Nancy D’Agostino

Most people in the MDI community know Nancy D’Agostino as a local, someone born and raised in Bar Harbor, who waitresses at Mama DiMatteos and works part time in the office of a local chiropractor. What most may not know, unless they’ve been a patient in the MDI Hospital Emergency Department (ED), is that Nancy spends her Wednesday mornings volunteering her time to work with people in crisis.

Nancy is an Emergency Department host. Along with assisting with clerical tasks and errands, and “doing whatever the staff needs me to do,” Nancy serves as a liaison between the medical staff and a patient’s family members. It’s a role that calls on her ability to handle, at times, highly emotional and stressful situations.

“I’m very fortunate to have a great life,” Nancy says. “Supporting my community hospital in this way is so rewarding.” Much as a skilled waitress can multitask and provide great customer service in a dining room setting, Nancy assesses the needs of everyone involved, including medical staff, patients and families and does what she can to make the emergency visit as positive as possible. “I enjoy that each Wednesday is different and I feel I’m making a difference.”