Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 38 : Fall 2018 | Page 61

It is particularly fitting to honor that legacy under this
new brand according to hospital president, Greg
LaFrancois. “The Northern Light Health brand is a
celebration of who we are, where we’ve come from,
and where we are going.”
One of those system hospitals is The Aroostook
Medical Center, the most comprehensive provider of
healthcare in the region and the largest employer in
Aroostook County. What has been well-known
regionally as TAMC has now become Northern Light
A.R. Gould Hospital, the most significant name change
of any of the system hospitals.
“While this name change in some ways will be a big
adjustment for community members as well as our
employees, it really is honoring the legacy of who we
are,” explains Jay Reynolds, MD, senior physician
executive at the hospital. “We were A.R. Gould
Memorial Hospital for nearly 25 years before becoming
TAMC in 1981, and even during the past decades while
our overall organization (including the hospital, a long-
term care facility, and a number of health centers and
ambulance bases) was known as TAMC, the hospital
itself has always remained A.R. Gould.”
Bigger Changes Behind the Scenes
But this new brand is as much about the way care is
delivered as it is a new name, logo and design,
according to LaFrancois. While the organizations
across the now Northern Light Health system have
been committed to delivering the best possible care,
they have been working separately, with different
goals, approaches and resources.
“By working together as an integrated system and a
unified team, we can accomplish more and create a
health delivery system that works better for Maine
people,” LaFrancois says.
A lot of work has already been underway in this area.
Efficiencies have been created through a new system-
wide purchasing/supply chain initiative. Telehealth
services have brought together resources across the
system to better serve patients at the local level. Care
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