$2.2 Million for Houlton Regional Hospital Secured by Senator Collins in Funding Bill
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $2.2 million for Houlton Regional Hospital in the Fiscal Year 2023 Health and Human Services appropriations bill.
The omnibus funding package passed the Senate by a vote of 68-29. It will now be passed by the House before heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Mainers in every part of the state should be able to receive the vital health care services they need without interruptions from power outages, which jeopardize access to care. A new back-up generator will make an enormous difference for the health care professionals at Houlton Regional Hospital and the patients they serve,” said Senator Collins. “In addition, investments in energy efficiency will help to permanently reduce utility costs for the hospital and help to drive down the overall cost of care.”
“At Houlton Regional Hospital, we are incredibly thankful for Senator Collins’ work to secure important CDS funding for some projects that will serve patients well, keep them comfortable and safe, and allow the Hospital to operate in an efficient and cost-saving manner” said Shawn Anderson, CEO at Houlton Regional Hospital. “We put a lot of time and thought into our proposal at HRH. We sought to submit a proposal that, first and foremost, had a positive impact on our patients and then on our facilities. We can’t wait to get to work on making these patient-centered improvements to our campus.”
The funding will support facility improvements and equipment upgrades, which will help lower energy and heating costs and support continuity of health care operations.
Specifically, the project will replace every inefficient window and door hospital-wide with high-efficiency windows and doors that will save the hospital thousands of dollars annually. Additionally, Houlton Regional Hospital will replace its circa 1970's HVAC components, which have outlasted their useful life, with an energy efficient system.
Finally, Houlton Regional Hospital seeks to add a critical back-up generator to further support the six physician practices located in the Medical Office Building. While Houlton Regional Hospital's main building is equipped with a back-up generator, it is not large enough to power the entire campus. This causes delays in patient diagnosis and treatment, creates evacuation challenges, and complicates transportation for many seniors who then need to reschedule medical appointments. Adding a back-up generator will power the Medical Office Building and the Community Center for Health Education, permitting patient care to proceed uninterrupted during power outages.
Houlton Regional Hospital serves southern Aroostook County and communities in northern Penobscot and northern Washington Counties.
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