Central Maine Healthcare

Where You are the Center

Arbor House

Corporate Partnerships

There are many meaningful opportunities for businesses of all sizes to support the non-profit hospitals that care for the communities of central and western Maine. Your support is vital to ensure that Bridgton Hospital, Central Maine Medical Center and Rumford Hospital continue to improve the health of our families, friends and neighbors.

We offer a range of partnerships for you to choose from. Whether you’re interested in supporting the Cancer Care Center, Central Maine Heart & Vascular Institute, Women & Children’s programs or the annual golf tournament benefitting Bridgton Hospital, we have options that will allow you to make a significant impact close to home.

We will work with you to determine the most appropriate ways to promote your partnership.
Some of the ways we may recognize your business include:

  • Mention of your corporate partnership in CMH promotional materials including press releases, social posts, marketing pieces and weekly CMH newsletters
  • Feature article, photo, and logo in one monthly e-newsletter
  • Top listing in 2024 Annual Report and donor recognition panels in each hospital lobby
  • Listing and linking to your business on the Corporate Partnership page on www.cmhc.org
  • All corporate partners are recognized throughout the year.

Join us as a Corporate Partner at CMH today!

CMMC Corporate Partners:

Rumford Hospital Giving Tree Sponsors:

Thank you to the Rumford Hospital Auxiliary for managing the GIving Tree and our corporate sponsors. Proceeds from the 2024 Giving Tree will support Rumford Hospital’s Equipment Fund.

Silver SponsorsBlue SponsorsRed Sponsors
Carlisle’s Apparel
& Footwear		The Fitch CompanyTowle’s Corner Store
Mountain View Eyecare
Naples Packing Co.
Rumford Power
Rumford Rotary Club

For more information, please contact Lisa LaVallee in the Office of Philanthropy at giving@cmhc.org or 207-795-2685.

Annual Giving

Make a gift today and make a difference close to home!

Year after year, our annual giving donors generously support Bridgton Hospital, Central Maine Medical Center and Rumford Hospital with our annual giving campaigns.

  • Every dollar you donate helps us improve lives
  • Your contributions enable us to reach more individuals and make a lasting difference in central Maine
  • By supporting our Annual Giving Campaign, you help ensure that we can continue our mission for years to come.
Donate to Bridgton Hospital
Donate to CMMC
Donate to Rumford Hospital

Contact Us

For more information on ways to give to Central Maine Healthcare, please contact Lisa LaVallee at giving@cmhc.org or 207-795-2685.

Memorial Gifts

Memorial gifts celebrate the life and legacy of a loved one. Making a gift in memory of a loved one is a great way to pay tribute to that individual and recognize the special care they may have received from Central Maine Healthcare.

There are three ways to designate Central Maine Healthcare as the beneficiary of your condolences:

Send a memorial gift by check to:

  • Bridgton Hospital Memorial Gifts, 10 Hospital Drive, Bridgton, ME 04009
  • CMMC Memorial Gifts, 300 Main Street, Lewiston, ME 04240
  • Rumford Hospital Memorial Gifts, 420 Franklin Street, Rumford, ME 04276

Include appropriate language in loved one’s obituary:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in (Name’s) honor to (Hospital), c/o Central Maine Healthcare Philanthropy Office, 300 Main Street, Lewiston, ME 04240, or online at cmhc.org/giving/memorial-gifts.

Give online:

To make a memorial or tribute gift by credit card, please click on the link below.

Online Giving

For more information about Memorial Gifts to Central Maine Healthcare, please contact giving@cmhc.org or call 207-795-2685. 

Brain and Spinal Cancer

At Central Maine Healthcare we understand that a brain or spinal tumor diagnosis can be alarming. That’s why we offer the services of the cancer care team at Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center, an exceptionally skilled neurological oncology group to design your treatment plan and give you the best possible care, including the most effective approaches to combatting these diseases.

Brain and Spinal Tumors

A tumor is a mass of abnormal cells. These can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). With most cancers, benign tumors are much less of a concern than malignant ones. Benign tumors in the brain or spine are riskier to remove, and as they grow they may begin to press on and damage normal brain tissue or spinal nerves.

Prognosis will depend on your age, the type of tumor, and its location, not by how early it is discovered. As with any disease, early detection and treatment is likely to be helpful.

