Our History 
August 2009
MOUNT DESERT NURSING ASSOCIATION—
OUR ROOTS, OUR HISTORY AND OUR CURRENT MISSION---Slide Show of MDNA History
Our roots
Once upon a time, over a century ago, the American Red Cross began establishing chapters in towns around the United States. At that time, the Red Cross provided a wide range of nursing care in the home, and also trained people to provide home care. In addition Red Cross nurses did vision, hearing and health screening in schools.
In the town of Mount Desert, there lived some wise and far-sighted ladies and gentlemen who thought a Red Cross chapter and its nurse would be of benefit to Mount Desert residents. These intelligent and astute folks convinced the Red Cross to establish a chapter in Mount Desert.
Nursing care of patients in the home, and school health care were provided by Red Cross nurses over the years. Red Cross nurses also attended home births. Connie Seavey, one of Mount Desert’s senior residents, remembers being told that a Red Cross nurse, Charlotte Nelson, delivered Connie in 1923.
In 1931, funds were raised, land donated, specifications and design done, and the house at 12 Summit Road was built.
The Red Cross provided nursing care and a “town nurse” through WWI and WWII, until in 1948, when the Red Cross changed its mission to a focus on responding to disasters, and swimming/life saving instruction.
Our history--
Again. there were wise ladies and gentlemen in Mount Desert, many of them members of the Board of Directors of the local Red Cross Chapter, who felt strongly about the prospect of losing their “town nurse.” So these prudent folks took on the challenge of creating a new organization, the “Mount Desert Public Health Nursing Association”, an organization which would continue to provide the same services to the residents of the Town of Mount Desert as the Red Cross had provided. This organization had as its original Board members many of those who had been on the Red Cross Board. The “Mount Desert Public Health Nursing Association” was officially founded September 1, 1949. The building and land were donated by the Red Cross to the Mount Desert Nursing Association, who own it as long as the Nursing Association exists. The new Board stipulated that the MDPHN would provide nursing care to both year-round and summer residents of the Town of Mount Desert, that it would be financially supported by donations, and that no Mount Desert resident would be denied services based on ability to pay.
For many years, the building at 12 Summit Road was known as “The Chapter House”, and the Red Cross continued to meet there once a month for many years.
While the offices of the Nursing Association occupied the lower level of the building, the upstairs contained an apartment. A number of nurses utilized this living space, with Karol Hagberg being the last nurse to do so. Since that time, the upstairs has been rented to businesses or groups.
From 1949 into the 80s, the Registered Nurses of Mount Desert Public Health Nursing Association, which later evolved into the Mount Desert Nursing Association (MDNA) continued to provide home health care, school health exams, and community health services.
In the 80s and 90s, schools began to hire school nurses, who then took over the tasks related to school children. At that point, the Mount Desert Nursing Association began to concentrate on what is now their mission and focus—providing care to patients in their homes, health care management and teaching, and community programs which supported prevention and healthy life styles.
Our current mission—
Many of the original concepts and goals of the Mount Desert Nursing Association are still in use—
- Donations are still the primary source of funding and financial support
- MDNA does not accept any insurance
- A sliding scale beginning at $0 is used
- No one is refused service based on ability to pay.
- In-home care and care management are still the focus with the goal of helping people remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
The following information gives more detail about what kinds of nursing services, community health programs, and access to care that MDNA offers to both year-round and summer Mount Desert residents, and describes how to access services.
The Mount Desert Nursing Association is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and provides services to any person or family living in the Town of Mount Desert, which include the following zip codes: 04662, 04675, and 04660. This includes the villages of Beech Hill, Hall Quarry, Northeast Harbor, Otter Creek, Pretty Marsh, Seal Harbor, Somes Sound, and Somesville.
Since MDNA does not accept insurance of any kind, there are no restrictions on the number of visits the Registered Nurses can make, the duration of care they can provide or the kind of care they can provide with a physician’s order. MDNA uses a sliding fee scale, and no one is denied care based on inability to pay.
