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AUGUSTA - Governor Paul R. LePage and a contingent of Maine business leaders will depart on Sunday for a five-day trade mission to Mexico and Colombia. The mission, the third during the Governor’s administration, will take Maine’s delegation to the cities of Mexico City, Queretaro and Bogota.

Nine Maine businesses and educational institutions will be featured during the mission, which seeks to create linkages between Maine and two of Latin America’s most successful economies.

“Maine needs to be more competitive across the globe,” said Governor LePage. “Our goal in Mexico and Columbia will be to develop additional contacts for private investment and promote Maine as a great place to study and invest.”

Governor LePage will make several presentations about investment opportunities in Maine during the trip. He will speak at a meeting of the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs, an organization of Mexican investors in the United States, and the State of Maine Receptions in Mexico City and Bogota.

He will also meet with a group of key business leaders from the rapidly expanding state of Queretaro, a major center of the automotive and aerospace industries.

Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been a bright spot in the global economy over the past several years and is the United States’ second-largest export market and third-largest trading partner. In addition, Mexico has been a growing source of foreign investment in the United States and most recently Maine, where Dalegip America Inc. is located announced a joint venture partnership with Searsport-based GAC Chemical this past April.

Major Mexican investments in the U.S. have been in the construction industry, industrial products, real estate and food processing sectors.

“The U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Service, Dalegip, and our in-country representatives have helped us connect with new trade and investment contacts in both Mexico and Colombia,” said Janine Bisaillon-Cary, president of Maine International Trade Center. “We are excited to highlight the many assets Maine has, especially when it comes to manufacturing and distribution.”

Shively Labs, based in Bridgton, is one of the companies participating on the trade mission to seek new international sales. A manufacturer of broadcast equipment, Shively hopes to access the Mexican market for a very specific opportunity: in 2009, the country began transitioning all AM radio stations to FM.

“This is a very complicated, ongoing process,” said Angela Gillespie, who will represent Shively in Mexico.  “It’s clear there is a definite need for the types of products we can provide. We’ve received great feedback ahead of the trip, and we’re looking forward to making connections while we’re there.”

The Maine delegation will move to Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday, October 30, where similar events are planned including a roundtable to promote Maine’s educational institutions to Colombian students and parents.

The mission is organized in a coordinated effort by the Maine International Trade Center, Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and the U.S. Department of Commerce with support from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Franklin Memorial Oncology Services Welcomes Dr. Gregory Emmons

Oncologist sees patients every Thursday

FARMINGTON, MAINE¾

Franklin Memorial Hospital (FMH) is pleased to announce the addition of Gregory Emmons, DO, a medical oncologist/hematologist, who is now providing cancer care at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Emmons sees patients in Farmington every Thursday. He joins cancer care providers Dr. Richard Krull and Dr. Robin Locke in staffing the oncology department. All are also affiliated with the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care.

Dr. Emmons earned his medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland and a dual fellowship in hematology and oncology at Baystate Medical Center, the western campus of Tufts University School of Medicine in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Dr. Emmons is board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and holds a specialty certification in medical oncology and hematology.

“We are pleased to offer aggressive treatment for all types of cancer, as well as benign and malignant blood disorders,” said Miriah McKenna, FMH emergency department and oncology manager. “We offer chemotherapy and intravenous fluids administration and blood product transfusion, administered by chemotherapy-certified registered nurses.”

For more information, contact McKenna at 779-2547.

Franklin Memorial Hospital Awarded “A” Grade by Hospital Safety Score

Reflects hospital’s focus on protecting patients from errors, injuries and infections

Franklin Memorial Hospital (FMH) was honored with an “A” grade in the fall 2013 update to the Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be analyzed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Patient Safety, the Score is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.

“We have an organizational effort and commitment to best-practice standards of care with a focus on patient safety and robust clinical information systems aimed at improving patient care,” said Rebecca Arsenault, FMH president. “This first ‘A’ recognition underscores that this hospital is making tremendous strides in providing the highest quality of care to the people of Greater Franklin County. This positive affirmation by an independent reviewer only strengthens our determination to continue our efforts to excel at all levels of our health delivery system.”