Prevention

Thanks to the blood-brain barrier, our bodies protect our brains from toxins that may affect other areas, so unlike many cancers, lifestyle choices like diet and exercise appear to have little impact on prevention of brain or spinal tumors. If you’ve been exposed to radiation, this may increase your chances of contracting the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, there is no known way to protect against these tumors. The good news is that they are not common.

Detection and Diagnosis

Brain tumors are often discovered when a patient begins to have headaches, seizures or other symptoms of pressure inside the skull (also known as intracranial pressure). It’s important to note however that the majority of headaches and seizures are not caused by a brain tumor.

If you have a spinal cord tumor, symptoms may include numbness, weakness, or lack of coordination in the arms and/or legs (usually on both sides of the body), as well as bladder or bowel problems. Again, these symptoms don’t mean you have spinal cancer but if you have any of these symptoms, see your provider promptly.

The process for detecting brain or spinal cancer starts with your provider getting your medical history and completing a physical exam. If they discover anything abnormal, they may refer you to a neurologist or neurosurgeon who will do a more detailed neurologic exam or other tests, which may include imaging tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, or x-ray. These tests may show an abnormality but often they can’t tell the type of tumor. To make this determination, the provider may recommend a biopsy, which involves removing a bit of the tumor to further test it.

Treatment

CMH is committed to providing compassionate, high-quality brain and spine care. If you are in the process of being evaluated for or have received a brain or spinal cancer diagnosis, your provider will refer you to the appropriate specialist.

Our health system offers experienced providers who specialize in treating cancer of the brain and spine, including:

  • Radiation oncologists, who use high-energy beams or small particles to kill cancer cells
  • Medical oncologists, who administer anti-cancer drugs, usually given into a vein or taken by mouth
  • Neurosurgeons, who remove cancerous tumors, lesions and tissues

Support

Fighting cancer is a tough job and we’re here to take it on with you. Our oncology nurses and oncology social workers know your treatment plan and help you get the support you need, whether it’s educational, emotionally supportive and wellness programs or a place for your loved ones to rest at the Arbor House, a free residential space on the CMMC campus.

Screenings and Diagnosis

If you’re concerned you may have brain or spinal cancer, you want to know your diagnosis as soon as possible. Central Maine Healthcare understands that knowing the first step, so we strive to provide the most accurate diagnoses as quickly as possible. Our pathologists and radiologists use state-of-the-art assessments to determine the cause of your symptoms and provide the best treatment.

Screening for Brain or Spinal Cancer

Brain or spinal cancer is usually detected by the symptoms it causes, which include headaches, seizures, back pain and numbness in the limbs. While patients with these symptoms usually don’t have brain or spinal cancer, talk to your provider promptly if you are experiencing any of them.

There are no widely recommended tests at this time that can detect brain or spinal cancer before symptoms appear. (“Screening” is the term for these types of tests.) But as with any cancer, early detection puts you at an advantage so be sure to share any and all symptoms you have with your provider.

Diagnosis of Brain and Spinal Cancer

A number of technologies and sciences are used to help your provider determine whether you have a tumor, whether it is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) and, if it is malignant, the type of cancer it may be.

A neurological exam may be ordered if you’re experiencing problems with your strength, reflexes, vision, coordination, hearing, or balance. Checking these areas helps your provider understand more about what areas of your brain or spine may be affected.

Pathology is another tool used to understand diseases, including brain and spinal tumors. If your provider suspects you may have one of these tumors, they may order pathology tests to examine the cells, tissues and/or fluids of your body. These samples are captured using the following techniques:

  • Blood tests
  • Resection, a technique for surgically removing areas suspected to be cancerous
  • Biopsies, which involve removing cells and tissue

Any of these tests are available onsite at Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) although some samples are sent to an outside testing lab. Your provider can answer any questions you have about the process and will let you know when you can expect results.

Radiology uses pain-free X-rays and other high-energy radiation to produce accurate images of internal body structures, allowing radiologists to detect the presence or absence of most tumors. CMMC’s Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center is staffed with experienced radiologists who use a number of radiology scans to help providers find the cause of your symptoms, and if it’s a tumor, determine its type and best possible treatments. Radiology testing includes:

  • X-rays
  • Computed Tomography (CT) Scans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Treatment

If you or a loved one has received a brain or spinal tumor diagnosis, we understand it can be upsetting and even frightening news. At Central Maine Healthcare (CMH), we want to provide everything we possibly can to make the treatment process reassuring. The information below is a general overview of the types of treatments your provider may recommend, but we hope you’ll do further research, including asking your care providers any questions you have.

