Joint Appointment With Mass General Unique in Maine
Central Maine Healthcare has hired a celebrated and experienced medical director for trauma, in a joint appointment with Massachusetts General Hospital that will ensure continued and enhanced cutting-edge care for people across Maine.
Dr. Richard King, a dual board-certified surgeon who until recently practiced and taught medicine in upstate New York, started practicing at Central Maine Medical Center this month. CMMC, a designated Level 2 Trauma Center for the state of Maine, will benefit from King’s unique joint appointment with Mass General, which will provide a broader net of medical expertise for Central Maine patients. King will work closely with Mass General Trauma Center colleagues to bring more additional training and collaborative care to Maine.
“Ultimately for trauma care, it’s all about making sure the right people with the right training and the right equipment are available at the right time,” King said. “I want to ensure that all whom we serve have access to the best care.”
King was on the faculty of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., and also a staff surgeon for the Veterans Administration. He has held multiple surgery positions and has also received training in burn care. His service in the U.S. Army included a tour as officer in charge of a joint service, multinational troop clinic in Europe and medical advisor to the senior U.S. Military Representative in the Netherlands.
Based in Lewiston, King will spend 10 percent of his time working at Mass General in Boston providing trauma surgery and critical care coverage. He said the experience of working alongside surgeons at a large Level 1 trauma center and academic medical center will sharpen skills he can bring back to Maine.
“Our patients should have expert trauma care in a community setting, and easy access to care as needed at Mass General,” he said.
Central Maine Healthcare’s larger affiliation with Massachusetts General Hospital combines the best of academic medicine with the best of community medicine. Collaboration with MGH’s world-renowned doctors and care teams is an example of the ongoing commitment to bring the very best care to Mainers.
For patients, families, loved ones, and caregivers, this means:
- Access to best practices, new treatments, and clinical trials
- Easy and direct communication between CMMC, Bridgton and Rumford and Mass General care teams, meaning that patients benefit from a wide spectrum of medical expertise.
- Transfer to Mass General for quaternary care when needed by trauma patients
- Excellent continuity of care between CMMC and Mass General and a commitment to get the CMMC patient back to Maine as soon as appropriate.