This can be especially important to those adults, children and families in the age range of 20s to 60s, who may have lost jobs and insurance during the downturn in the economy, but do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, and who may cut back on visits to health care providers or delete medications because of cost. These are the folks who could benefit from short-term nursing care for follow-up checks at home after hospital discharge or post-surgery or trauma, or are newly diagnosed with a medical problem and could benefit from support and education from our nursing staff.
MDNA provides on-going regular visits for persons with chronic health problems, and also provides short-term care and support to persons who may need just a few visits to help them with a current time-limited problem. Preventing a hospitalization is always a goal. Potential patients do not have to be house-bound to take advantage of our nursing visits and nursing care.
MDNA has two full-time RNs who provide direct care to patients, and the Executive Nurse Director is also a Registered Nurse, who is available to provide care in the MDNA offices. With the availability of these RNs, there are no staffing restrictions on accepting new patients from the Town of Mount Desert.
The Mount Desert Nursing Association can provide the following care to people wanting or needing it:
Home Services
• Bedside nursing care under physician's orders
• Complete physical assessment on each visit
• Wound care, dressing changes, and monitoring of healing
• Medication assessment and management, including setting up pill boxes
• Catheter insertion and care
• Nutrition evaluation and teaching
• Blood draws for lab work,
• Patient teaching, family teaching
• Care for, and management of, on-going chronic conditions
• Care management and nursing referrals
• Safety assessments—of both the home environment and the patient
• Other on-going health maintenance services, advocacy for, and support of patients
Direct involvement in hospital discharge planning
• Assessment of home health care needs
• Postpartum visits
• Coordination of community support services
Office Services
• Dressing changes
• Blood pressure checks
• Blood draws
• Health information
• Cane safety--replacing worn cane tips, installing and removing ice prongs
• Loan closet: wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, commodes, crutches and other durable medical equipment are provided without charge to any resident of Mount Desert Island. Donations for use of the equipment are accepted, as well as donations of equipment that is no longer needed by an individual or family member.
Community Outreach
• Cooking and nutrition education
• Health information and assessment programs
• Child Wellness Forums
• Lifestyle support services
• Community Health and Wellness educational and support programs, workshops and clinics, such as Men’s Health Clinic and Women’s Health Fair, Smoking Cessation, Fitness, TOPS, flu shot clinics
• Chronic disease-specific education, teaching and support
The following services are ones that staff can assist patients and families to access:
Contracted Services such as:
• High-tech nursing
• Homemaker service
• Hospice care
• Nutritional counseling
• Physical therapy
MDNA does not provide homemaking services, i.e. cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. Nor do staff run errands. Visits vary in length according to patient needs, but do not involve RNs staying with patients for a block of time.
Potential patients can request services directly; can be referred by family members or even by friends. It is easy for residents to gain access to quality nursing services, whether for a short period of time, such as follow-up after surgery, or for on-going visits.
MDNA nurses can also offer consultation and evaluation of Mount Desert residents whose family members may live at a distance and are concerned about their loved ones who live here. And for Mount Desert residents whose family members live far away, and whose health is a concern, MDNA nurses can help those family members find distant resources and help them traverse the often-complicated health care systems.
For family members who are themselves care-givers, RN staff can be a resource for advice, teaching of nursing skills, medication information and other supportive activities. There is so much MDNA can do to help the family members who are doing such important work for their loved ones. Mount Desert Nursing Association staff are eager to share their information and skills and make the experience better for everyone.
Through direct services and community health programs, the goal of the Mount Desert Nursing Association is to help residents of Mount Desert achieve and/or maintain the best possible health, stay in their own homes as long as possible, prevent illness and injury whenever possible, and support the best quality of life possible for all.
On September 1, 2009, the Mount Desert Nursing Association celebrates its 60th Anniversary of providing Home Health Care and Community Health programs to both the year-round and summer residents of the town of Mount Desert. During those 60 years, Registered Nurses from MDNA have provided nearly 86,000 patient care/home visits, as well as phone calls beyond number to coordinate patient care with physicians, clinics, labs, families, and other concerned persons.
Thanks to each of you for your generosity and the support you give to the Mount Desert Nursing Association, and for making its work possible.
Please give the MDNA office a call if you have questions, or want additional information about the Mount Desert Nursing Association. For more information you can also go to the MDNA website, www.mountdesertnursing.org
