By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
CARIBOU, Maine – Cary Medical Center is celebrating their 90th year of caring for the Caribou community. The medical center has been a major staple in the community since 1924, when it was known as the Cary Memorial Hospital. The original Cary Memorial Hospital was named after Dr. Jefferson B. Cary. During the time of his death in 1912, he bequeathed a sum of money to the town of Caribou, where he had practiced medicine for over 30 years, often using a trade and barter system for payment. After his death the town was determined to build a hospital in Dr. Cary’s honor. Throughout the next 12 years, the Cary Memorial Hospital was erected in the same location Dr. Cary once called home. By 1924 the building was finished, and so began a legacy of care that has lasted for 90 years.
In early 1973, the Caribou Hospital District began to make plans for a brand new 90,000 square foot facility on the Van Buren Road. In one of the most one-sided referendums in the town’s history, voters approved the hospital’s $7 million construction plan by a vote of 1,607-110.
The new hospital would be named Cary Medical Center and saw expanded outpatient and ancillary departments in areas such as laboratory and radiology. Bill Flagg, who is director of community relations and development for Cary Medical Center, is currently one of the longest active-members of the administration team. His career with Cary began in 1979 and he’s been a key leader of the staff ever since. When asked about some of the more important issues the hospital faces and what makes Cary so proficient in their patient-centered services he was quick to pass the credit off to a number of different staff members working both behind the scenes and on the front lines.
“There are so many staff members and volunteers doing dedicated work to keep the hospital running. Kris Doody, who is an RN and CEO of Cary Medical Center, she’s really done a lot to help us advance and keep up with the ever-changing technology,” said Flagg.
Doody was born at Cary Medical Center and was a ‘candy striper,’ which is what volunteer nurses were previously referred to as. She started out as a volunteer nurse and made her way up the ranks to CEO of the entire hospital, leaving her embedded into Cary’s culture.
“One of the real challenges of a large organization like Cary Medical Center is the ability to maintain a culture over many years that stays true to the values of the original founding of the organization. In our case Dr. Jefferson Cary, in his Will, spoke of establishing a hospital that cared “… for all grades of suffering humanity…,” said Doody. “Our goal has been to live out the legacy of Dr. Cary by continuing a tradition of a patient and family centered, compassionate approach to care for all of those who put their health and lives in our hands. Based on the feedback that our patients provide in surveys I believe that over 90 years our staff has not only embraced this culture but taken it to new levels for which Dr. Cary would be very proud.”
Flagg then went on to explain that beyond the growth and expansion, compassionate care and advancing technology became the hospital’s trademark.
“In recent years we’ve sort of gotten away from all the expansion and tried to focus more on keeping up with the constant changes in technology. That’s the most important thing for Cary today, which is getting that technology aspect down,” said Flagg. “Then, we can start sharing knowledge with other hospitals. I think that will really help to tame the constant competition between hospitals, and get back to cooperating together to provide the best health care possible for our patients.”
Flagg continued by explaining how more important than anything money could buy or renovate was the staff’s ability to recapture the ‘family’ centered philosophy that was such a major part of the original Cary Memorial Hospital.
“Part of the 90th anniversary will be to launch this new effort to help people stay healthy. We’re going to soon launch a program called ‘30 four 90.’ The idea behind the program is to try to get people to exercise at least four days a week, for 30 minutes a day, for 90 days. We hope to launch that sometime at the end of February or the beginning of March,” said Flagg.
“Every time someone completes a week of what we’ve asked them to do they’ll be entered into a contest where they could win something like tickets for a cruise. Then, our big celebration will take place on Sept. 24th, which is the exact date of our 90th anniversary. We’ll be holding a senior’s ball, of sorts, where we will encourage senior citizens to come out for a dance, and if someone happens to be 90 years old we might have something special planned for them. ”
Flagg reiterated his sentiments about what has truly made the hospital so successful is their patient care.
“Among the key ingredients that have made Cary Medical Center one of the leading rural hospitals in the nation, include a dedicated and high quality medical staff. Since the founding of the hospital we’ve seen a long line of outstanding physicians,” said Flagg. “Executive leadership has also been and continues to be vital to our success. Over the past 90 years it is clear that Cary Medical Center has been blessed by the service and talents of some outstanding individuals, whether it’s the chief executive officers, dedicated board members, outstanding physicians or our hardworking nurses and volunteers it is those people who make all the difference.”
Between 1986 and 2005 the hospital built a long-term care facility for veterans, a 40-bed Maine Veterans Home and a veteran’s chapel.
”The veteran’s facility is extremely important for aging veterans, who were previously forced to drive all the way to Togus, regardless of the reason. We are now the first community-based outpatient VA clinic in the nation,” said Flagg.
Cary is not only keeping up to date from a technological aspect, but they’ve also been able to attract and retain superior staff members, from nurses to physicians. Cary has been fortunate to find staff members who are willing to buy-in to the culture Cary has created.
“We now have two of the best oncologists in the state on staff, and Dr. Ronald Rohe and our board chair Gregg Collins, both of whom, I think, are going to do some really great things here, as far as cancer care goes. The full-time establishment of oncology, as well as hematology is a really big deal for Cary,” said Flagg. “We’ve also made major strides in implementing new technologies like automated medication dispensing and medication bar coding, which are just two of the technologies we now have to make sure our patients receive the best and safest care possible.”
Cary has gained notoriety as one of the most exemplary rural hospitals in the nation, while simultaneously receiving an array of awards, and is ranked among the top two-percent of hospitals in the nation for health information and patient safety technology.
“In 2009, Cary was recognized by Avatar International, an international survey organization that included more than 300 hospitals nationwide, for exceeding patient expectations for the fifth year in a row,” said Flagg. “Also, Cary’s senior administration earned the distinction of being selected as the Top Leadership Team among the nation’s small hospitals by HealthLeaders Magazine and was named a Tier 1 Hospital by the Maine Health Management Coalition for the fourth time in a row, the only hospital north of Bangor to earn such recognition.”
With their stellar list of awards and the economic benefits the hospital offers, as the town’s largest employer, it’s difficult to argue that Cary Medical Center has been one of the most important businesses in not only Caribou, but also, as Flagg puts it “a model for rural hospitals across the nation.”
