MaineGeneral participates in Winthrop sidewalk art festival

MaineGeneral Medical Center joined the Winthrop Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce in the 28th Winthrop Downtown Sidewalk Art Festival on Aug. 15.

Dr. Lara Walsh, far left, of Winthrop Pediatrics, talks to festivalgoers Aug. 15 about the Wheel of Health while from left, Kathie Clark, Beth Corey-Smith, and Carol Cortes, all employees of Winthrop Family Medicine, show how to use exercise bands. Contributed photo

COATES

Vickers

The hospital offered health prevention and education materials at the festival, which drew hundreds to Winthrop to enjoy art, music and food from local restaurants.

“The Winthrop Downtown Art Festival has been an annual summer tradition for 28 years and the Chamber was thrilled to have MaineGeneral join us in an event that showcases our community, local artists and businesses,” said Barbara Walsh, executive director of the Winthrop Lakes Region Chamber.

“MaineGeneral was pleased to sponsor this year’s art show as part of the expanded Winthrop Summer Festival,” said Beth Corey-Smith, Winthrop Family Medicine’s practice coordinator. “From the art to the music and the engagement, we enjoyed our booth with our neighbors and friends in the Winthrop area. The day was an amazing show of community spirit.”

Several other businesses also supported the art festival, including U.S. Cellular Wireless Warehouse, Winthrop Veterinary Hospital, Charlie’s Chevrolet, Hoyt Chiropractic Center, Winthrop Fuel, Cobbossee Motel, Brian S. Berry and Associates, Karen Johnson CPA LLC, Kennebec Land Trust, and Cosmetic & General Dentistry of Winthrop.

Coates joins Franklin Health Orthopaedics as physician assistant

Physician assistant and Jay native Steven Coates has joined the Franklin Memorial Hospital medical staff as a provider at Franklin Health Orthopaedics. Other providers in the practice include Dr. Thomas Pulling and Dr. Zachary Blakeman.

Coates has 14 years’ experience as a physician assistant providing care for patients since 2001. He brings three years of experience in providing medical care in an orthopedic practice, as well as assisting orthopedic surgeons in the operating room. Most recently, Coates was affiliated with Ocala Neurosurgical Center in Ocala, Florida.

Coates received his master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of New England in Biddeford.

Coates and his wife, Lenia, have bought a home in Livermore Falls, where they will reside with their three daughters.

Franklin Health Orthopaedics, located on the second floor of the Franklin Health Medical Arts Center, is on the Franklin Memorial Hospital campus. Besides orthopedic services including joint replacements, podiatry and sports medicine also are offered.

Kennebec Savings Bank promotes Vickers to commercial services manager

David A. Grenier, senior vice president and chief commercial banking officer of Kennebec Savings Bank, has announced a promotion of Katie Coughlin Vickers to vice president and commercial services manager.

Vickers joined KSB in June 2012 as a vice president and commercial loan officer, and she also serves as one of the bank’s corporators. In her new position, she will continue as a lender and small business liaison with Finance Authority of Maine expertise, and she now will oversee the departments that manage credit, portfolio administration and commercial loan documentation.

“Katie has demonstrated a lot of initiative and energy over the past few years helping grow our commercial lending department. In this new position, she’ll use the skills she’s attained to strengthen our commercial services, provide depth and support to the lending staff and broaden our efficiency,” Grenier said in a news release.

Vickers has been in banking for 19 years, including 12 years in the Augusta and Gardiner areas. Before joining Kennebec Savings Bank, she worked for The Bank of Maine, formerly Gardiner Savings Institution, as a branch manager and commercial loans officer before becoming a regional manager and senior vice president in the areas of commercial lending and cash management development.

Vickers lives in Waldoboro with her husband, Dave. She is an active member of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of the Kennebec Leadership Institute. Vickers is an alumnus of Cony High School in Augusta and Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, with a bachelor of science degree in finance.

Dead River kicks off Hunger Action month

As children head back to school, Dead River Co. is inviting northern New Englanders to join in the fight against hunger.

September is Hunger Action Month, and Dead River Co. again is taking part in activities to help raise awareness and provide continued support to food banks in its service areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.

From Tuesday to Sept. 20, for every new “like” on the Dead River Co. Facebook page, the company will make a $5 donation to local food banks. Submit a back-to-school photo, and Dead River Co. will donate another $5. For those who do both, Dead River will donate $10, up to a total of $15,000.

“Right now across Northern New England, our neighbors, including tens of thousands of children, are food insecure and don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said Bob Moore, President & CEO of Dead River Company. “We thought a great way to raise awareness would be to rally the community and make it easy for people to help in the fight against hunger. By simply sending us a back to school photo or by liking Dead River on Facebook, they’ll be raising money for food banks in their community and helping their neighbors in need.”

In Maine, the Dead River Co. donation will be distributed to Good Shepard Food Bank.

TD Bank appoints Dickey store manager in Gray

TD Bank has promoted Nicholas Dickey, a Waterville resident, to store manager of the bank branch at 23 Portland Road in Gray. He is responsible for new business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel and overseeing the day-to-day operations at the branch.

Dickey has more than six years of banking experience. He joined TD Bank in 2009 and has held multiple leadership roles with the TD Bank U.S. Phone Channel, including governance officer and, most recently, contact center team manager on the core and centralized resource teams in Auburn.

Dickey is a 2008 graduate of the University of Maine at Augusta. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Health Network staff presented with EPIC Awards

July’s recipients of the EPIC awards, established by the Franklin Community Health Network’s Spirit Committee and announced quarterly, include Greg Thompson, surgical practices manager; Suzanne O’Brien, laboratory director; nurse Deb Brinkman, maternal and child health unit; and Erica Rollins, radiology.

The awards are given to honor staff members nominated by colleagues for their efforts to meet Franklin Community Health’s goals. Joseph Bujold, board chairman, presented each recipient with a trophy and a monetary gift at the organization’s July 28 board meeting.

Maine Office of the Public Advocate releases new Ratewatcher Guide

The new 24-page Ratewatcher Guide, a publication of the Office of the Public Advocate that helps customers make informed choices about telephone and broadband options, is available online and in print.

This is the 25th edition of the Ratewatcher, which was first published in September 1997. The latest edition includes detailed charts with information about more than 49 phone and broadband providers, plan comparisons and guidance for how to determine the best phone and broadband service for a customer’s needs.

“Our goal is to help simplify the complicated process of choosing Internet, phone and cell phone services in Maine, by putting all the information a consumer might need in one place.” said Tim Schneider, the Maine public advocate, in a news release.

The Ratewatcher also includes articles on related topics, such as how to prepare for a power outage depending on the type of phone used. Headlining this edition are recent state policy developments affecting telecommunications, highlighting the changes in broadband policy that resulted from the Legislature’s work this session.

More than 21,500 Maine homes and businesses subscribe to the Ratewatcher, which also is available in libraries and community resource centers across the state. The material is also being prepared as an online resource for the public advocate’s website. A version is currently available at http://www.maine.gov/meopa/utilities/telephone/Ratewatcher-2015.pdf

To receive a free copy of the Ratewatcher by postal mail or email, contact the Office of the Public Advocate by phone at 287-2445 or via email at opa@maine.gov.

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