Mount Desert Island Hospital

The rebranding responds to patient confusion around billing, access and where to seek care.

Problems are being addressed by individual hospitals and hospital systems trying to figure out how to provide the right amount of services and preserve access to care without going broke.

The hospital serves a year-round population of 5,500. But a seasonal spike of summer residents and visitors puts total visits at 70,000 yearly. The $41.3 million project is underway to expand and modernize the campus.

“Since LifeFlight started providing services to Bar Harbor, we have depended on seasonal temporary landing zones,” said Bar Harbor’s fire chief. The new, year-round landing pad shortens turnaround times.

The contribution — the largest from an individual in the hospital’s history — will accelerate the hospital's campus upgrade.

The donations will help fund improvements to the hospital’s main campus in Bar Harbor, including an expanded emergency department, main entrance and ambulance bay.

Training an outdoor recreation workforce, developing a shared commercial kitchen and modernizing health care campuses are on the docket for federal grants.

As hospitals struggle with a deepening financial crisis, they're trying to figure out how to provide the right amount of services and preserve access to care without going broke.

A decline in birth rates, skyrocketing costs and inadequate reimbursement from federal and state sources were cited in the decision.

Physicians from six hospitals will develop the curriculum and lead focus groups to learn what skills patients feel residents need to learn. The training is expected to open by the end of the year.