BRUNSWICK

It was clear wellness is at the forefront of the renovated Parkview Campus during its reopening celebration on Wednesday.

A tour of the revamped facility started with the medical exercise gym that serves more than 90 patients a day. That was followed by a teaching kitchen where Dr. Tim Howe conducts a plant-based cooking class; in the fall local chefs will use the kitchen to demonstrate the same.

“We only do plant-based cooking in this kitchen,” said Cate Parker, director of Community Health and Wellness at Mid Coast Hospital’s Parkview Campus.

When Mid Coast Hospital joined with Parkview Adventist Medical Center, she said, “we agreed to continue with their doctrine of plant-based nutrition.”

“Beyond that,” Parker added, “we know that plant-based eating is the healthiest way to eat.”

A new twice-a week walk-in class starts in two weeks, Parker said, “for anyone who wants to come in and learn a little bit about basics for weight loss, being physically active and managing stress, with the goal of engaging them in more programming so they can get involved in becoming more well.”

Wednesday’s celebration marked the completion of a $6.2 million, two-year renovation of Mid Coast Hosptal’s Parkview Campus. More than 44,000 square feet of the former hospital building has now been reconditioned, featuring an eight-provider primary care practice, a wellness education center, a comprehensive cancer care center, and administrative spaces.

With many wellness programs in place — and more to come — the center is a combination of the best of what both hospitals were offering before Parkview filed a petition for bankruptcy three years ago, closed its emergency department and acute inpatient care operations, and entered into an arrangement with Mid Coast Health Services.

“It has been three years since the integration of Mid Coast Health Services and Parkview Adventist Medical Center and we are here today to officially celebrate the reopening of the Mid Coast Hospital Parkview Campus,” said Sandy Morrell Rooney, chairwoman of the Mid Coast–Parkview Health board of directors. “Already, these new state-of-the-art spaces are helping our patients and community members become healthier by focusing on prevention and wellness as the foundations of overall health.”

Lois Skillings, president and chief executive officer of Mid Coast–Parkview Health, ushered guests into the new space and spoke with them after their tours Wednesday.

“It’s been wonderful to see so many people who have such history with this space, and to see them walk in and recognize that it’s still a place of hope, health and healing,” she said. “I’ve just seen total enthusiasm and excitement for what this means to the community.”

Skillings said that while the integration was a lot of hard work, “I could see how quickly the teams were coming together and the physician leaders and the nurses and the rest of the team worked so hard to make this happen over the past three years — to see this growth that has happened in bringing the community together.”

The project was funded through a combination of debt financing and philanthropy. Harpswell residents Frank and Anne Crooker, and Frank Crooker Jr. donated $1 million to benefit the Mid Coast Center for Community Health & Wellness. The wellness center — a 9,000-square-foot area that brings wellness programs, education and resources under one roof — is now named for them. Programs focus on cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, medical exercise, weight loss, stress reduction, and tobacco cessation.

Brunswick residents Sandy Morrell Rooney and Chuck Rooney donated $500,000 toward the new cancer care center, part of the MaineHealth Cancer Care Network that offers comprehensive cancer care in affiliation with MaineHealth and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. There patients can get second opinions more quickly, as well as treatment of rare cancers and access to clinical trials. It also allows patients easy access to cancer-related services in one space, including medical oncology, infusion, laboratory and medical exercise.

The renovation also includes space upstairs for Mid Coast Medical Group–Family Practice at Parkview. The primary care practice offers routine and preventive care for children and adults.

“When we joined together with Parkview three years ago, we focused on creating a coordinated system of care to ensure this community has continued access to exceptional health care close to home,” said Skillings. “As promised, we are stronger as one.”

• WEDNESDAY’S CELEBRATION marked the completion of a $6.2 million, two-year renovation of Mid Coast Hosptal’s Parkview Campus. More than 44,000 square feet of the former hospital building has now been reconditioned, featuring an eight-provider primary care practice, a wellness education center, a comprehensive cancer care center, and administrative spaces.