SMH wins gold award

NORWAY — Stephens Memorial Hospital is among the first place winners in the Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network Gold Star Standards of Excellence Recognition Program.

An award ceremony was held March 23 in Augusta where 20 hospitals and eight individuals throughout the state were recognized.

"We are so very pleased to have received this reward, " said Roberta Metivier, vice president of Human Resources. "We are very committed to helping our employees and the community to be the healthiest they can be. We are dually pleased with all the hard work, our Employee Health Nurse, Sharon Buffington, RN was recognized for all of her hard work on this project."

There are three levels of hospital awards – Gold, Silver and Bronze – as well as awards for individuals. Stephens is a Gold Award winner. All hospitals in Maine had the opportunity to apply for the Gold Standards of Excellence awards at the three levels.

As leaders in health care, Maine hospitals seek to optimize the health of patients and the surrounding community. They provide key community support and are exemplary role models in health care excellence. Tobacco-free campus policies are examples of this commitment as they benefit patients, employees, and the entire community. The Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network, an initiative of the Breathe Easy Coalition of Maine, wants to recognize those hospitals that have worked hard to make their campuses 100% tobacco-free environments.