Thanks to a three million dollar donation, Mount Desert Island Hospital is able to reduce costs while taking steps to meet growing demand for its services.
The gift from Ruth and Tristram Colket is the largest in the organization’s history and has allowed the Hospital to purchase the Cadillac Mountain Medical Building and adjacent properties.
Since 2005, the Hospital has leased the facility at 322 Main Street. “This generous donation has allowed us to purchase this property and save thousands of dollars in lease payments,” said Hospital President and CEO Art Blank.
“When faced with financial challenges such as reimbursement shortfalls and an on-going debt from the State for services provided to MaineCare patients, the savings we realize from this purchase will help us continue to provide the range of services our community needs.”
“We’re truly grateful to the Colkets for their generosity and their strong commitment to the health of this community,” said Hospital President and CEO Art Blank. “Their gifts have helped us establish a state-of -the-art inpatient care center and now they’re supporting our community’s need for care in the outpatient setting. Our community is fortunate to have such neighbors.”
The purchase also includes the unfinished shell that is attached to the building, the Cadillac Motor Inn next door and a small home next to that on the corner of Main and Livingston streets. Plans for the addition and both of these spaces are still under consideration, according to Hospital officials.
“Our Facilities Committee and Board are taking a very close look at what we might do with these new spaces to better accommodate the needs of our community,” said Blank.
Hospital officials report that continuing increase in health center visits and a growing demand for many Hospital services warranted the purchase of the additional facilities.
“Our Board feels strongly that purchasing these properties is the right thing to do for our patients and our community. We decided to purchase them because we’ve outgrown many of the spaces that we currently occupy. We need to make sure we’re providing adequate space for patient care and the professionals providing it,” said Blank
“We’re working hard to understand and meet the needs of our patients, our neighbors, and our community, and being able to do so in a way that helps us meet growing financial challenges is especially rewarding,” added Blank.
“The recent construction of our Community Health Center in Southwest Harbor is a perfect example of how good planning and community support can work together to create an excellent patient care facility,” said Blank.