Forum on Women's Health, Pregnancy and COVID-19

 

Join us for a community forum featuring Maine experts on women’s health, pregnancy and early childhood education as they discuss the latest COVID-19 vaccination recommendations. Speakers will share their perspectives on the role COVID-19 vaccines play in keeping pregnant women and young children as safe as possible, and answer audience questions. 

Forum speakers include:

• Dr. Olamide Sobowale, MD, FACOG, FRCSC, OB/GYN at Northern Light Women’s Health

• Hollie McLachlan, M.Ed, co-owner of Chickadee Infant and Toddler Care 

• Linda Robinson, CNM, President of the Maine Affiliate of American College of Nurse Midwives 

Moderator: Jennifer Gunderman-King, M.P.H. 

WHEN: Thursday, September 2nd 6-7pm ET. 

WHERE: Via zoom, register at mecap.org/families to receive the webinar login information.

MDI Hospital's Press Release August 27, 2021 regarding increased COVID cases in Hancock County

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Maine hospitals are nearly full across our state

and health system leaders are calling on Maine communities to help mitigating the

spread of COVID-19. Mount Desert Island too has seen an increase in positive COVID-

19 cases, with more than a dozen positive cases resulted at MDI Hospital this week.

A joint press conference of four major Maine health systems Thursday sounded the

alarm that Maine hospitals are nearing ICU bed capacity. Leaders from MaineHealth,

Northern Light Health, Central Maine Healthcare and Maine General Health attended

the press conference to urge Maine people to get vaccinated if they have not done so

already, wear masks when indoors and be cautious about indoor gatherings.

As hospitalizations increased across our state, Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the Maine

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, tweeted statistics Thursday afternoon.

“Stat(s) of the day: there are 133 people in the hospital with COVID-19 in Maine right

now. Fifty-nine are in the ICU and 27, on ventilators,” said Shah, in a tweet on

Thursday. “Of the 332 total ICU beds in Maine, only 34 are available. Yesterday, there

were 39 available beds. And on Tuesday, there were 52.”

With cases and hospitalizations on the rise, MDI Hospital calls on our dedicated

community and business partners to rise to the occasion once again by reinforcing the

critical protection measures of vaccination, masking, and distancing. We urge all

area businesses to reinforce vaccination, masking, distancing, hand hygiene for all

customers and staff and to display posters and signage on effective mitigation

strategies and to implement masking immediately for all workforce and visitors.

Mount Desert Island has done an amazing job of managing COVID-19 through

community cooperation and collaborative partnerships, and we need to call on our

dedicated community members and business partners once again to reinforce our best

mitigation strategies—vaccination, masking, distancing, and avoiding large gatherings

and crowded situations. We know these safe, effective strategies work, and we know

that together we can begin to reverse this troubling trend for our region.

Please visit our website MDIHospital.org or the Maine CDC website for additional

information on prevention and mitigation information

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectiousdisease/

epi/airborne/coronavirus/index.shtml

–Chrissi Maguire, President/CEO, MDI Hospital

–J.R. Krevans, Jr., MD, Chair, Infection Control, MDI Hospital

-Stuart Davidson, MD, Chief Medical Officer

 

Welcome to New Chamber Member, Maine Solar Choices!

 Please help us welcome our newest Chamber Member, Maine Solar Choices!

Owner Don Willet says, "I'm independent so I can find the best community solar program for your home and/or business.

"You've heard about Community Solar - the new state sponsored money saving energy program - but there are a number of companies offering it and you're not sure who to go with. This is where I come in. I am an  independent Community Solar Advisor and I will find the best possible program for your home and/or company. I have access to a number of different  programs offered by different developers. Not all these programs work best for every situation. Let me do the homework for you and get you the best program.   

• Some programs are offering a 10% discount off electric bills - others are offering 15% with more restrictions  

• Some have strict qualifications, i.e. credit score minimums and/or  personal guarantees - some do not have these qualification requirements for any except the biggest clients.  

 

• Some require long term (5, 10, 20 years) commitments or a penalty to leave. Some have a 90-120 day opt out with no penalties to leave at any time.   

These solar farms are being built now and the power allocations are being reserved. All solar farms are fully allocated to local businesses, residents and municipalities long before they are producing power. The expected time frame for these farms to begin producing power is from June to December of this year."

To learn more, visit Maine Solar Choices website at https://mainesolarchoices.com/ or their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mainecommunitysolar. If you have questions, Don would love to chat - just give him a call!

Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Hooked Rugs Exhibit in September

Adaptation of Frederick Church’s ‘Otter Creek’ by Mary Hays

Rugs like you’ve never seen. Don’t miss the annual exhibit of Mount Desert Island’s rug hooking group, Hook ‘n I on display at the Southwest Harbor Public Library during the month of September. Members of Hook ‘n I have created original designs while also working from traditional and modern hooking patterns. The Hook ‘n I group was formed more than 13 years ago, and the group meets during the winter months at the Southwest Harbor Library.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Employees Donate More Than $9,600 Collected in Q2 2021 to Nonprofit Organizations

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust recently presented donations totaling more than $9,600 to five Northern New England nonprofit organizations from its employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for A Cause. The recipients of the contributions collected in Q2 2021 are: Boots2Roots, Chandler Center for the Arts, NextStep Domestic Violence Project, Paramount Theatre, and West Central Behavior Health.

 

“While the nonprofit organizations Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees selected in Q2 2021 are diverse in the services they provide, they are unified in a common goal and that’s to improve the quality of life in our communities,” said Jack Frost, VP Director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “We are honored to support them and the invaluable services they provide.”

 

Casual for a Cause gives Bank employees the opportunity to dress casually on Fridays in exchange for a bi-weekly payroll deduction made to a pool of funds collected during each quarter. The employees then vote on the nonprofits to receive their contributions. Employees have donated more than $100,000 to more than 50 organizations across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont since the program launched in 2018.

 

Recipients of Q2 2021 Donations

 

Maine

 

Boots2Roots is the only organization in Maine specifically focused on preparing active duty military members up to a year before they begin their transition for immediate success in Maine, while providing a pipeline of new workforce talent to Maine employers. Services include personalized self-assessment, resume assistance, interview coaching, and more. Learn more about Boots2Roots at www.boots2roots.org.

 

"Boots2Roots sends a special thank you to the team at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust for their generous donation,” said Bill Benson, Executive Director of Boots2Roots. “Together we will continue to make a difference in the lives of military members and their families as they transition to work and put down roots in Maine."

 

NextStep Domestic Violence Project supports and empowers people affected by domestic violence, while striving to prevent and end the cycle of domestic violence through education and social change. Services provided by the organization includes a 24/7 helpline, emergency housing, legal assistance, and support groups. Learn more about NextStep at www.nextstepdvproject.org.

 

“NextStep appreciates your generous support,” said Dorathy Martel, Executive Director of NextStep Domestic Violence Project. “Unrestricted donations such as yours allow us to be responsive to the needs of survivors of domestic violence throughout Downeast Maine. Your gift will contribute to our efforts to make our shelter a haven for people with dog and cat companions. Many survivors value their pets’ safety as highly as they do their own, and knowing that there are safe places where they can be together expands their options.”

 

New Hampshire

 

West Central Behavioral Health is the nonprofit community mental health care provider for people of all ages living in the Upper Valley and Sullivan County, New Hampshire, regardless of their ability to pay. The organization offers a wide range of specialized services including outpatient, emergency, case management, residential and continuing care services. Learn more about West Central Behavioral Health at www.wcbh.org.

 

“Knowing we were chosen by the Bank's employees is especially heartening for it suggests mental illness and substance use disorders are an important part of their charitable priorities,” said Dave Celone, Director of Development & Community Relations at West Central Behavioral Health. “As we continue to seek to end the discrimination and bias surrounding mental illness, Bar Harbor Bank's employee support means the world to us.”

 

Vermont

 

Chandler Center for the Arts is a 575-seat theater in Randolph, Vermont, whose mission is to strengthen and energize the community, deepen the cultural and artistic growth of youth, offer opportunities for people to come together in celebration of the arts, inspire and cultivate artistic expression and education in the performing and visual arts for people of all ages and incomes. Learn more about Chandler Center for the Arts at www.chandler-arts.org.

 

“Chandler Center for the Arts is delighted and honored to be chosen by the employees of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust in the Casual for a Cause employee-led program,” said Karen Dillon, Executive Director of Chandler Center for the Arts. “This support comes at a crucial time as we move into our reopening phase for indoor events in our 570-seat performance space and our art gallery. We are grateful and look forward to welcoming the public back safely to attend in-person events and to continue to provide arts opportunities to everyone in our area.”

 

Paramount Theatre is a historic theater that opened in Rutland, Vermont, in 1914. The theater hosts many events and performances and has assumed its role as an arts, cultural, and educational leader, and as a significant and valuable community resource. Learn more about the Paramount Theatre at www.paramountvt.org.

 

“The Paramount Theatre is an asset for the community because of the community,” said Eric Mallette, Executive Director of Paramount Theatre. “This generous donation by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust exemplifies what a caring, forward thinking community we are fortunate to call home. After 500-plus days of a dark stage, our ability to generate income ‘the old fashioned way’ via ticket sales has been compromised – we survived the rough waters of the pandemic because of selfless acts like the one illustrated by the tremendous team at Bar Harbor.”

 

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating over 50 locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine and has more than $3.6 billion in assets. As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiaries Bar Harbor Trust Services and Charter Trust Company. For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit www.barharbor.bank or call 888-853-7100. Member FDIC.