As chairman of the board of trustees at Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield, I would like to share with readers the perspective of a small community hospital that is part of the larger Eastern Maine Health Systems. We are very proud of what our 28-bed hospital offers our local communities and the quality of the services we provide locally. A key factor in our success in expanding the breadth of care and treatment options in rural Maine is our positive relationship with Norm Ledwin, president and CEO of Eastern Maine Healthcare, and his leadership. We consider ourselves fortunate to be a member of this larger group of healthcare experts from throughout northern, eastern and central Maine.

Our hospital board of trustees, all local community volunteers and our administration carefully considered all the potential pros and cons of becoming a member of the larger system. We believe the decision to affiliate with Eastern Maine Health Systems (EMHS) was in the best interest of our patients. Our relationship also allows us to send representatives from our board to serve on the larger EMHS board. It is an opportunity to positively impact healthcare planning in a larger region, protecting us from becoming too isolationist in our short and long range planning. EMH members work together to continually improve all of our healthcare organizations for our local communities. Let me share some examples of what we offer in an area of small, rural communities that would not be possible if we did not have the resources and support of EMHS.

A wide range of specialists allow our patients to be seen locally, rather than having to travel out of the area for care and treatment. A prime example are the physicians from Orthopaedic Associates of Bangor. These doctors are able to provide hip, shoulder, knee, pinning and plating surgeries in our hospital. This is a tremendous benefit for our patients, and for their families who so often prove instrumental in a patient’s recovery. It allows patients to access care close to home. On a monthly basis, nearly 30 specialists travel to see patients at SVH. Many of these doctors come to us as a result of our relationship with Eastern Maine.

Eastern Maine has been consistently generous with their educational opportunities for our staff. Although some of the services we offer are certainly in direct competition with Eastern Maine, they have gone out of their way to provide training for our staff. Our Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is but one example of the benefits of our staff being warmly welcomed to job shadow colleagues at Eastern Maine.

All of the member health care organizations have been able to learn from each other and pool resources for the benefit of our patients. We were recently able to begin offering a new specialty service thanks to a cooperative relationship with another member of EMH, Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home in Greenville. The mutual sharing of knowledge, resources, plans and cost-savings ideas are a boon to all the patients who use any part of the Eastern Maine network of health care members from Aroostook to Waterville.

When we wanted to build a helipad to enable us to quickly transport patients to a higher level of care when necessary, Eastern Maine members were behind us all the way. With the help of our local community, and EMH, we were one of the first small hospitals in Maine to offer this critical, life-saving service to our patients.

Eastern Maine Health has also made possible annual Business Forums throughout central and northern Maine. This is a great opportunity for local businesses and industries to discuss a myriad of healthcare topics. EMH has helped us provide two of these forums in the Sebasticook Valley region. The ability to attract nationally recognized speakers and organize these annual events would not be possible without the strong leadership of Norm Ledwin.

Based on population, Maine is a small state. At Sebasticook Valley Hospital, we know the leadership of all the hospitals in the state of Maine. They are decent, hard- working people who care about the people they serve. It is unfortunate the story of how a truly compassionate and diligent work ethic in our state takes back stage to the more recent coverage. The professionalism of the staff and dedicated leadership of Maine’s health care organizations is truly good news for the people of Maine. They should know this.

Larry Ross is chairman of the board of trustees at Sebasticook Valley Hospital.