Care philosophy: “One of our core values at MDI Hospital is community. Our commitment is to both serve our community and be active members in our community.  Serving others has always been one of my personal core values, so I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful, caring organization, especially in the capacity of Community Health Educator.”

Mary Parham, Community Health Educator for MDI Hospital, has been a part of the health and wellness field for many years. Before joining MDI Hospital in 2018, Mary worked in wellness at the Jackson Laboratory. She has always had a passion for helping others achieve their health and wellness goals. In her teen years, she worked as a camp counselor, lifeguard and swim instructor at her local YMCA in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Later, she taught fitness classes in Chicago, Denver and Charleston, South Carolina. She went on to work as Branch Director and Aquatics Director for the Virginia YMCA.

As MDI Hospital’s Community Health Educator, Mary works with a variety of health and wellness providers to bring health and wellness activities to the community—in the form of exercise classes, diabetes education, health coaching, a walking program in Acadia National Park and more. “I am very excited to work with the Care Management team to promote individual and community wellness,” she says. “Care Managers work with patients outside of their doctor’s office and serve many purposes—community outreach, home health and hospice, speech therapy and dietician/health coaching to name a few.”

Mary is a YMCA certified group fitness instructor and swim instructor, as well as a Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach. She and her husband first moved to MDI in 2016 when her husband was hired as the CEO/Executive Director of the MDI YMCA in Bar Harbor.  Mary and her husband had previously worked to open a new YMCA in southwest Virginia and after having established a strong three-branch operation there, and they wanted to finish her husband’s YMCA career on a high note with a New England adventure. “We love it here, and not only because it is so beautiful—the people are wonderful!  It is a perfect fit,” she says.

Outside of work, Mary and her husband love cycling and kayaking. She is also an avid reader and looks forward to exploring more of Acadia each year, both on foot and by bike.