Maine State Credit Union has established a scholarship in the name of its late CEO, Normand R. Dubreuil, with a $50,000 donation to The Foundation for Maine’s Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy. The scholarship fund will award need-based grants to Maine residents pursuing an education in the trades and technology, according to a news release from the Augusta-based credit union.

“Normand was a strong advocate for continued learning and a proud resident of Maine,” said Tucker Cole, chief executive officer at Maine State Credit Union. “He was a true believer in the credit union philosophy and was always looking for a way to help those in need. This scholarship will ensure his legacy continues.”

The Normand R. Dubreuil Scholarship fund will support students in the community college system across the state as well as Maine residents who are attending Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. The respective schools will manage the scholarship fund. The goal of the scholarship is to provide for students who may be struggling financially to continue with their education.

Dubreuil was the chief executive officer at Maine State Credit Union for 21 years. He started his career at Maine State CU in 1985 and became CEO in 1994. Dubreuil helped to build Maine State Credit Union to be one of the largest credit unions in Maine. Dubreuil passed away in 2017.

“We were looking for a way to honor Norm and help Maine residents with their educational needs,” said George Lapointe, chairperson, Maine State Credit Union Board of Directors. “Norm was a supporter of education and was always helping people. He exemplified the credit union mission, and the Normand R. Dubreuil Scholarship Fund will build on his work.”

 

Spurwick Center’s child abuse pediatrician Dr. Lawrence R. Ricci to retire

After more than 25 years of evaluating and treating several thousand children for abuse concerns, Dr. Lawrence R. Ricci announces his retirement as a child abuse pediatrician at the Spurwink Center for Safe and Healthy Families (formerly the Spurwink Child Abuse Program) on July 31, according to a news release from the Portland-based nationally accredited nonprofit organization.

Ricci is dual residency trained and successfully completed his boards in pediatrics, emergency medicine and child abuse pediatrics. Ricci is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Tufts Maine Medical Center College of Medicine, and is a board-certified child abuse pediatrician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of abused children at the Spurwink Center for Safe and Healthy Families in Portland. He started this program in 1986, originally in Waterville, then in 1994 in Portland.

“We are honored and privileged to have had the care and expertise that Dr. Ricci has offered to our community for so many years,” said Eric Meyer, president and CEO of Spurwink. “He has helped define this crucial program in Maine and has been a true advocate for children and families for decades.”

Ricci served on several state and national child abuse committees including former chairman of the Maine Child Death/Serious Injury Review Panel and former chairman of the Section on Child Abuse of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is a former president of the Ray Helfer Society, an international society of several hundred physicians specializing in the care of abused children.

He is the recipient of numerous local and national awards including Outstanding Service to Maltreated Children from the Section on Child Abuse of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Outstanding Contribution to the field of Child Abuse Pediatrics from the Ray Helfer Society.

Co-leadership of the Spurwink Center for Safe and Healthy Families will transition to Dr. Amanda Brownell who joined the center in 2018 as a child abuse pediatrician, and Joyce Wientzen, licensed clinical social worker, who is the program director for the Spurwink Center for Safe and Healthy Families.

 

Nichole Kimbrowicz to join Lovejoy Health Center

The staff at Lovejoy Health Center in Albion will welcome Nichole “Nikki” Kimborowicz, PA, to the practice this summer. She obtained undergraduate degrees from Sacred Heart University, Connecticut, and the University of Southern Maine in biology and nursing, respectively. In addition, she recently received a Master of Science in physician assistant studies from the University of New England.

Her clinical areas of interest include gerontology, family medicine, chronic disease management and medication assisted treatment. She brings experience both as a certified nursing assistant and registered nurse in residential settings to the practice, according to a news release from HealthReach Community Health Centers.

She recently shared, “When applying for jobs as a new graduate PA, I knew that I wanted to join an organization that provided compassionate, community-based, patient-centered care with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. It is evident that Lovejoy does exactly that. I am excited to practice medicine in an environment where I will be able to see patients of all ages and continue to grow as a new clinician in such a supportive atmosphere.”

Kimborowicz will join physician Dean Chamberlain, physician assistants Bobby Keith and Cory Miller, family nurse practitioners Kaitlynn Read and Keiko Kurita, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Marta Hall, and clinical social workers Deb Daigle and Brandy LeClair.

