Canadian Pacific gift boosts heart care services at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Date: 02/08/2021

New echocardiography (ECHO) stretchers will make a common heart diagnostic procedure at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center more comfortable and patient friendly thanks to a recent gift from Canadian Pacific (CP).

CP recently donated $20,000 to help fund the purchase of the specialized stretchers, which provide extra support and reduce the amount of discomfort that patients feel during echocardiogram procedures. The ECHO stretchers also lower the risk of hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder fatigue and injury for the sonographer, the imaging professional that performs the procedure.

An important tool in the fight against heart disease, echocardiograms use sound waves to identify heart problems and determine the overall health of the heart muscle, especially after a heart attack. Eastern Maine Medical Center performs more than 16,000 echocardiograms each year.

“This generous gift from CP will directly benefit patients who depend on us to provide accurate, timely diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care for heart disease,” says Rand O’Leary, MSA, FACHE, senior vice president, Northern Light Health and president, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. “Having the most advanced equipment is more important than ever as our heart care services continue to grow to serve the needs of Mainers. We’re grateful for CP’s support of a service that touches the lives of thousands of Maine families each year.”

“Investing in the communities in which we operate in and through is of vital importance to CP,” says Phil Urmy, CP Roadmaster–La Crosse. “CP is proud to donate $20,000 to purchase two echo stretchers for Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. Our hope is that this will continue to ensure the very best care possible for Bangor and area patients.”