“Through our membership in EMHS, we work closely with our system family to ensure that together we are
developing a culture of quality and safety that will benefit all of our patients, no matter where in our system they
receive care,” Vieira said.
SVH is about to roll out another technology that will free staff for other duties, like caring for patients or doing
lab work. The hospital has at least 50 refrigerators with food, medication, lab specimens, etc. Every shift,
every day, every refrigerator’s temperature needs to be checked. Until now, that was done by staff, who had to
write the temperature on a paper stuck to the side of the refrigerator.
But now, the hospital has invested in Bluetooth technology that records and transmits the temperature of the
refrigerator. And if a refrigerator malfunctions, technicians will find out right away, not the next morning after
everything inside it has been ruined and thousands of dollars wasted. What’s more, front-line staff won’t have
to bother with a duty that takes them away from patients.
SVH’s new patient wing is the first phase of a three-phase project, and the changes are helping the hospital’s
bottom line, Peterson said. Since the new wing opened, the hospital’s average daily census is up 31 percent.
Patients, who could choose to travel elsewhere, are opting to stay at SVH.
“It is exciting to be on the forefront of reinventing Maine’s care delivery system,” Vieira said. “I am so pleased
that the people of Sebasticook Valley are benefitting from this work.”
One of four new nurses stations. By increasing the number of nurses stations, the hospital reduced the noise
level and gave patients a better night's sleep.
Sebasticook Valley Health
