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| Name |
Franklin Memorial Hospital |
| Address |
111 Franklin Health Commons |
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| Town |
Farmington |
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Maine |
| Country |
USA |
| Post Code |
04938 |
| Phone |
207 778 6031 |
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| Email |
| Website |
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Specialization Of Franklin Memorial Hospital
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Obestetrician/Gynecologist |
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About Franklin Memorial Hospital
Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, Maine, is a progressive, friendly, nonprofit community hospital whose mission is to provide high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered health care. The 65-bed hospital is fully qualified and accredited to handle a broad range of medical, surgical, pediatric, women’s care, and diagnostic services. The hospital actively works with the community and with other health care providers to integrate services and ensure the health of people within its service area.
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History Of Franklin Memorial Hospital
Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN) is the sole hospital network serving the rural community of Greater Franklin County, Maine, population 40,000. Nestled in the foothills of the west central Maine region, with an average of just 17 persons per square mile, this is one of the nation’s most rural communities. The more sparsely populated parts of the region are in the north, with some federally classified as “frontier”; the most densely populated spot is a quaint university town and Franklin County seat, Farmington, population 8000.
The community struggles with the challenges common to many other rural communities: poverty, isolation, lack of transportation, substance abuse, and sparse resources and services to support healthful lifestyles. It is the third poorest community in one of the nation’s poorest states. Yet, paradoxically, this community has long held a reputation for civic engagement, innovation, and problem solving, giving many residents a quality of life that defies the traditional barriers of low income and rural isolation. That reputation underlies the heritage and culture of Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN) and its flagship hospital, Franklin Memorial Hospital, enabling the Network to overcome the extraordinary obstacles inherent in serving this geographically and economically challenged service area.
Indeed, this little health network that might be expected to labor in obscurity has achieved statewide and national attention for excellence and innovation. Among the nation’s more than 5,000 hospital systems, FCHN is one of only a handful that have been recognized with no fewer than five separate awards from the American Hospital Association: twice a finalist award for the Foster G. McGaw Prize (1998 and 2005); once a finalist award for the NOVA Award for innovation (1996), once recipient of the Hospital Award for Volunteer Excellence (2005), and in 2003 the sole recipient of the Carolyn Boone Lewis Living The Vision Award. FCHN and its leaders have also earned unprecedented statewide attention, with dozens of awards ranging from the Governor’s Award in Technology (1996), to the Dr. Dan Hanley Leadership Award (2004), to the Ruth Shaper Award (2004) and Program Excellence Award (2000) from the Maine Public Health Association. In 2000, Maine Governor Angus King and state public health director Dr. Dora Ann Mills touted the “Franklin Model” as the basis for the administration’s statewide program for use of state tobacco settlement funds.
The FCHN community has been buoyed by the recognition received from colleagues in Maine and across the country. But by far the most meaningful tribute comes from a source closer to home: the impact of the health network’s work on the lives of people in the Franklin Community. In this, FCHN excels. According to State epidemiological data, over the past decade Franklin County has consistently demonstrated the lowest adult smoking rate of all counties in Maine, even in comparison with much more affluent communities - statistics entirely at odds with the traditional association of poverty with tobacco use. In complete defiance of its demographics, the community has one of the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease mortality, highest rates of cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, and excellent indicators on quality of life, longevity, and self-reported health status. Moreover, independent testimonials and data attest to the extraordinary quality of care and compassion of caregivers within the delivery system.
This paper explores some of the values and characteristics of this health network and the community it serves to shed light on the source of some of its achievements and offer ideas and lessons learned for our colleagues to consider.
The Franklin community has long enjoyed a culture that tolerates deviation from the norm and values innovation and courage, and as a result boasts a disproportionate number of interesting historical figures. From Chester Greenwood, the inventor of ear muffs, to Lillian Nordica, an internationally known opera singer, to Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, a woman who invented modern techniques for fly-fishing and was the first registered Maine guide, the community has boasted famous residents including significant poets, Nobel Laureates, playwrights, cartoonists, politicians, attorneys general, and athletes.
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