Mount Desert Island Hospital, in the coastal Hancock County town of Bar Harbor, serves a year-round population of some 5,500 plus a seasonal spike of summer residents and Acadia National Park visitors. The need can be daunting for a hospital whose last major renovation to its emergency department took place more than 20 years ago and whose surgical suites haven’t changed in 30 years. An expansion project is underway to address those needs.
“Since our ED was last renovated more than 20 years ago, there have been major advances in treatments, methods and care,” says Christina Maguire, the hospital’s president and CEO. “The global pandemic brought to light the urgent need for a new facility as it changed how care is delivered, requiring better airflow and handling, and separate zones for optimal infection control.”
MDI Hospital has its own niche. Patients come in from surroundings that are often isolated and remote; travel can be arduous, especially in winter. During the summer and fall, the area experiences a marked increase in population from summer residents and temporary workforce. As a national park gateway community, Bar Harbor also sees a major influx of tourist visitors.
“In 2023, the state of Maine counted 15.3 million tourist visits across all modes of transportation, and Mount Desert Island welcomed 25% of those vacationers,” notes Maguire. As a critical access hospital and safety-net health care provider, first responders rely on MDIH’s 24-hour accessibility — especially in the busy months from June through October, when emergency department visits triple. Annually, MDIH logs more than 70,000 visits across the year-round and visitor constituencies.
“With one roadway on and off Mount Desert Island and the potential for extreme weather conditions that prevent air and sea travel, MDIH’s readiness and the quality of our health care are essential to our community’s health and safety,” says Maguire.
The entire expansion comprises 42,600 square feet. The emergency department portion equals 10,524 square feet, tripling its footprint.
Technology, equipment and infrastructure will be upgraded, and a dedicated emergency room patient entrance and a covered ambulance bay will be added, thereby improving accessibility for patients and emergency medical service providers.
MDI Hospital is one of a number of expansion projects planned, underway or recently completed at hospitals and health care centers around Maine. The projects range from the recent completion of Maine Medical Center’s 300,000-square-foot Malone Family Tower in Maine’s largest city, to moving a midcoast island’s clinic into its own building, to converting a former dental clinic into a comprehensive health center in the forested north.
