“Surgery is really about honoring people’s lives—especially as they age.”

Dr. Charlie Hendricks is the Chief of Surgery at Mount Desert Island Hospital. In 2014, he was awarded the Caregiver of the Year Award by the Maine Hospital Association for his lifetime commitment to service and excellence in care. He is an advocate for women and young people, a dedicated father, an active member of his church and a faithful humanitarian. His lifetime commitment to service is most evident in his work with the Hancock County Medical Mission, a group he helped establish in 1989. Every year since he has returned to South America to provide surgical services to disadvantaged and underserved populations. His 25-year commitment to this humanitarian work has inspired countless area medical professionals, students and community members, including all of his six children, to do the same. For Hendricks, the work is its own reward. “The people are very grateful; they have no other access to health care.”

Dr. Hendricks chose to practice in Maine because the quieter pace of life here allows him to spend more time getting to know his patients. “It’s an honor for me to listen to my patients and learn about their lives. ”He greatly admires the relationships that his colleagues in primary care have with their patients. His surgical practice is based in the Cooper Gilmore Health Center, so named for physicians Llewellyn Cooper and Edward Gilmore, who Hendricks explains, have always cared for their patients as much as their patients cared for them. “The biggest compliment I have received is patients asking me to be their primary doctor.”