George Crouse, a 65 year old Brewer man, is one of more than 200 patients participating in the Bangor Beacon study. "I have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). It caused me to retire early. Doing simple things, like mowing my lawn, are a challenge. What used to take an hour and a half now takes me two days." George is a patient at EMMC's Family Practice in Brewer. By becoming a Bangor Beacon patient, he is now part of a healthcare team that includes his care manager, Sue Rideout, RN. "Our job is to help coordinate a patient's care, encouraging them, improving their quality of life, and hopefully reducing the need for hospitalization."

George smiles when he thinks about the difference Bangor Beacon is making in his life. "I am so thankful for Sue. She calls me and encourages me, and she helps me adjust my activities. She makes me feel confident about my health and my future."

Lori Newcomb, RN, supervisor of EMMC outpatient care, is excited about the potential the Beacon grant offers patients in our region. "It allows for a collaborative approach to improving healthcare for patients with chronic diseases regardless of where they access care through shared electronic medical records and secure e-mail."

Bangor Beacon nurse care managers provide patient education, assistance with self-management, and care coordination. Working closely with a patient, their provider, and others involved in their care, improves quality of life. 

Recently, the CEOs of the 12 Bangor Beacon Community partners gathered to strategically discuss how the project redefines the way we work together for the health of our community.

"They are calling us a 'Beacon among Beacons' because all of our partners are sharing data and working together - we have the perfect environment to make a change in how we care for people," shares Barbara Sorondo, MD, director of EMMC's Clinical Research Center, and evaluation lead for the Bangor Beacon Community.

Sister Mary Noberta, CEO, of St. Joseph Healthcare, was very pleased at how much progress has been made and is interested in seeing how her organization can use the data to better care for patients. Echoing that sentiment, Michelle Hood, FACHE, president and CEO, of EMHS said," we will do one-on-one visits to share the data and see how best to use it to improve patient care - we are here to collaborate not compete," she said. David Proffitt, PhD, president and CEO, of Acadia Hospital, and Dale Hamilton, executive director, of Community Health and Counseling Services, both want to use the information to make transitions of care more seamless for their patients.