To see Franklin Memorial Hospital’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, and to find safety tips for patients and their loved ones, visit the Hospital Safety Score Website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. Local hospitals’ scores are also available on the free mobile app, available at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Calculated under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 general U.S. hospitals were assigned scores this fall. A full analysis of the data and methodology used is available on the Hospital Safety Score website.

“As patients begin to take a more active role in selecting where to receive health care, it has never been more important to focus on hospital safety and transparency. The ‘A’ hospitals, including Franklin Memorial Hospital, are helping us to raise the standards of health care nationwide,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog. “We offer our congratulations and hope the hospital will continue to strive for an ever-increasing level of excellence in patient safety.”

The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.

Franklin Memorial Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital whose mission is to provide high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered health care. The 65-bed hospital is fully qualified and accredited to handle a broad range of medical, surgical, pediatric, women’s care, and diagnostic services. The hospital actively works with the community and with other health care providers to integrate services and ensure the health of people within its service area.

Basketball Tournament to Help Victims of Domestic Violence

Annual Taylor Tip-Off Tournament raises money for children who have lost their parents to domestic violence

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage is encouraging Mainers to lace up their basketball shoes this November to support children affected by domestic violence. November 10 marks the 5^th Annual Taylor Tip-Off Tournament, which is an event to raise money for youth who have lost parents by acts of domestic violence.

Governor LePage has proclaimed November 10 as Taylor Tip-Off Awareness Day in the State of Maine and he will join the Maine Athletic Club and members of Maine Swish basketball on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. at the Augusta YMCA to encourage Mainers to participate in this year’s tournament.

Held each fall since 2009, the Taylor Tip-Off basketball tournament has raised more than $57,000. One hundred percent of the proceeds have been donated to grandparents now raising nine children from four different families impacted by domestic violence in Westbrook, New Gloucester, Winslow and Dennysville, Maine. This year, tragically, there are more children event organizers would like to support, including a two-year-old and four-year-old left parentless when their father stabbed to death their mother in Old Town.

“The terrible tragedies these children have endured are unthinkable,” said Governor LePage. “But we cannot let these tragedies ruin innocent lives that have been caught in the middle of a family’s worst nightmare.

“It is awe-inspiring to see families, friends and communities support the Taylor Tip-Off tournament year after year. I wish there was no need for a fund such as this, but it gives us reason to work harder to eliminate domestic violence as a society.”

The Taylor Tip-Off was started in 2009 by Mark Leclerc of the Maine Athletic Club (MAC) and the Maine Swish basketball team. Kenny Taylor was the assistant coach of Maine Swish, and his then 14-year-old daughter, Kaylee Taylor, played on the team. In April of 2009, Kenny took his own life after murdering his wife, Belinda Taylor, in their Westbrook home. The murder-suicide happened in the morning – six hours later, Kaylee and her then 12-year-old sister, Kiana, returned home from school and discovered their parents. There was no life insurance and no savings account.

For the first two years, money raised through the tournament provided financial support to the Taylor sisters. In 2011, the Taylor Memorial Fund was established, which supports other children across Maine who have lost their parents to domestic violence.

“It is an absolute gift to Mark and I to be able to raise money for these families, but we wish they never needed it in the first place,” said Cathy Evers, Taylor Tip-Off tournament co-founder. “A restraining order is just a piece of paper, and it’s no match against a gun or a knife.”

Leclerc added, “While our focus remains on directly supporting the families themselves, we fully endorse the electronic monitoring program the governor is supporting in the hopes of preventing children from losing their parents in the first place.”

This year, Governor LePage signed a law to develop and implement an electronic pilot project for electronic monitoring of certain domestic violence abusers. In an effort to support the mission of the project $18,000 was provided from the Governor’s contingency fund to match donations raised from the Amy, Coty, and Monica Memorial 5K race/walk held in Dexter in 2012. The Memorial walk raised $36,000, which will go toward implementing a monitoring program.

For more information about the Taylor Tip-Off basketball tournament visit http://taylortipoff.org/TaylorTipOff.org/HOME.html .

Lessons from the Federal Shutdown

Like most Americans, I hoped politicians in Washington, D.C. would have avoided a federal shutdown. But they failed us. They won’t fool us again.

