WMH's Gene Benner recognized

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OUTGOING  — Outgoing WMH Board Chair Gene Benner is thanked by incoming chair David Hoisington.

NORWAY — David Hoisington, incoming Chair of the Western Maine Health Board presented outgoing Board Chair Gene Benner with a chair honoring his dedication to the board at the September 5 meeting of the Board of Directors.

Gene has been on the board for nine years, and served as Chair for the past two years.

David Hoisington thanked Gene for his dedicated service to Western Maine Health. Of his time on the board, Gene shared, “It has been a tremendous honor to serve the board as the chair for the last two years and very uplifting to work alongside such a fine group of professionals. Our community is indeed fortunate to have such a great hospital to meet our healthcare needs.”

In addition to serving as the Board Chair, Gene also held the positions of secretary, treasurer and vice chair. During his tenure, Gene was a part of many significant milestones, including the establishment of the Stephens Memorial Specialty Clinics which brought specialized Cardiology, Urology and Oncology services to Norway and SMH becoming the first rural hospital in Maine to partner with Boston’s Tufts University School of Medicine and Maine Medical Center to become a teaching site for medical students.

Also during his time Stephens Memorial Hospital was awarded the Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital in 2010 and transitioned to critical access status in 2011. Gene played a significant role in these accomplishments and many more during the past nine years that he has served on the Western Maine Health Board.

Western Maine Health is a member of the MaineHealth® family. Visit Western Maine Health on-line at www.wmhcc.org.