Bar Harbor, Maine – Mount Desert Island (MDI) Hospital is grateful to announce a pivotal grant award geared toward addressing the needs of older people in our service area. Through its Connection, Health, and Equity Through Food (CHEF) project, the Maine Council on Aging funds organizations and projects supporting the needs of diverse older adults, including improving equitable access to food, and increasing opportunities for socialization. MDI Hospital has received a $10,000 CHEF grant to support the 2024 MDI Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), an ongoing partnership with Healthy Acadia that surveys a range of community members; analyzes the resulting data to broadly assess our region’s health and well-being; and collaborates to develop durable solutions to the assessment’s findings. More than 40 community leaders from health organizations, educational institutions, food pantries, YMCA, and chambers of commerce also serve in CHNA working groups, carrying forward the project’s identified goals.
The CHEF grant supports MDI Hospital’s strategic planning work, focused on a key goal: Older people will thrive, live comfortably and safely age in place in our local service area. The MDI CHNA partners are creating a multi-year action plan to attain this goal, drawing on the combined strengths of the social-service organizations involved.
CHEF’s funding is specifically targeted toward food insecurity, social isolation, and barriers to accessing food or social connection–all of which have been pinpointed via the CHNA survey as challenges faced by older people in the MDI Region.
Strategies to be implemented by the MDI CHNA’s group members include the following:
- Engage older people in community to help maintain mental and emotional wellbeing.
- Assure immediate access for older residents to address acute symptoms, both physical and mental health needs.
- Restart the Hancock County Healthy Aging Network or a similar model of inter-organization coordination.
- Build on partnerships that exist through Island Connections for transportation to community events.
- Increase and promote multigenerational interactions and activities.
- Increase awareness of opportunities for volunteerism and civic engagement, with a special focus on engaging retirees.
- Coordinate and promote ways for youth and young adults to help older neighbors.
- Create coordinated focus to help families and caregivers support loved ones as they age, especially when recovering after acute events.
According to Chrissi Maguire, President and CEO of MDI Hospital, “The MDI CHNA’s solutions are feasible, achievable, and driven from within our Island region by project partners and organizers. We’re very grateful to the Maine Council on Aging for this CHEF grant, which will help us bring these important strategies to reality.”
The 2024 MDI CHNA project will work to ensure that the survey report’s goals and recommendations are adopted and implemented by a broad range of organizations, social service groups, and community members. Ultimately, this plan will specifically benefit the health, food needs, and social well-being of 5,580 older people residing in the 10-town service area of MDI Hospital: Bar Harbor, Cranberry Isles, Frenchboro, Hancock, Lamoine, Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, Swan’s Island, Tremont, and Trenton.