Franklin Memorial Hospital’s new Community Health Education Center, named in honor of statesman, Ben Franklin, will provide a new level of vitality, coordination, and expansion to community-oriented health education and outreach.
Charles Murray, FMH Board Chair, explained, “The new Community Health Education Center will help us keep our health-care system supplied with top-notch personnel who are educated in the most up-to-date, specialized information and technology. It will help us empower area residents to participate actively in their own health care and provide them with information they increasingly expect and demand.”
The Health Education Center has been designed to meet the needs of health-care providers and consumers. It will include in its operation a variety of other community organizations, and provide a rich source of materials, programs, and services. The Center includes:
• A Library information center. Library resources are in many formats. Medical librarians and education staff are available to direct end users to the information they need.
• Educational programs for health-care professionals.
FMH will help ensure a supply of well-trained nurses and nurse-educators by bringing accredited basic nurse education (RN) into the new facilities by videoconferencing, and an RN-BSN program by ITV.
The Center’s educational programming will be available both to FCHN personnel and to providers working in other organizations or in private practice.
• Educational programs for the community. Classes will be offered to the community on a variety of health-related subjects such as diabetes, nutrition, and childcare. For these classes, the Center will draw on the wealth of expertise found at the University of Maine at Farmington and other local agencies.
• Meeting and conference spaces. Rooms of different sizes have been equipped to meet a variety of needs. These meeting spaces will be available to community groups as well as for Hospital programs. Twenty-four wireless enabled laptop computers and four desktop computers are available for training and classroom use. A hall that could accommodate 150 people will provide the region with a much-needed place to hold conferences and major educational assemblies.
• Telecommunications facilities for distance education and conferences. The Center incorporates the latest telecommunications technology necessary for distance learning programs. In cooperation with the CMMC School of Nursing, a nursing degree program will soon be offered at Franklin Memorial Hospital.
• Opportunities for students. There will be many opportunities for students in health-related fields at the University of Maine at Farmington, area high schools, and the Foster Vocational-Technical Center to gain experience under expert guidance by working as interns, student assistants, and on personal research.
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