I'm so proud, I'm posting the entire Morning Sentinel article here. (The link to the article is: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4795837.html.)
Inland Hospital: Chamber's business 2008 of the year
WATERVILLE -- Inland Hospital made many high-profile investments last year to benefit the health of people in the greater Waterville area.
An $8 million expansion of the hospital's Lakewood Continuing Care Center, adding 29 much needed beds, probably led the list.
But there also was the $2 million expansion of Inland's emergency room and a major renovation of the hospital's birthing room.
What many people don't know, however, are the subtle ways, the outside- the-hospital-walls contributions, that Inland invests on a regular basis for a multitude of groups, causes and programs.
"I think we try to never lose sight of the fact that it truly is a privilege to provide medical care for residents of this community," Inland President and Chief Executive Officer John Dalton said.
Yet the commitment to the area, Dalton said, goes well beyond medical care.
"It is our community," he said, "and we have, I think, an acutely defined sense of responsibility as a corporate citizen and really want to contribute to the overall health and wellness of the community.
And this means, he said, supporting organizations such as Waterville Main Street, KV Connect and the Central Maine Growth Council, each group a vital player in the effort to help make the region stronger both economically and culturally.
That support came in the form of $50,000 in various donations and through the many Inland employees who serve as volunteers on numerous community-building projects and initiatives.
For that totality of commitment to the area, Inland Hospital is the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce's Business of the Year for 2007.
Chamber President Kimberly Lindlof said Inland's beneficial impact on the community is difficult to quantify because it is spread across so many important concerns.
"They just invest a lot in a lot of ways," Lindlof said, "and they continue to grow and upgrade their facilities."
One of the beneficiaries is Waterville Opera House Association, the organization responsible for bringing so many of the special entertainment opportunities that make the city an art center for the region, Lindlof said.
It also comes in the form of a program in which Inland pays the fitness club fee of hospital employees and volunteers as long as they commit to a certain number of visits per month.
In an age when the rate of diabetes and obesity has reached an epidemic level, the importance of such a program cannot be overstated.
"We have a staff here who are more involved than I can possibly comprehend," Dalton said. "In the end, it is taking on that role of corporate citizenship."
Dalton said Inland currently is involved in an effort aimed at being even more strategic about its community investments, so that the maximum value can be achieved.
In 2007 alone, the hospital also contributed to or collaborated with the following organizations or institutions: Alfond Youth Center, Kennebec Messalonskee Trails, Kennebec Valley Community College, the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, REM and United Way of Mid-Maine.
Waterville Opera House, moreover, wasn't the only group to benefit from an Inland sponsorship.
The hospital took on that role as well for events such Main Street Madness, Parade of Lights, the In-Town Arts Festival and Taste of Greater Waterville.
Who wouldn't be proud to be raising money for an organization this committed to the community it serves? :)
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