MDI Hospital Purchases Maine Street Motel 

With the expected purchase on Wednesday of the Maine Street Motel in Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island Hospital has taken another step to alleviate its growing need for clinical and administrative space as well as space for parking.
  
 The Motel, located across the street from Tapley’s Convenience Store, provides over 14,000 square feet of space. “Over the last four years, we’ve experienced a significant increase in the demand for our services,” said Hospital President and CEO Art Blank. “And this purchase will allow us to continue to meet the growing needs of our communities.”
  
 “Plans for the facility have not yet been completed,” explained Blank. “But we do know that it will include a combination of clinical and administrative space.”
  
 Currently, MDI Hospital has eight regional health centers located in Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Trenton. On Tuesday, the Hospital also broke ground on its new Community Health Center in Southwest Harbor which, when completed in the fall of 2008, will replace the current Center located on Village Green Way.
  
 The new Bar Harbor facility will also include space for a computer-training lab for hospital employees. “Computer technology has become more prevalent in everything we do,” explained Blank. “We continue to make strides implementing electronic health records, and we have begun to roll out a new digital Picture Archiving and Communications System,” explained Blank.
  
 The new PACS system digitizes medical images, making them available for evaluation by providers more quickly. “These initiatives and others have made it clear that we have to increase the educational resources we provide our staff,” added Blank.
  
 The new facility will also provide 46 parking spaces for Hospital employees and patients. “We are committed to being a good neighbor, and by providing additional off-street parking we are making an effort to reduce our impact on the surrounding neighborhood,” said Blank.
  
 Renovations to the facility will go before the planning board for review and approval, but Blank anticipates final approval and renovations to be completed by the end of 2008.