MARS HILL, Maine — A celebration is planned this Friday to mark the 50-year anniversary of a Mars Hill health care facility that became the first north of Bangor to offer extended care. The Aroostook Health Center (AHC) has served central Aroostook since it opened its doors in 1962, first as a nursing home, for more than two decades as a hospital, and now as an intermediate care facility and skilled nursing facility that is part of The Aroostook Medical Center.
To mark the milestone, TAMC officials, who are in full birthday mode celebrating the organization’s centennial, have planned a sock hop and malt shop event open to the public at the facility on Highland Avenue Aug. 3 from 6-7:30 p.m. Complete with poodle skirts, a disc jockey spinning popular hits from the era and free ice cream sundaes, the clock will be turned back to the early 1960s when AHC got its start.
The event, scheduled to coincide with the three-day, community-wide Aroostook Central Institute (ACI) and Central Aroostook Homecoming Days celebration this weekend in Mars Hill, will follow a community ‘50s/’60s car hop supper at the fire station downtown. Free bus transportation will be provided for area residents to get to the sock hop from the car hop and back again for activities at the fire station venue scheduled for later in the evening.
“We’re inviting the community to dig out their poodle skirts, dust off the leather jackets, shine up the saddle shoes and come join us as we host a celebration rock and roll style,” said Kelly Lundeen, AHC administrator.
The event will feature DJ Steve Leighton from Good Vibrations spinning many favorite tunes from the ‘50s and ‘60s, a costume contest sponsored by Mars Hill Pharmacy, and photos taken at the sock hop photo booth. The TAMC Birthday Buggy will be on-site serving up Houlton Farms Dairy ice cream complete with an array of toppings for folks to make their own sundae in special AHC 50th anniversary keepsake cups.
The Aroostook Health Center came about as the result of a 1960 meeting of Mars Hill and Blaine business people who decided there was a need to explore a local hospital in order to ensure physician coverage in the community. Mars Hill had previously been home to two private hospitals that opened in the 1930s.
The community leaders felt it was extremely important for the area to retain medical service. Two local physicians at the time, Dr. Wallace B. Somerville and Dr. Stephen S. Brown, were reaching retirement age after serving Mars Hill and surrounding towns for many years.
After many months of meetings, Charles A. Stitham, George R. Fenderson, Guy L. Hewitt, Charles A. Nutter, Stetson H. Hussey Sr., Stetson H. Hussey Jr. and Yale D. Adelman met at the law offices of Hussey and Hussey and voted to build a local hospital, which was the start of Aroostook Health Center. It was financed with funds appropriated under the Hill-Burton Act, generous contributions by local people, and a real estate mortgage with the Aroostook County Federal Savings and Loan Association of Caribou.
In the fall of 1962, there was a dedication and open house for the new brick facility with 14-room capacity. It included a doctor’s office and waiting room, kitchen, dining room, laundry, storage areas and a maintenance area. The health care facility ran as a nursing home for about a year and a half, then was licensed to be a 12-bed hospital and a 12-bed skilled nursing facility (SNF). Later, two acute care beds were relicensed as SNF beds. In 1978, a 50-bed nursing home was built, connected to the hospital.
In 1981, the center consolidated with neighboring A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital to the north to form The Aroostook Medical Center. Later that year the Grant Building was constructed to provide space for physician’s offices and much needed meeting areas.
In 1986, the 10 acute care beds were de-licensed and the emergency room was closed. Six beds were added to the SNF service. Today the AHC Division of TAMC provides ICF level care to 55 residents and SNF levels to an additional 15 for a total of 70 occupied beds. The facility employs 110 full and part-time employees.
