Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems

Programs: Provide skilled, dementia and long-term nursing care

lakewood is a 105 bed long-term care facility in waterville, maine. Lakewood is a not-for-profit skilled nursing facility that has cared for the residents of central maine for more than thirty years. During fiscal year 2017 lakewood had a 93% occupancy rate. Lakewood is a member of eastern maine healthcare systems.

please see the following excerpt from the emhs annual report to the community for details of community benefit projects at emhs members:coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. The man who spoke these words understood the value of teamwork. He embraced technology in a way that nobody else had before him. His vision, passion, and innovation revolutionized the world. He made it possible for families to feel more connected despite living long distances apart. In many ways, emhs shares the same goals championed 100 years ago by industrialist and automaker, henry ford. Like ford, we know that we are succeeding by working together. Our new integrated, system wide electronic health record (ehr) will allow all our hospitals, primary care practices, and other members within the emhs family to share information seamlessly. Using this system, we can collaborate more effectively and improve patient care. By mass-producing the automobile, ford helped rural americans feel connected. We are connecting people through technology, too. People who live in rural communities can talk one-on-one through a computer screen with doctors who may be several states away, thanks to our investments in telemedicine. Patients have access to specialists that would have been out of reach without this technology. Ford was an innovator. We too are embracing innovation in the way we deliver care. Our partnership with dana-farber cancer institute affords opportunities for cancer patients to access clinical trials closer to home at our lafayette family cancer center in brewer. We are using paramedics to make routine house calls in our rural communities to perform wellness checks. This service is helping patients avoid trips to the hospital or doctors office while getting compassionate care in the comfort of their own homes. Of course, all of these initiatives require dedicated people who are committed to teamwork. Its the very reason why we take extraordinary measures to recruit and retain our employees. We have added a new nurse residency program, which is already showing signs of success in addressing a critical statewide nursing shortage and providing our nurses the tools they need to thrive. By working together, we can continue to do great things. To borrow another line from henry ford, if everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. In the pages that follow are numerous testaments to the innovative spirit underscoring many successes this past year throughout our system. While the hard work will continue, we are pleased to share with you the progress we are making towards achieving our vision to be a nationally recognized model of excellence in healthcare. M. Michelle hood, facheemhs president and ceobarry mccrumemhs board chair