Hello, this is Governor Paul LePage.

During the shutdown, my staff spent many hours preparing for what could have resulted in thousands of layoffs of federally funded state employees, as well as the disruption of services to many state programs.

Commissioners of state agencies took inventory of how many employees would be affected, what services would be impacted and how the state could manage this unprecedented crisis. We immediately contacted the state employees’ labor union to keep them informed as the shutdown progressed.

Our main concern was to make sure that any state employees who were laid off would be taken care of to the best of the state’s ability, whether it be providing them financial assistance or guaranteeing they would get their jobs back once the shutdown was over.

The civil emergency allowed me to lift the work search requirement for employees who had been laid off and who would have to seek   unemployment benefits.

I declared a civil emergency to give the administration the flexibility to respond quickly to this crisis, and it was dissolved as soon as the federal government guaranteed us that funding for employees and programs was restored.

Sadly, the politicians in Washington, D.C. accomplished absolutely nothing during the 16-day shutdown. They have set th  e stage for another shutdown, but we will be ready for it.

With another shutdown looming, we will not waste time listening to political rhetoric. We are taking steps to ensure our employees are protected, and we will be prepared to minimize the impact on state programs and services. Actions, not words, will see us through the next shutdown.

Finally, I will say it again: With a national debt of 17 trillion dollars and permanent gridlock in Washington, D.C., we cannot depend on federal money to pay for Maine government. We must learn to live within our means.

As unfortunate as the shutdown was, we learned a lot from it. Government is not too big to fail its people. The next time the politicians fail us, we will be ready.

Governor LePage Recognizes 30^th Anniversary of Beirut Barracks Bombing

241 U.S. Marines, Sailors and Soldiers remembered for their sacrifice

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage is encouraging Mainers and Americans across the Nation to remember the 30th Anniversary of Beirut Barracks Bombing that killed hundreds of Americans. Two-hundred forty-one Marines, Sailors and Soldiers lost their lives in 1983 as the result of a horrific terrorist attack that destroyed the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. It was the highest number of Marine casualties in a single day since World War II.

On Oct. 23, 1983, 220 Marines, 18 Sailors and 3 Soldiers were killed when a terrorist drove a truck carrying thousands of pounds of explosives through the headquarters of the 1^st Battalion, 8^th Marines, located in the Beirut International Airport. Marine CPL Bruce L. Howard, of Strong, Maine, was killed in the attack. Marine Major Andrew L. Davis was also killed and he had ties to Maine.

“Today, we pause to remember and honor the brave Marines, Soldiers, and Sailors lost in the single most deadly attack on Americans on foreign soil,” said Governor LePage. “Not since the brutal battle for Iwo Jima in February 1945 had the Marines suffered such a single day casualty rate.”  

There were 1,800 Marines stationed in Beirut at the time and 300 service members had been living at the four-story building at the airport in Beirut. Mark Nevells was a Corporal with the Marines in 1983, stationed in Beirut. He recalls being approximately100 yards from the target building when it exploded. He says, decades later, most people he meets cannot remember what happened in Beirut.

“It’s a single event that many people forget about, but so long as I am here I will remind people about this page in our history. The 241 brave souls that died that day deserve it,” Nevells said.

Governor LePage Thanks Maine State Employees

Civil Emergency no longer

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage thanked Maine State employees today for their patience during the 16-day federal government shutdown. The Governor also announced today that the civil emergency has ended.

Used as an administrative tool, the civil emergency provided the Governor the flexibility to manage potential impacts on state services and programs that serve Maine citizens and to ensure an orderly transition back to normal government operations.

“I’m pleased that State government is back to normal and Mainers are back to work,” said Governor LePage. “I want to thank Maine State employees for their patience during these past couple weeks. This federal shutdown caused a tremendous amount of stress and uncertainty for everyone.”

Governor LePage used the authority provided by the declaration of civil emergency to lift the unemployment benefits work search requirement for federally funded state employees who were laid off as a result of the federal government shutdown. Additionally, the State Controller was identifying areas within agencies where workers could have been repurposed in order to maintain State programs and services had the shutdown continued into a third week.

