"Cash for Crankers" Benefits
Midcoast School of Technology
From left, Mid-Coast School of Technology students Joanna Calderwood, Brendon Montague; Marian Rector, RN, and student Erinn Philbrook. Observing are students, from left, Morgan Porter, Jessica O'Farrell, Jennifer Rackliff and Justine Schlie (partially obscured behind the other students).
From left, Marian Rector, RN, Mid-Coast School of Technology Adult Education Certified Nursing Assistant instructor with Knox Administrator Don Gross and Pen Bay Healthcare Laundry Supervisor Brenda Hill, with one of the hospital beds (complete with donated bedspread) recently donated to MCST.
The Knox Center for Long Term Care has been replacing old beds with newer ones as part of a long-term safe patient initiative. As part of the plan, Knox was able to work a three-way deal between Knox, the bed company and the Midcoast School of Technology which saved Knox money and helped MCST get electric beds to replace the old crank beds being used at the school's Certified Nursing Assistant training program.
Here are the details: Knox recently received seven new beds from Hill-Rom, an Indiana-based medical supply company. As part of the purchase agreement, Knox could receive a discount for turning in old beds. Hill-Rom was agreeable to accepting manual crank beds from MCST as long as Knox Center donated its older, but still serviceable electric beds to MCST.
"This was a win-win-win situation," said Don Gross, Knox Administrator. "MCST's adult CNA classes are an invaluable service to the community. They help folks obtain the training and job skills needed to enter the healthcare field, and we are proud to support their efforts in any way that we can."
In fact, the Knox Center and sister facility Quarry Hill in Camden have a long history with the CNA programs offered through MCST -- not only do they regularly host the clinical portion of the class, but they also often host graduation ceremonies and look forward to hiring new graduates.
The Pen Bay Healthcare laundry also donated linens to the school to go with the beds.
Gross is appreciative of the efforts of Knox Center employees Jeff Merrill, housekeeping supervisor, Brenda Hill, laundry supervisor, and Bruce Royer, physical plant director, as they all played key parts in working out the solution which benefited the Knox Center, the MCST, and the Midcoast's future CNAs (certified nursing assistants).
The bed donation is a welcome boon to the CNA program at the MCST.
"We are immensely grateful for the generous show of community support to provide such a wonderful upgrade to our Health Occupations programs," says Beth Fisher, director of Mid-Coast School of Technology.
Marianne Doyle, MCST director of adult education added: "We were hoping to purchase one used electric bed this year for the high school and adult students to use for training. Receiving six beds donated by Knox Center (and the bed company) is a tremendous gift to the many students we train each year."