Mayo receives $250,000 memorial gift for Oncology Dept.

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Mayo Regional Hospital CEO Marie Vienneau met with Jane Hibbard-Merrill and her husband Charles in December to discuss a $250,000 donation from the family to relocate and improve Mayo’s Oncology Services.

    The family’s vision for the project includes relocating Mayo’s present Oncology Services Department from the original Mayo Hospital building to within the main hospital, remodeling for privacy, pharmacy services and physician support. Improvements would also include the addition of state of the art equipment and teleconferencing capability.
    The gift is in memory of Tracy Hibbard-Kasprzak, daughter of the late Gary M. Hibbard and Jane Hibbard-Merrill. Hibbard-Kasprzak died March 25, 2014 of colon cancer. Inspired by her strength and courage, Hibbard-Merrill and her husband have committed to improving the comfort and privacy of oncology patients and their family.
    Providing a new discreet entrance, reception area and private treatment rooms along with comfortable modern furnishings would help create a homelike atmosphere, giving patients and families an improved experience to help them face the physical, emotional and spiritual challenge of cancer treatment. State of the art local cancer treatment also reduces the need for travel for additional services.
    “We are very excited to work with the architect in designing and restructuring this oncology clinic for the benefit of the entire community and surrounding area,” Hibbard-Merrill said.
    The Mayo Regional Hospital Board of Directors was very supportive of their vision and accepted their gift of $250,000 to initiate the plan. “We hope this gift inspires other in the community to donate to the project,” added Hibbard-Merrill.
    Work is underway to meet with an architect and to determine the scale and timing of the project. “We are eager to work with Jane and Charles to develop this project and are immensely grateful for their generosity and commitment to providing comfort to cancer patients in our community,” said Mayo Regional Hospital CEO Marie Vienneau.
    Mayo Regional Hospital is a 25 bed, non-profit, critical access hospital providing advanced medical services to more than 26,000 residents in the Piscataquis and adjacent Penobscot and Somerset counties.