Bar Harbor, ME – Mount Desert Island Hospital will receive $5M in federal funds to help expand and renovate its emergency room.
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Sen. Angus King announced the funding as part of $42,297,000 secured in Congressionally Directed Spending for Maine hospitals and health centers in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill for the next fiscal year. Congress has passed the bill, and the president has signed it into law.
“We are incredibly grateful for this transformational award to help construct a new emergency room and expand access to essential care on Mount Desert Island for all,” expressed MDI Hospital President/CEO Chrissi Maguire. “As Senators Collins and King know well, this award will make a profound and lifesaving impact on our unique population of year-round and seasonal residents who call our island home, and the millions of visitors who come to enjoy the natural beauty of Acadia National Park each year.”
Ensuring Mainers in every part of the state receive the critical medical services they need is always a priority said Sen. Collins. “As vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will help to improve access to, and the quality of, an array of health care services throughout Maine.”
Also receiving awards from these funds are Calais Community Hospital – Baileyville Rural Health Center, Bangor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center – Facility & Equipment Improvement, Regional Medical Center at Lubec – East Machias Clinic Expansion, Eastport Health Care – Eastport Health Center Expansion, St. Joseph Hospital – MRI Upgrade, St. Andre Health Care – Air Quality Control System Enhancements, Cary Medical Center – Electronic Medical Records Infrastructure Improvement, Town of Islesboro – Islesboro Health Center, Central Maine Medical Center – Surgical Technology Upgrades, Millinocket Regional Hospital – Emergency Department Expansion.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending, formerly known as earmarks. Since then, Sens. Collins and King have actively worked to secure funds for Maine projects to be invested statewide.
About Mount Desert Island Hospital
Mount Desert Island Hospital serves a close-knit island and surrounding communities through a 25-bed critical access facility in Bar Harbor and a network of area health centers—all designed to provide comprehensive healthcare for residents and visitors. Since it was established in 1897, the nonprofit hospital has grown into a premier rural healthcare organization with a retirement community and six primary care health centers, as well as a full-service behavioral health center and a dental clinic. The hospital’s Emergency Department, a critical link in Downeast Maine’s trauma delivery system, serves the Mount Desert Island community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. MDI Hospital received a five-star rating, the highest awarded, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2020. In addition, the organization’s inpatient, outpatient, emergency and surgical care services have been consistently recognized by Avatar International, the Leapfrog Group, the National Rural Health Association, Harvard Pilgrim and Healthgrades.