Bridgton Hospital recently unveiled its new x-ray machine and updated radiography and fluoroscopy room. The new machine produces high-quality digital images and can perform some basic scans in less than one minute, compared to three to four minutes with the previous machine. The digital technology also provides a safer patient experience and allows scans to be sent to the patient’s electronic medical record, giving providers quicker access to results. The investment in Bridgton Hospital’s equipment signifies Central Maine Healthcare’s dedication to improving quality and patient experience throughout the health system.
Pictured: Back row (L to R): Jill Rollins, RN, Director of Nursing; Wenda Saunders, MD; and Matthew Frank, Vice President, Board of Directors. Front row (L to R): David Frum, President, Bridgton Hospital; Alissa Noble, RT(R)(M), Medical Imaging and Cardiac Diagnostics Manager; John Caterine, RT(R), Radiographer; and Steve Googoo, RT(R)(CT), Lead Radiographer.
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Kaitlin Dyer, N.P., Joins Central Maine Heart Associates
Kaitlin Dyer, N.P., has joined the cardiac care provider team at the Central Maine Heart Associates in Lewiston.
Dyer most recently worked as a family nurse practitioner and left ventricular assist device coordinator at Maine Medical Center where she provided inpatient and outpatient care to people living with advanced heart failure. Previously, Dyer worked in Maine Medical Center’s Cardiology Advanced Practice Provider Service and as a registered nurse on the cardiac telemetry unit. During her time at Maine Medical Center, Dyer served as the principal organizer for the first and second annual Heart Failure Symposiums.
Pleased to join the cardiac care team at Central Maine Healthcare, Dyer notes, “I have known members of the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute cardiac team for a number of years and am excited and confident to work alongside such a great group of people.”
A high honors graduate, Dyer earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, in May 2007. She went on to complete her master’s as a family nurse practitioner at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. There she received numerous scholarships for excellence.
Dyer is a member of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and has advanced certifications in Cardiac Life Support.
The practice is accepting new patients and can be reached at 207-795-3900.
Central Maine Bariatric Surgery Performs 2,000th Bariatric Surgery
Recently, Dr. Jamie Loggins performed Central Maine Bariatric Surgery’s 2,000th bariatric surgery. Accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) since 2010, Central Maine Bariatric Surgery has a long history of helping patients lose weight and live healthier lives.
Dale Morgan and Gail White, identical twin sisters who underwent surgery in February 2017, just 20 days apart, chose bariatric surgery to lose excess weight and control chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure. Having the surgery at CMMC was an easy choice for the sisters, who are visually impaired, because of their proximity to the hospital and access to CMMC via the bus route. The twins have lost a combined 183 pounds in the last year.
“I decided on my 60th birthday that my 60s were going to be the ‘decade of health,’ and the surgery was part of that,” said Morgan. White agreed, adding that she was looking to increase her energy and that her head and body were ready for a change.
“As we mark the milestone of 2,000 bariatric surgeries at CMMC, we reflect on the improved quality of life we provide for our patients. Being able to see the smiles and tears of joy, share the hugs, and hear our patients say ‘thank you’ is the most rewarding part of working in bariatrics. We’re proud to be a top-quality bariatric surgery center for patients in Maine,” said Dr. Jamie Loggins, FACS, FASMBS, Medical Director, Central Maine Bariatric Surgery.
Morgan and White couldn’t agree more about having their quality of life back, even remarking that instead of dreading having to walk, they live to walk. During the summer, the pair was able to get up to eight miles, and they’ve also been able to stop taking prescription medications.
Another deciding factor for the sisters in choosing CMMC was the center’s bariatric surgery information session that provided honest details about the process. Morgan and White also commented on the thoroughness of the pre-surgery process where they received in-depth medical assessments and learned about healthy living, which has helped them achieve and maintain their weight loss over the last year.
