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CMH Partner, LifeFlight of Maine, Expands and Optimizes its Fleet

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CMH Chief Nursing Officer Kris Chaisson was on site at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport for the arrival of the newly expanded and upgraded fleet of LifeFlight medical helicopters. After a five-year and $20 million fundraising campaign, LifeFlight has added a third twin-engine helicopter and revamped its other aircraft enabling them to serve more patients, more safely, quickly and reliably for years to come.

“Central Maine Healthcare has a longstanding partnership with LifeFlight and their clinical team is an extension of ours,” Kris Chaisson said. “It’s great to know these enhancements will allow them to do their job and do it well, without having to compromise anything in order to take care of our patients.”

The LifeFlight Foundation began the fundraising to replace and modernize the fleet. The three critical care helicopters now feature more power, speed, a larger interior workspace and advanced aviation electronics.

 


(Photo left to right): Carlos Marrero, mechanic, TJ Wesoloski, pilot, Andrew John, pilot, Kate O’Halloran, Exec. Dir., LifeFlight Foundation, Tom Judge, Exec. Dir., LifeFlight of Maine, Kris Chaisson, BSN, MS, RN, CCRN, Chief Nursing Officer, CMH, Pete Tilney, DO FACEP, FAAEM, EMT-P, LifeFlight of Maine, Dr. Norman Dinerman, Greg LaFrancois, Chair of LOM Steering Committee, Pres. Northern Light AR Gould Hospital, Presque Isle  

 

 

Central Maine Medical Center Maternity once again earns “High Performing Hospital” accolade from U.S. News and World Report

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U.S. News & World Report says CMMC “excels on multiple metrics”

Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) has once again been recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report. The publication began listing “Best Hospitals for Maternity” last year. CMMC is one of only two hospitals in Maine to garner the distinction this year.

To achieve a High Performing rating, a hospital had to score significantly higher than average on a combination of eight quality measures. CMMC achieved high ranks on a number of fronts, including breast milk feeding for new infants.  Also, according to U.S. News & World Report, “This hospital met criteria to be recognized as Birthing-Friendly because it participated in a quality improvement collaborative and implemented patient safety practices in order to improve maternal outcomes.”

The U.S. News & World Report ranking comes at a time that CMMC’s maternity department has welcomed and fully integrated new team members from St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston which recently closed its maternity ward this summer.

“I am happy to have joined Central Maine’s women’s health team and to continue to serve the women of this community,” said Maureen Perdue, DO, who was part of the St. Mary’s team that joined CMMC. “All providers, nurses and staff, provide excellent, compassionate care during a very important and vulnerable time for women through pregnancy and childbirth.  We are committed to continued excellence and plan more growth within our department to build on the need for resources for women our community and the greater central Maine area.”

“Getting this recognition from a major U.S. publication like U.S. News & World Report is gratifying, but not surprising,” said Steve Littleson, DBA, FACHE, president and CEO, Central Maine Healthcare. “It is a validation of what people in central Maine already know: CMMC is a great place to have a baby, and that is backed up by U.S. News and World Report’s findings.

See the complete ranking details on the U.S. News and World Report site and learn more about birthing at Central Maine Medical Center here. 

 

Central Maine Medical Center earns ninth consecutive “A” grade for hospital safety

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CMMC’s Leapfrog Group rating praised by industry leaders

Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) received its ninth consecutive “A” for hospital safety from The Leapfrog Group. This national distinction recognizes CMMC’s success with protecting patients from harm and errors in the hospital. CMMC has received “A” grades for Hospital Safety from Leapfrog Group continuously since Fall 2018.

“Safety is the number one consideration in everything we do at Central Maine Healthcare,” said Steve Littleson, DBA, FACHE, president and CEO, Central Maine Healthcare. “Getting an ‘A’ grade from the Leapfrog Group nine consecutive times does not happen by accident; it reflects the professionalism and high standards all of our team members practice every day. I could not be prouder of this team for their continued focus on safety that earned them this grade, particularly at this time of unprecedented challenges in the healthcare industry.”

“The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“The Healthcare Purchaser Alliance is grateful for CMH’s commitment to quality transparency and for the hard work of ensuring safe protocols are followed in the care of their patients,” said Peter Hayes, president and CEO, Healthcare Purchaser Alliance of Maine. “Quality is of utmost importance to the Alliance’s membership, and CMMC’s achievement is great news for everyone they serve.”

The Leapfrog Group has also ranked Bridgton Hospital and Rumford Hospital, both part of the Central Maine Healthcare system, among the “Top Rural Hospitals” in the U.S.

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses evidence-based measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute- care hospitals twice a year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent. The results are free to the public.

Steve Littleson assumes role of Bridgton Hospital president

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Central Maine Healthcare has announced that Steve Littleson, DBA, FACHE, president and CEO, Central Maine Healthcare, has assumed the role of president of Bridgton Hospital.

This development follows the resignation of Peter Wright, FACHE, who served as president of the rural hospital for four years.  “I would like to thank Peter for his leadership and many contributions to our critical access hospital.

“The board of directors of Central Maine Healthcare and I are committed to the continued success of Bridgton Hospital which plays a vital role in serving the community. To that end, I am honored to spend my time in Bridgton working alongside the team members, doctors and nurses who deliver compassionate, expert care each day,” Littleson said.

