A Year in Review, A Look Ahead
The start of a new year is the perfect time for all of us, as people and
as organizations, to reflect on how our year went and to set goals for
the year to come. This is a particularly rewarding year to do so at The
Aroostook Medical Center, The County’s largest healthcare organization.
“There are so many things to celebrate,” says TAMC President Greg
LaFrancois. “We’ve grown our team of providers, nurses, and staff.
We’ve invested in new technology. We’ve expanded services to meet
the needs of the region. At the same time, we’ve turned the hospital
around financially and been recognized nationally for delivering high
quality care. I could not be more proud of the year we had and am
excited for 2018.”
An Incredible Group of Professionals
n examines a
Dr. Maria Rutman
ostook Pediatrics.
young patient at Aro
TAMC brought 21 new providers to Aroostook County in 2017, with
another four starting in the first two months of 2018. In some cases
this was to replace providers who had retired or left the area, but in
the majority of cases, it was additional providers to expand services,
increase capacity in high demand practices, or both.
“This has been a phenomenal year for us in the area of physician
recruitment,” explains LaFrancois. “This means that patients can get
seen sooner. It has also allowed us to expand services to other parts of
The County so patients can get that care closer to home.”
Dr. Amratash Malodiya
speaks to a
patient at Aroostook He
art & Lung.
For instance, with the addition of a third medical oncologist, Dr. Iqra
Choudary, Aroostook Cancer Care providers are now seeing patients
in Fort Kent two days a week and in Houlton once a month. The
addition of a new pediatrician, Dr. Maria Rutmann, and the return
of a much beloved one, Dr. Peter Morningstar, allowed Aroostook
Pediatrics to start seeing patients in Caribou. Meanwhile, thanks to
the expansion of the cardiology team to include a third cardiologist,
Dr. Amratash Malodiya, and a second physician assistant, Amanda
Rautenberg, patients have greater access to Aroostook Heart & Lung.
Another particularly welcome addition to the TAMC team has been
County native Dr. Kristin Guerrette. Dr. Guerrette is a primary care
provider who is also offering osteopathic manipulation therapy, a new
service available at TAMC’s Family Practice and Internal Medicine
practice. Coming from Van Buren, Dr. Guerrette is committed to The
County and plans to stay in the region.
24
tte uses OMT
Dr. Kristin Guerre
Family Practice
to help a patient at
.
& Internal Medicine
WINTER 2018
In addition to new providers, TAMC hired 14 new nurses in June, all
graduates from Northern Maine Community College or the Univer-
sity of Maine at Fort Kent, and plans to hire another six in January.