Maine law enables the Governor to declare a civil emergency in the case of unexpected situations, such as a federal government shutdown, which significantly impacted incoming revenues to the State of Maine. More than 2,700 state employees are paid, either partially or entirely, by federal funding. There are also thousands of federally funded programs and services that Mainers rely upon, which could have been adversely affected in a prolonged shutdown.

AUGUSTA – Mainers interested in taking a tour of the Blaine House you will have a chance on Saturday. The First Family is hosting the Third Annual Blaine House Food Drive two more times during the month of October. Tours will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow and Oct. 26. Mainers will have an opportunity to bring a food donation, receive a tour of the Blaine House led by Governor Paul R. LePage and enjoy light refreshments.

This year, Governor LePage has also issued a Food Drive Challenge to Maine Chambers of Commerce. In a letter issued to Maine chambers, the Governor encouraged participation in a local food drive throughout the month of October

Chambers that participate will have a chance to host a “Business After Hours” event at the Blaine House.

“As our holiday season approaches, it is very important that we remember those who are less fortunate,” said Governor LePage. “The First Lady and I will be hosting Blaine House food drives, but I am encouraging local chambers to get involved and help out their local food pantries or homeless shelters.”

The Governor and First Lady request each chamber submit an itemized list of products donated, as well as contact information for the organization receiving the donation. Donations are to be collected and donated for the challenge through Oct. 31. Participating chambers will be entered into a raffle to host a “Business After Hours” event at the Blaine House with the Governor and First Lady and senior officials in the LePage Administration.

By including Chambers of Commerce throughout Maine, the First Family hopes to bring more awareness around the goodness of giving within Maine communities.

“We are a small state with big hearts,” said First Lady Ann LePage. “In our family, we have taught our children that giving is more important than receiving. Giving money is great, but giving your time is just as valuable. So we encourage Mainers to consider volunteering at a shelter, food pantry or soup kitchen. It’s a great gift to give.”

Sighinolfi Elected to International Workers’ Comp Association

Governor LePage commends chair of Maine’s Workers’ Comp Board

AUGUSTA – Paul H. Sighinolfi, chair and executive director of the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board, has been elected to the 2013-14 Executive Committee of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions. IAIABC is North America’s oldest workers’ compensation association.

As executive director of the Workers’ Comp Board, Sighinolfi is a member of Governor Paul R. LePage’s Cabinet.

“The election of Paul Sighinolfi to the IAIABC demonstrates the faith leaders in this industry have in the Maine workers’ compensation system,” said Governor LePage. “He oversees a system that has improved the provision of benefits to injured workers, controlled costs and worked to improve the business climate in the State of Maine.”

The Executive Committee provides strategic leadership and financial oversight for the association and is comprised of 10 agency executives and the chair of Associate Member Counsel. The board shapes the IAIABC initiatives to “advance the efficiency and effectiveness of workers’ compensation systems throughout the world.”

The 2013-2014 IAIABC Executive Committee was voted in unanimously by the membership at the IAIABC’s annual convention held October 3 in San Diego, California.

The IAIABC is a non-profit, non-partisan association representing most of the United States, Canadian Provinces, and other nations and territories. Its mission is to advance the administration of workers’ compensation systems throughout the world through education, research and information sharing.

All State Employees Back to Work Friday

Governor LePage worked in good faith with Union to see workers return to previous positions

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage announced today that all remaining federally funded state employees who were laid off and or displaced to a different position because of the federal government shutdown will return back to work Friday. Department of Administrative and Financial Services began calling employees Thursday evening.

“It is unfortunate that we were unable to execute an agreement with the union, but they were dragging their feet and we couldn’t wait any longer,” said Governor LePage. “The most important thing is to get Mainers back to work in their original jobs and that’s what we’re doing.”

Once the Governor received official confirmation from the federal government that the State of Maine would receive reimbursement for affected employees, the Governor felt it necessary to take immediate action to get Mainers back to work.

On Thursday morning, the Department of Health and Human Services brought back disability determination specialists to its Winthrop office. Late Thursday afternoon, the State received assurance from the federal government that 44 Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management employees would receive back pay and will be back on the job Friday.