“ We know that people from this area have roots in the region and are most likely to stay here . It may take a bit longer to train new nurses , but we have our eye on the long-term ,” explains LaFrancois .
But the success isn ’ t all about the new people he points out . “ We would not be where we are now if it was not for the tremendous commitment of our employees , many of whom have been here for decades . Their experience and loyalty makes us who we are .”
In fact , TAMC has a Veterans-In-Partnership ( VIP ) club to recognize staff completing 20 years of service at the hospital . There are now 138 employees who are VIP members . Twenty of these individuals have been working for the hospital since the 1970s . And at this year ’ s annual Employee Service Awards Ceremony , four TAMC employees were honored for 40 years of service : Margaret Blanchard of Blaine , Marie Cash of Presque Isle , Kathy Lancaster of Caribou , and Carl Shaw of Presque Isle .
Three of the most recent additions to TAMC ’ s VIP employee group : Susan Berube , Liane Koch and Priscilla LaPointe .
Growth & Service : Meeting Local Needs As mentioned , the addition of new providers has allowed growth in several areas . Two of these areas that are particularly exciting are pain management and behavioral health .
“ The addition of Dr . Payne and Dr . Lederman , both physiatrists , to our Orthopedic Services practice has really allowed us to expand our offerings in pain intervention and management so patients can have more options for chronic and acute pain ,” says LaFrancois . “ This ability will be increased even further as we complete renovations and upgrades in our cardiovascular lab . We will expand the kinds of pain management treatments they are able to perform there .”
President Greg LaFrancois congratulates 40-year employees Marie Cash and Margaret Blanchard .
With an eye toward the behavioral health and addiction needs locally , TAMC added a psychiatrist who sees patients at the Fort Fairfield Health Center , Aroostook Health Center , and the hospital ’ s emergency room . Dr . Danhong Zhao joins a team of a pediatric psychiatrist , a behavioral health nurse practitioner and licensed social workers . Another behavioral health nurse practitioner will also be joining the team shortly .
TAMC had some exciting wins this year in adding or upgrading technology to improve service to patients . Most notable among this is the investment in 3D mammography . In October , TAMC began offering 3D mammograms to patients . This technology has a 41 percent higher detection rate of breast cancer than that of traditional 2D mammography and it also reduces the rate of false positive results . The Hologic equipment that TAMC is using is unique in that it takes 2D and 3D images at the same time . This means faster exam times and less radiation exposure .
Lorri Jackson , a TAMC mammography technician , gets a patient ready for a 3D mammogram .
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