Lovejoy Health Center is part of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a group of 11 federally qualified health centers in Central and Western Maine.

 

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area welcomes new board members

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area in Gardiner have announced that Ranae L’Italien and Patrick Cheek have joined its board of directors, according to a news releasee from the public health nonprofit.

L’Italien is executive director at Kennebec Valley YMCA. L’Italien and KVYMCA are longtime partners with HCCA, helping to implement youth obesity prevention and nutrition education programs. L’Italien brings a background in early childhood education and organizational management, as well as experience planning and implementing fundraising events and building community connections.

Cheek is an assistant professor of psychology at University of Maine at Augusta. His academic interests include family poverty, nonresident parenthood, the college trajectories of rural students and family policy. Strengths Cheek will bring to HCCA’s board of directors include community connections, fundraising and development, grant writing and advocacy.

“Our board of directors are critical community partners in HCCA’s public health work,” said Renee Page, executive director. “Given the current challenges in public health, it has never been more critical to bring in that community voice and drive to make change, and we’re thrilled Ranae and Patrick will join our mission.”

HCCA voted in its newest board members at its 2020 annual meeting on June 22. The meeting also brought three board members’ tenure to a close: Cecil Munson, Tom Warren and Fred White. White, a clinical psychologist based in Winthrop, served on the board for nine years and was board chairman since 2016. Munson served since 2017 and brought a voice for downtown Augusta to the table. Warren, former KVYMCA executive director, joined the board in 2014 and acted as treasurer since 2015.

 

Franklin Memorial Hospital Imaging earns Nuclear Medicine Accreditation

The Imaging Department at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology, according to a news release from the hospital.

Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material, ingested by or injected into the patient, to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body.

FMH employs three nuclear medicine technologists, Leslie Tainter-Pond, Adam Waleik and Heather Poulin, all of whom are registered and certified. The department has state-of-the-art equipment, including a dual-head gamma camera, which picks up the isotope tracers and allows the organ functionality to be seen. A radiologist interprets the images and provides information necessary to make diagnosis and treatment decisions.

In addition to nuclear medicine tests to provide image of the internal organs, the FMH Imaging Department also provides mammography, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, DEXA bone density and x-ray.

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR practice parameters and technical standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

 

Camden National Bank helps grassroots domestic violence awareness campaign go statewide with a $17,500 donation

Camden National Bank has given more than $17,500 to Finding Our Voices, a new nonprofit with a mission to break the silence of intimate partner abuse, town by town, conversation by conversation, all over Maine. The funding helps FOV expand a bold “Let’s talk about it” window banner campaign, which sheds light on the faces and stories of 30 (and counting) survivors and the 24/7 hotline number of the local domestic violence agency, using 4-foot by 2-foot banners in downtown business windows, according to a news release from the Camden-based bank.

The pandemic has made living with angry and controlling family members even more dangerous through a host of factors including shelter-at-home mandates and increased financial strain. The window banner campaign kicked off April 2 in the Midcoast with 65 banners. Courtesy of funding from the bank, pamphlets with information about domestic violence resources were mailed to every residential address in seven towns. Inspired by an outpouring of support from the community — including businesses generously providing their valuable window space — FOV is expanding the initiative all across Maine. Banners are in downtown business windows across Machias, Calais, Ellsworth, Boothbay Harbor, Damariscotta, Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Eastport. This month the banners are coming back to the Midcoast and papering the Blue Hill Peninsula and Millinocket, Lincoln, Newport and Dover-Foxcroft.

“When Finding Our Voices approached us about their idea, we immediately knew we could help by sponsoring the campaign and displaying the banners at our banking centers,” said Greg Dufour, president and CEO of Camden National Bank. “It’s critical to connect individuals in need with local domestic violence support agencies, many of which we also support through our Hope@Home charitable giving program.”

The awareness campaign is making a difference. Staff and volunteers at New Hope for Women and NextStep domestic violence support agencies have shared that women are calling their hotlines to seek help after seeing the banners. “The banners have caught people’s attention in a way we have never seen before,” said Dorathy Martel, executive director of NextStep.

