What we lack is a hospital facility that is as great as our staff. We need a modern facility to assure that our community hospital remains viable for the next 25 years. This project will protect our future and our ability to continue to serve our community. To assess the impact of these trends on Franklin Memorial Hospital and the community it serves, the hospital undertook a comprehensive multi-year planning process, culminating in last night s announcement by the Board of Trustees. The hospital will undertake approximately 30,000 square feet of new construction and 11,500 square feet of major renovations, which will be funded through a combination of borrowing from the Maine Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority hospital reserves, and a community capital campaign.
Ground breaking for the renovation and expansion project is planned for next summer.
Although the State granted FMH Certificate of Need for the project last spring, the hospital's Board of Trustees delayed building so that further financial analysis could be undertaken in the face of Medicare cuts that have threatened the financial health of rural hospitals across the nation.