Surgical Oncology

A surgeon who has expertise in removing cancerous tumors, lesions and tissues from the body is known as a surgical oncologist. This is often the first step in the treatment of brain or spinal cancer and in some cases will involve removing as much of the tumor as possible without affecting normal function and then following up with radiation treatments. Used together, these treatments may control or cure many tumors.

Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Care Cancer Center

A provider who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer is called a radiation oncologist. They use high energy rays or small particles to kill cancer cells. When a tumor is on or near your spinal cord or brain, the radiation needs to be aimed very precisely to avoid damaging these important organs.

The radiation team at Central Maine Medical Center’s Cancer Care Center, will determine the best angle and the lowest possible dose of radiation, with the goal of damaging the tumor while minimizing harm to your healthy tissue. Providers at the Cancer Care Center have advanced training and years of experience using radiation to help patients fight brain and spinal cancer.

One or more of the techniques below may be used to focus the radiation in the most therapeutic way possible:

  • IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy)
  • IGRT (image-guided radiation therapy)
  • Rapid arc / VMAT (Volumetric-modulated arc therapy)
  • Hexapod table movement
  • CT simulation
  • SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy)
  • 3D-conformal radiation therapy

Medical Oncology

A medical oncologist treats cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and biological therapy to weaken the brain or spinal tumor. These drugs are delivered either intravenously (through a needle in the vein) or via a pill and are used to reduce a tumor’s size before surgery, to kill cancer cells remaining after surgery or radiation, or to treat tumors that have developed in other areas.

Medical oncologists undergo advanced training in the use of these drugs and create a plan to guide treatment. Patients at Central Maine Healthcare have peace of mind thanks to our relationship with the Hematology-Oncology Associates practice, which offers medical oncology specialists and a commitment to compassionate care. The practice features a state-of-the-art infusion center, as well as hydration, antibiotic, therapy and blood product transfusion services.

Bile Duct Cancer

What is Bile Duct Cancer? Your bile ducts are thin tubes that carry bile from the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas into your small intestine to help digest the fats in food. Bile duct cancer happens when cells in the bile ducts divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissue. Because bile duct cancer occurs deep in the body, it is difficult to detect and there are no screening tests that can find it before it produces symptoms. The good news is that it is very rare, with only 8,000 people per year diagnosed with the disease.

Detection and Diagnosis: Symptoms of bile cancer can include pain in the belly, nausea and vomiting, fever, weakness and dark urine. But experiencing these symptoms does not mean you have the disease – it is quite rare. If you’re concerned about your risk of bile duct cancer, you want a diagnosis or to know the disease has been ruled out quickly. Central Maine Healthcare’s cancer care team is focused on providing fast, accurate testing, along with compassionate care. 

Treatment: Bile duct cancer is usually treated with either surgery or radiation and often with a combination of the two. With surgery, your provider removes as much of the cancer as possible. Sometimes all of it can be removed, curing the cancer. In other cases, the cancer is too advanced, but surgery can be done to remove as much as possible in order to relieve symptoms or treat complications.

The other form of treatment is radiation, which uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. This approach allows your provider to try to eliminate cancer that could not be safely removed during surgery. If the cancer can’t be operated on but hasn’t spread to other parts of the body, radiation helps control the disease.

Support: Central Maine Healthcare’s cancer care team includes nurses specially trained for treating cancer patients, nurse navigators who guide patients and their loved ones to a variety of supportive resources, and oncology social workers who help you balance the demands of battling cancer with the rest of your life. Our residential facility, Arbor House, offers patients and families bedrooms, apartments, laundry facilities and a dining room all on the Central Maine Medical Center campus.

Screening for Bile Duct Cancer: Your bile ducts are deep inside your liver and gall bladder so detecting cancer in these areas during a physical exam is very difficult. And so far there are no reliable blood tests or other tests that can help providers discover the disease in its early stages. Usually, bile duct cancer is discovered after tumors have grown large enough to create symptoms. One of the most common is jaundice, a yellowing of the eyes and skin, that’s caused by a blocked duct. Other symptoms of bile duct cancer include:

  • Pain in your belly or sides, which can come from fluid buildup
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite/weight loss
  • Weakness
  • Itching
  • Light-colored stools
  • Dark urine

It’s important to note that bile duct cancer is quite rare – only about 8,000 people per year are diagnosed with the disease – so if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s not likely you have bile duct cancer.