“Domestic violence and intimate partner abuse are complex issues that are not talked about due to fear, stigma and misplaced shame,” said Patrisha McLean, founder and president of Finding Our Voices. “Through our statewide banner campaign, and with the help of Camden National Bank and hundreds of local businesses displaying and co-sponsoring these banners, we’re fostering compassion while empowering women and giving them a platform to break their silence, access life-saving resources, and connect with other survivors to heal.”

Since 2015, Camden National Bank has given over $520,000 through its Hope@Home program to local homeless shelters — many of which provide support resources and safe homes for victims of domestic violence and abuse. Each time borrowers close a home mortgage with Camden National Bank, the bank donates $100 to a nearby shelter.

Businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to get involved are encouraged to visit FindingOurVoices.net.

 

Summit Natural Gas to donate $2,000 to Waterville Food Bank

Summit Natural Gas of Maine will donate $2,000 to Waterville Food Bank as part of the company’s COVID-19 relief efforts. The organization will use the donation to supply nutritional resources to community members in the Waterville area, according to a news release from the Yarmouth-based company.

“The Waterville Food Bank is very grateful for Summit’s support,” said, Sandra Hammond, operation manager, Greater Waterville Area Food Bank. “Hunger is a true concern here in the state of Maine. Nineteen percent of residents reported not having enough money to buy food last year. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Summit’s generous support couldn’t have come at a better time as the food bank was faced with tremendous community demand.”

“Summit is proud to present this grant to Waterville Food Bank,” said Kurt Adams, chief executive officer, Summit Utilities. “We understand that we are all in this together. The Waterville Food Bank plays a critical role in our Waterville service area providing nutritious food to struggling Maine families and seniors who might otherwise go without during this unprecedented health crisis. Providing these resources is one way that we can support our customers and community members who are immediately impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.”

The company has committed $20,000 overall to COVID-19 relief efforts in Maine. In addition to donating to the Waterville Food Bank the company is also contributing to Augusta Food Bank, Falmouth Food Pantry, Southern Maine Area on Aging, and the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program.

On top of providing financial support to nonprofit organizations throughout its service territories, Summit has also suspended natural gas disconnections for nonpayment and is working with customers who may need payment assistance, arrangements, or extensions.

 

Local collaborative provides COVID-19 relief grants for Somerset County businesses

A consortium of Somerset County development leaders in Skowhegan have come together to offer financial assistance to businesses who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, according to a news release.

Recognizing the need for collaboration, regional economic development leaders in Somerset County came together to form the Community Economic Resource Council. With representatives from Somerset Economic Development Corporation, Main Street Skowhegan, the Skowhegan Economic Development Corporation, Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Town of Skowhegan, the partnership strengthens economic development initiatives, promotes Somerset County as the ideal rural Maine location to start a business, and provides a one-stop resource for business owners and new entrepreneurs.

CERC had been focusing on conventional development opportunities for businesses throughout Somerset County over the last year but recently shifted its focus to providing assistance for businesses impacted by the pandemic. “Our group realized the immediate need for directing businesses to available relief programs but also wanted to help soften the blow the majority of Somerset County businesses are experiencing,” says Christian Savage, executive director of Somerset Economic Development Corporation. “The group felt providing grants to businesses was one of the best ways to help offset their loss of revenue and hopefully keep businesses open during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Somerset County COVID-19 Relief Fund was established and will accept grant applications through July 31. COVID-19 Relief Grants will provide up to $5,000 of financial assistance for Somerset County businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic. These do not need to be paid back and can be used for immediate COVID-19 relief to assist with payroll, utilities, rent, mortgage payments, insurance, inventory, production, etc.

Somerset Economic Development designated $25,000 to the fund which was quickly matched by the Somerset County Commissioners with an additional $25,000. The group is actively fundraising for additional support throughout Somerset County and will continue to do so through the summer.

Donations can be made to Somerset Economic Development Corporation, RE: COVID-19 Relief Fund, 41 Court St., Skowhegan, ME 04976 or by contacting Christian Savage at csavage@somersetcounty-me.org or 207-474-0166.

For more information or to apply for a grant, visit somersetbusinessresources.org.

 

Compiled from submitted news releases. For more business briefs, visit CentralMaine.com.

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