Chris’s Pond needs your help!

 

Please send letters of support for the expansion project at Chris’s Pond to the Southwest Harbor Selectmen before February 3rd. This exciting project is in partnership with the Town of Southwest Harbor, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Island Housing Authority. If the project is successful we will secure improved access to the pond, more land to use around the pond for the SWH community and safer parking. Letters can be brief and include personal stories of your visits to the pond or just your support for the project. Please email letters to the Conservation Commission at: chrispondswh@gmail.com or send to: Southwest Harbor Conservation Commission, PO Box 263, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679. The Conservation Commission will be collecting your letters of support and sharing them with the Selectmen prior to a February 9th meeting when they will review the proposal to continue moving the project forward.

COVID-19 Vaccine Public Service Announcement - 1.13.21

 

Mount Desert Island Hospital administered its first vaccinations for COVID-19 to frontline healthcare staff in late December. Since then, it has received a limited supply of doses designated for frontline and community healthcare workers and older adults living in congregate care facilities.

Governor Janet Mills announced today, January 13, updates to Maine’s vaccine distribution strategy that prioritizes older residents, those with underlying conditions, emergency service personnel and others critical to Maine’s COVID-19 response. Under the new guidelines, Maine’s limited vaccine supply will be prioritized for those 70 and older, additional emergency service personnel such as police and firefighters; and those critical to Maine’s COVID-19 response. The updated strategy also focuses on adults of all ages with underlying medical conditions that place them at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19.

Current recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include two phases. Phase 1 includes three tiers, 1a, 1b and 1c. Phase 2 includes community vaccination. The State of Maine has set vaccination priorities in accordance with this guidance as well as sub-tiering instructions for hospitals and health care facilities.

Current priorities in Maine Phase 1a include healthcare workers, EMS and residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1b includes people age 70 and older and frontline essential workers. Phase 1c includes people ages 65-70, people of all ages with high-risk medical conditions, and other essential workers. Phase 2 includes all people ages 16 and older who are not in Phase 1, with vaccine starting to become available to the general public. This approach is subject to change as Maine updates vaccination priorities and strategy in accordance with federal guidelines.

MDI Hospital is continually monitoring state and federal vaccine planning guidelines and availability to ensure that our community can be vaccinated as quickly and efficiently as possible when supply becomes available. Our ability to vaccinate our community is currently contingent on the supply we are allocated each week. Due to the limited supply of vaccine, MDI Hospital does not currently have a guaranteed weekly allocation of doses. MDI Hospital will be notified by the state when supply will be available to begin the updated prioritization strategy and will continue to update our community as new information is received. The Governor has said that additional information on vaccination for people age 70 and older in Maine will be available the week of January 18 and asked older Mainers to wait to contact their health care providers about getting vaccinated.

When supply becomes consistently available, vaccines will be available through our primary care clinics based on state guidance. We thank you for your patience during these dynamic times. If you would like more information, MDI Hospital has set up an email address for vaccine-related questions, covidvaccine@mdihospital.org.

COVID-19 Public Service Announcement

Mount Desert Island Hospital has seen an increase in COVID-19 positivity on MDI and surrounding communities following the holiday season. We strongly encourage everyone to remain vigilant, monitor for symptoms, wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, maintain physical distancing and avoid crowded situations with poor ventilation.

Due to the increase in positivity, MDI Hospital will be providing access to our Winter Testing Facility on Sunday, January 3, 2021. The call line 207-801-5520 will open at 8:00 am to schedule testing for anyone who believes they may have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive community member. If we are on the line when you call, please leave a message so we can ensure your call is returned. Testing on Sunday will take place from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm.  The facility is located adjacent to 6 Stanwood Place in Bar Harbor.

In recent weeks, our state has seen the highest increase in cases since the beginning of the pandemic. We have also seen the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccination arrive in our state. As we have been throughout the pandemic, MDI Hospital remains committed to being as transparent as possible throughout this process. Supply of vaccine will be limited at first, and it is more important than ever that we maintain COVID-19 safety precautions.

Over the next several months, vaccines will begin to be available to protect those in Maine at the highest risk. The State of Maine has set vaccination priorities in accordance with the latest federal guidelines. Current recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include two phases. Phase 1 includes three tiers, 1a, 1b and 1c. Phase 1a includes health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1b includes people age 75 and older and frontline essential workers. Phase 1c includes people ages 65 to 74, people ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and other essential workers. Phase 2 includes all people ages 16 and older who are not in Phase 1, with vaccine starting to become available to the general public.

This approach is subject to change as Maine receives new vaccination guidance. The State has established a new webpage to help everyone stay up to date on the latest vaccine information: www.maine.gov/covid19/vaccines. As we wait for COVID-19 vaccine supply to increase, please continue to maintain physical distancing, wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene and avoid crowded situations with poor ventilation. Thank you for helping to protect the health and well-being of our invaluable community.