Pen Bay Medical Center
Community Support During COVID
As challenging as COVID-19 was in 2020, it also revealed the strength of our local health care system. Certainly, it confirmed that the people of PBMC and WCGH, from those who work directly with patients to those in support roles, are fully committed to our community – especially in challenging times.
Just as heartening and equally important, the COVID-19 challenge also revealed how committed our communities are to our hospitals.
In the earliest days of COVID-19, when it looked like there might be shortages of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies, the community stepped up. Wood shops and boatyards from Belfast to Thomaston donated masks. A local energy company donated the propane necessary to fuel our COVID-19 testing facility at PBMC. And numerous business, social clubs and individuals reached out with offers of other aid, from coffee shop gift cards to delivery of pizzas to care teams at both hospitals.
Community members also offered moral support in social media posts and by planting signs of gratitude and encouragement at the entrances to both hospitals. This support even came from the youngest members of our community. A kindergarten class of Camden-Rockport Elementary School, learning remotely from home, worked to design, produce and install a large red heart sign at the PBMC entrance on Route 1. All of these gestures of support gave meaning to the work of those who showed up every day understanding that this may put them at some risk. It strengthened their resolve and reminded us that one community coming together can bravely face any challenge.
Perhaps the most important support the community offered was its embrace of social distancing and the need to wear masks. For this and other reasons, we have not seen a surge of COVID-19 cases as of this writing. There is little doubt that this produced hardships for individuals and local business. But these sacrifices kept our entire community – including our health care workers – safe. Thank you.
This coming together of our community is no small matter. As of this writing, the pandemic continues as we await the development of a vaccine, and there may still be difficult weeks or months ahead. Our ability to confront COVID-19 will certainly depend on the preparations and medical care that PBMC and WCGH will provide. But it will also depend on a resilience born of community spirit. From what we have seen, we are strong in both.
Our Dedicated Volunteers
Thank you, too, to all the volunteers who have supported PBMC, WCGH and our affiliates over the years. Sadly, we have been unable to accept the help of these dedicated members of the CHA community during the pandemic. However, it was their years of hard work over long hours that helped us lay the ground for our strong response to COVID-19. We are humbled and grateful for their contributions.
Pictured right: Volunteers from PBMC & WCGH at the annual volunteer luncheon in April of 2019.
Coastal Healthcare Alliance | marketing@pbmc.org | pbmc.org | wcgh.org
Waldo County General Hospital
As challenging as COVID-19 was in 2020, it also revealed the strength of our local health care system. Certainly, it confirmed that the people of PBMC and WCGH, from those who work directly with patients to those in support roles, are fully committed to our community – especially in challenging times.
Just as heartening and equally important, the COVID-19 challenge also revealed how committed our communities are to our hospitals.
In the earliest days of COVID-19, when it looked like there might be shortages of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies, the community stepped up. Wood shops and boatyards from Belfast to Thomaston donated masks. A local energy company donated the propane necessary to fuel our COVID-19 testing facility at PBMC. And numerous business, social clubs and individuals reached out with offers of other aid, from coffee shop gift cards to delivery of pizzas to care teams at both hospitals.
Community members also offered moral support in social media posts and by planting signs of gratitude and encouragement at the entrances to both hospitals. This support even came from the youngest members of our community. A kindergarten class of Camden-Rockport Elementary School, learning remotely from home, worked to design, produce and install a large red heart sign at the PBMC entrance on Route 1. All of these gestures of support gave meaning to the work of those who showed up every day understanding that this may put them at some risk. It strengthened their resolve and reminded us that one community coming together can bravely face any challenge.
Perhaps the most important support the community offered was its embrace of social distancing and the need to wear masks. For this and other reasons, we have not seen a surge of COVID-19 cases as of this writing. There is little doubt that this produced hardships for individuals and local business. But these sacrifices kept our entire community – including our health care workers – safe. Thank you.
This coming together of our community is no small matter. As of this writing, the pandemic continues as we await the development of a vaccine, and there may still be difficult weeks or months ahead. Our ability to confront COVID-19 will certainly depend on the preparations and medical care that PBMC and WCGH will provide. But it will also depend on a resilience born of community spirit. From what we have seen, we are strong in both.
Pictured above: Volunteers from PBMC & WCGH at the annual volunteer luncheon in April of 2019.
Our Dedicated Volunteers
Thank you, too, to all the volunteers who have supported PBMC, WCGH and our affiliates over the years. Sadly, we have been unable to accept the help of these dedicated members of the CHA community during the pandemic. However, it was their years of hard work over long hours that helped us lay the ground for our strong response to COVID-19. We are humbled and grateful for their contributions.