Franklin Memorial Hospital

Since 2018, emergency department visits have increased by a third. The hospital also recently completed a $3.5 million renovation of its cancer care and IV therapy space.

The higher costs of bringing in short-term nurses was especially necessary during the pandemic. But Maine’s hospitals continue to struggle with those costs just to meet the ongoing labor shortage.

Being a critical access hospital could be a significant step toward ensuring future financial sustainability and the ability to provide high-quality care to the rural community.

Liia Doumanovskaia received her medical degree from Ural State Medical Academy in Sverdlovsk, Russia.

Ian Dickey will provide patient care at Franklin Health Orthopedics and orthopedic surgery at the hospital.

Barbara Sergio joined the hospital in August 2019 as senior director of quality and patient safety and moved into the COO position in January 2021.

As president of Franklin Community Health Network, Trampas Hutches led the collaborative back to financial stability and demonstrated "unwavering leadership" during the pandemic.

Deanna Orfanidis will be responsible for advancing quality initiatives, creating a culture of safety and improving nursing engagement.

Besides the Maine recipients, only one New England facility made the list, based on an analysis by the Portland-based Chartis Center for Rural Health. The accolade follows a national honor for five of Maine's rural hospitals in December.

A stand of red pines on 20 acres at the Farmington hospital was supposed to be harvested when they were planted decades ago, but that never happened and now they have to be removed for safety reasons.