Central Maine Bariatric Surgery offers free informational sessions for the public on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 5:45 p.m. in the Chairman Conference Rooms A, B, and C at 12 High Street in Lewiston. For more information, call 207-795-5710.
Note: Morgan and White are available for interviews. Contact Allison Coombs if interested.
WHA’s Rotating Gallery to Feature Julianne Garvey and Jeanelle Demers in March
The Woman’s Hospital Association (WHA) Rotating Art Gallery will feature paintings by Julianne Garvey and Jeanelle Demers (pictured) through March. The gallery is located at 60 High Street in Lewiston, the main entrance to Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC).
For Garvey, who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, painting has been a life-long endeavor even while raising her family and running a home-based business. She paints what she wants to reflect on capturing the light and shadows as well as the shapes and movement of a piece. Garvey participates in sidewalk art shows and enjoys commission work. Recently, she has been able to increase her focus on her creative endeavors and continues to share her work.
“I’ve been painting a short series of places I’m attracted to, a theme from different perspectives and different viewpoints. Some are broad views which I like to explore by adding close-up vignettes. Paired or in groups, I like how paintings, always of nature, play together,” said Garvey, “Painting can be a meditation, and so can the art of viewing a painting.”
Demers, a Lewiston-Auburn native, is a professional portrait artist specializing in painting animals. With a home studio in Auburn, she enjoys being able to personally deliver her paintings locally but does ship all over the country. She values the connections she makes and the stories she experiences through her work.
Each painting is created by using a reference photo and acrylic paint on canvas. The vivid colors and high level of detail in Demers’ paintings capture the essence of each subject and the “twinkle in their eyes.” She enjoys seeing her paintings given as meaningful gifts. To see more of her work or to commission a portrait, log on to www.200faces.com.
The artists’ work may be purchased through the WHA Gift Shop, located adjacent to the main lobby at Central Maine Medical Center. A percentage of sale proceeds benefits CMMC.
Dr. John Kroger Delivers his 600th Baby at Rumford Hospita
The birth of Corbin William Thomas in December at Rumford Hospital marked Dr. John Kroger’s six hundredth delivery. To make the moment even more special, 24 years prior he had also delivered Thomas’ mother, Sidney Yahn.
“I’ve always found delivering babies to be one of the most rewarding, exciting and enjoyable experiences as a family physician. The simple idea that I’ve now begun to deliver babies of young women who I delivered is a cause for pause as it indicates this is something I’ve been doing for a long time. To have the milestone six hundredth delivery be to a young woman whom I’ve known since the moment I handed her to her mother when she was born makes it even more rewarding,” said Kroger.
Kroger is a family medicine and obstetrics provider at Swift River Family Medicine in Rumford. The practice is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 207-369-0146.
Woman’s Hospital Association Rotating Gallery to Feature Jennifer Redman Wadsworth and Lisa Giguere in February
The Woman’s Hospital Association (WHA) Rotating Art Gallery will feature paintings by Jennifer Redman Wadsworth and photography by Lisa Giguere through the month of February. The gallery is located at 60 High Street in Lewiston, the main entrance to Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC).
Wadsworth, a long-time Turner resident, has painted most of her life. Her chosen medium is oil paint on various types of supports from primed canvas to plexiglass and wood using applications tools or her fingers. Wadsworth’s paintings include landscapes, figurative pieces and abstracts and are held in private, corporate and academic collections in the United States, Europe and Asia.
“The images are the result of my connection to the energy and rhythm of the past, present and future. The images exist only on my chosen surface. I do not use references or ever begin with a plan. My goal, to share the experience of my creative journey, is achieved when friends and strangers engage in a visual conversation with my work,” said Wadsworth.
Giguere, a resident of Wales, is a self-taught photographer. Her work includes photos of landscapes, flowers, animals and her children’s sporting events. Though her photography is a hobby, it’s one that she loves.
The artists’ work may be purchased through the WHA Gift Shop, located adjacent to the main lobby at Central Maine Medical Center. A percentage of sale proceeds benefits CMMC.