Diagnosis of Bile Duct Cancer: Your provider will use a combination of methods to diagnose your condition, including:

  • Physical exam
  • Blood tests – blood is drawn from your body with a needle and examined in a lab
  • Endoscope ERCP spy glass cholangioscopy
  • Ultrasound – a pain-free imaging tool that uses soundwaves
  • CT scan – which uses powerful x-rays to make an image of the inside of your abdomen
  • MRI – image created by high powered magnets that a radiologist uses to detect tumors
  • Endoscopy – endoscope cable with a camera lets your provider see inside your body without surgery or be used to inject dye into bile ducts, which are x-rayed in a test referred to as ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography).
  • Laparoscopy – once sedated, your provider inserts a thin tube through an incision with a small video camera so they can see if – and how far – the cancer has spread.

Treating Bile Duct Cancer: Bile duct cancer is usually treated with surgery, radiation or some mix of the two. Your cancer care team will develop a treatment plan based on how advanced the cancer is, whether tests indicate it can be surgically removed, how well your liver is functioning, your age and general health condition, and a host of other factors.

Surgery for Bile Duct Cancer: Because bile duct cancer is difficult to detect, it’s usually only discovered after surgery could cure the cancer. If imaging tests or surgeries indicate the cancer has been caught early, a surgeon may be able to remove all the cancer, plus a margin of healthy tissue around it. This is referred to as curative surgery because it usually cures the cancer.

In most other cases, the cancer is too advanced or is in a spot where surgery to completely remove the cancer would be very risky for the patient. In these situations, your provider may consider palliative surgery, which means the procedure is done to relieve symptoms or treat complications, rather than cure the disease. Both curative and palliative surgeries are major operations that can require long recovery times, so you should be sure you’re well informed about the goals of the surgery, its risks and potential side effects.

Palliative endoscopy is often done to unblock a bile duct which can relieve jaundice or itching that is common with bile duct cancer. While it can help the patient feel better, it is not done to eliminate or cure the cancer. In some cases, a surgeon will rely on the best information available – which may come from imaging tests and/or exploratory surgeries like laparoscopy – to plan a curative surgery but realize when the surgery begins that the cancer is too advanced or widespread to be cured. At this point, they may decide to take palliative measures.

Radiation therapy for bile duct cancer isn’t common and providers disagree about how helpful it is. But your provider may decide in your case that its benefits outweigh its costs, which can include side effects like skin redness and blistering, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue. There are two main types of radiation therapy for bile duct cancer:

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) – uses high-energy rays aimed directly at the tumor to kill cancer cells. EBRT is the most commonly used radiation therapy for bile duct cancer

Brachytherapy – is also known as “internal radiation therapy.” A radiologist places small pellets of radioactive material next to or into the tumor. Since the source of the radiation is so close, it affects the cancer without causing much harm to nearby healthy tissue.

RFA Endoscopic Treatment – CMMC offers these treatments at the Cancer Care Center, which has state-of-the-art radiation therapy services, including EBRT and brachytherapy.

Chemotherapy for Bile Duct Cancer: the use of medical drugs to treat cancer. Also known as medical oncology, it involves giving these drugs in the vein (IV) or taking them by mouth. Since they go directly into the bloodstream, they reach all areas of the body. Like radiation therapy, providers may not agree on whether chemotherapy is helpful for bile duct cancer. Still, your provider may decide it is useful for your case. Chemotherapy may be used in one or a combination of several ways to treat bile duct cancer:

  • To shrink tumors before surgery to make them smaller and easier to remove
  • To lessen the odds that cancer will return after surgery has removed the tumors
  • To help people whose cancer can’t be operated on to live longer
  • To slow the growth of or reduce the size of tumors that are creating painful symptoms by pressing on nerves.

The Cancer Care Center at Central Maine Medical Center offers our cancer patients who need medical oncologists the services of Hematology-Oncology Associates practice, which is committed to offering the most current, individualized, compassionate and convenient care for cancer patients and their families.