MaineHealth Lincoln Hosiptal President Cindy Wade and Senior Manager of Operations Stacey Miller cut a ribbon outside of the new primary care facility in Waldoboro while flanked by representatives from the hospital and the town on Tuesday, March 10. From left: Marva Nesbit, Bruce Garren, Reven Oliver, Brooks Betts, Mike Gagnon, Cindy Wade, Stacey Miller, Denise Needham, John Dickens, Audrey Hanna, and Julie Keizer. (Christina Brown photo)
After 14 months of construction, MaineHealth opened its new location in Waldoboro with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, March 10.
“It’s such a big day for our teams, for this community, and honestly, for everyone who has been waiting a really long time to see this come to reality,” said MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital President Cindy Wade.
The new facility, at 126 Depot St., will replace the two MaineHealth primary care facilities that are currently operating out of converted homes on West Main Street and Mill Street.
The facility includes 22 exam rooms, including pediatric exam rooms, an onsite lab, and a community room for local events and ongoing patient education.
“We knew an updated, thoughtful, modern space was essential,” Wade said.
According to Wade, the primary care providers will be moving into the facility over the weekend with the hope of having the practice fully operational by Tuesday, March 17.
The total cost of the project was about $13.5 million, which exceeded the $11.1 million MaineHealth had originally planned to spend on the building due to higher-than-expected construction costs.
The hospital used funding from different sources to close the financial gap, including a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Multiple donors also helped to close the funding gap, according to Wade. In her speech, she thanked First National Bank for its financial contribution and U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins for helping MaineHealth secure additional funding.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping us to the point where we could build this facility,” Wade said.
Wade also recognized the efforts of the philanthropy team, which met its goal of raising $500,000 for the facility.
“(The philanthropy committee) have worked so hard to make connection in the community and get to the point where we can say we have just, today, reached our $500,000 goal,” Wade said.
Stacey Miller, the vice president and senior director of physician services at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital, thanked the members of the community for their support throughout the process of developing and building the facility.
“When we first started talking about renovating a facility in Waldoboro, we honestly were not convinced that people cared,” Miller said. “Your support here has shown otherwise.”
Waldoboro Town Manager Julie Keizer spoke at the event about the importance of health care in the community.
“It is amazing the people who are involved in our health care, in the administration of our health care,” Keizer said. “Health care is one of the most, if not the most important things that you can bring to a community like Waldoboro.”
The location will also carry on the tradition of the “Help Yourself Shelf,” a community food pantry that is located at the entrance of the new facility.
According to Kristina Varney, program manager for community health at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital, the pantry started six years ago and has been present at both primary care practices in Waldoboro.
The pantry is available to patients and members of the community to take any food and personal care items they may need. It is funded by donations, the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine and the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program.
The pantry also receives donations from the Mid Coast Community Action Planning Program for diapers, said Varney.
For more information, call 563-4082 or go to mainehealth.org.
Waldoboros new primary care facility at 126 Depot St. in Waldoboro. The facility will replace the two MaineHealth primary care facilities currently operating out of converted homes on West Main Street and Mill Street. It includes 22 exam rooms, an onsite lab, and a community room. (Christina Brown photo)
