade point average and have plans to practice in Aroostook County upon graduation.
“The Aroostook Medical Center has long been a supporter of our Community College and the NMCC Foundation. The TAMC gift to the Campaign for the County’s College, and the areas where the gift has been designated, will benefit students both in the immediate future and for generations to come,” said Raynold Gauvin, NMCC Foundation board chair. “We are most grateful to TAMC, its administration and board of directors for supporting the college, specifically the students in nursing and allied health programs.”
Collectively, the largest percentage of registered nurses caring for patients at the county’s four hospitals are graduates of Northern Maine Community College. Just over 50 percent of TAMC’s nursing staff hold associate degrees in nursing from NMCC.
“The mutually supportive relationship we enjoy with health care providers in our region including TAMC is critical to ensuring the very health and well-being of the people of Aroostook County. As our region’s population continues to age, the demands on local providers will only increase in the coming years. Partnerships such as this will be critical to ensuring these needs are met,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “With the support of community leaders such as TAMC, this campaign will provide new resources that will enhance the College’s ability to better serve students and the health care community in Aroostook County.”
The Aroostook Medical Center, a fully accredited not-for-profit health care organization, provides access for Aroostook County residents to a wide range of primary and specialty care services in a comfortable, compassionate environment.
As a member of the Eastern Maine Healthcare System, The Aroostook Medical Center is able to offer services not commonly found in rural areas, including hemodialysis, sleep medicine, and acute inpatient rehab.
A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital, an 83-bed hospital in Presque Isle, offers a wide range of acute care services including cardiac catheterization and comprehensive cancer care services. Horizons Health Services, a physician practice group providing both primary and specialty care services, has health centers in eight Aroostook County communities.
TAMC is also one of the region’s largest employers, with a staff of 1,059 employees.
NMCC’s year-long Campaign for the County’s College started just over six months ago with a goal to raise $2 million to support student scholarships and instructional technology, as well as to assist the College with meeting immediate and emerging community needs. The announcement of the TAMC gift places, to date, the total of the first-ever major gifts campaign conducted by the college at just under $1.5 million.