“Steve is incredibly excited to engage with our community and will provide the same excellent, strong leadership that he has become known for throughout the Central Maine system,” said Marney Chalmers who serves on the Central Maine Healthcare Board of Directors. “With change comes great opportunity and I’m optimistic about the future of local healthcare here in Bridgton.”

Bridgton Hospital has been recognized repeatedly by the LeapFrog Group, a hospital industry watchdog organization, as among the best rural hospitals in the nation.

Steve Littleson assumes role of Rumford Hospital president

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Central Maine Healthcare has announced Steve Littleson, DBA, FACHE, president and CEO, Central Maine Healthcare, has assumed the role of president of Rumford Hospital.

This development follows the resignation of Peter Wright, FACHE, who served as president of the rural hospital for four years. “I would like to thank Peter for his leadership and many contributions to our critical access hospital,” Littleson said.

“The board of directors of Central Maine Healthcare and I are committed to the continued success of Rumford Hospital which plays a vital role in serving the community. To that end, I am honored to spend my time in Rumford working alongside the team members, doctors and nurses who deliver compassionate, expert care each day.”

“I strongly applaud Steve Littleson’s decision to commit his time and presence to Rumford Hospital,” said Jolan Ippolito, who serves on the Central Maine Healthcare Board of Directors. “Change is often difficult, but everyone at Rumford Hospital is passionate about the care and support they provide to their community, family, neighbors and friends. I know they will continue to be as they welcome Steve to the River Valley.”

Rumford Hospital has been recognized repeatedly by the LeapFrog Group, a hospital industry watchdog organization, as among the best rural hospitals in the nation.

CENTRAL MAINE HEALTHCARE SALUTES OUR VETERANS

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Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11, is a tribute to military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is an opportunity for all of us to show our appreciation for the sacrifices the women and men of the military have made. Central Maine Healthcare intends to honor our brave team members who fought and sacrificed for our liberty and freedom. As part of our tribute, we want to share two messages from leaders who spent years in the U.S. military before joining the CMH team. Timothy Coulihan, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.C.R.S.,
chief of surgery, is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corp and made multiple deployments, including tours in Kosovo,
Afghanistan and Iraq. Among the awards he received are two Bronze Star Medals, a Combat Action Badge and a Combat Medical Badge:

“As we approach Veterans Day this year it’s natural to reach out and thank veteran’s we come across for their service. Some of us are easy to pick out; bumper stickers and veteran plates on our cars, ballcaps saying Vietnam Veteran or now much fewer Korea or WWII logos. Our younger vets sport “grunt-style” and other brand tee shirts. Others are walking among us living their various lives undetectable. Some veterans appreciate the “thanks for your service” sentiment, but many of us are uncomfortable with the acknowledgment. Service to our country is something that unites all veterans, draftees and volunteers, peacetime and combat veterans alike. That service is to the citizens of our country, but also to the ideals that make our nation great. Our veterans endure many hardships during their service. They have to face time away from loved ones, and the comforts of living in a prosperous nation. There is a physical burden of serving; carrying heavy loads of equipment and dealing with temperature extremes, dust and burn pit exposures. Greater is the psychological burden many vets carry with them. Our veterans have served willingly and proudly. But veterans do wonder sometimes what am I fighting for? When we see behavior that doesn’t fit our values of freedom and inclusiveness or on a less political scale simply being uncivil or unkind to one another, we can take pause and wonder if the sacrifice was worth it. We can all honor our veterans this Veterans Day and every day going forward by thinking about what they fought for,and joining in that fight here at home. Live your best life. Commit acts of kindness. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Try and make the world around you a little better each day. Then a veteran can thank you for your service!”

 

Richard Kropp, EdD, CAGS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, senior vice president and CPO, spent years in the air force and a decade and a half in the reserves:

In the spring of 1972, I was about to graduate from college and faced an uncertain future. The Vietnam war was still ongoing, and there was still a draft. On a cold winter day in central Pennsylvania, the Selective Service held its draft for men born in 1951… which included me. I drew the number seven. That, of course, meant I would most certainly be drafted. I was okay with that but wanted more control over my future, so I enlisted in the Air Force Reserve. I wasn’t sure what would come next, but I knew I was going to graduate from college in May and get married in June. Both of those things happened and two weeks after the wedding, I was in basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. I was a reasonably immature 20-year-old when I got there, but 13 weeks later, I was a bit more grown-up. From there, it was off to Kessler Air force Base for more training in all things about air cargo. I learned how to load an airplane, a C-5, the largest, at that time, in the Air Force’s fleet. Then it was off to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. Dover was the east coast staging area for moving troops and equipment to South Vietnam. My role varied, some days loading equipment and materials and others getting troops (mostly young Marines) settled onto the aircraft for their trip to the war. It was a sobering time and a fearful time, but one I have always believed allowed me to come into my own, grow way up, and find focus in my life. I never had to go to South Vietnam, a regret in some ways, but I knew those who did go supported our country and the things we stood for and still stand for. Those of us who serve stateside also did our part for the cause. I stayed in the reserves for another 15 years and loved every minute.

CMH sends our gratitude to all who have, and continue to, serve. Your sacrifices are not forgotten.