MaineHealth Institute for Research Community

" Two magnets ended up in my left nostril while the other one was in my right. At this point I ran out of magnets." Astrophysicist Daniel Reardon is good-spirited about his attempt to invent a face-touching warning device that ended up with him in hospital. ( The Guardian )

Research Analyst Adam Black just participated in a COVID-19 study-a-thon hosted by OHDSI ("Odyssey").  A few hundred people from all over the world used an online collaboration platform to design and execute multiple research studies to inform the COVID-19 response. This included developing and externally validating three prediction models that could help providers more confidently triage patients presenting with COVID-19 symptoms.  Adam says: "It is really incredible what this community is able to accomplish in a few days and I hope that in the coming weeks we will be able to validate the prediction models on our data and share the results so that the data we routinely collect might be used to inform the response to this disease. This is research that can be done very efficiently without any risk to patients and produce high quality results. We were one of only a few medical centers in the US with data on COVID-19 cases in the study-a-thon and are in a good posit...

Message from Leisa Collins: I consider it pretty much heaven to live within a few minutes drive of six independent bookstores selling new books! They each have such wonderfully different personas and different strengths.  I encourage your support of them all: to keep our local economy alive (there are owners and employees who make their lives from these small businesses from the slimmest of profit margins) to keep this quality-of-life piece available (we treasure it so much in our region), and  to up-level your reading practice during this time of physical (not social!) distancing.  Each of these bookstores below are accepting phone and/or online orders. How about a purchase from each over the next coming weeks?..  Book Review  (Falmouth) Letterpress Books  (Portland) Longfellow Books  (Portland)   Nonesuch Books  (South Portland) Print: A Bookstore  (Portland) Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops  (Portland...

This pandemic, what is left untouched?  Research Data Analyst Shravanthi Seshasayee shares her artistic musings...

Students from 31 schools (200 students) competed in the 2020 virtual  Maine State Science Fair. This was  an opportunity for  Maine  high school students to present original research and engineering  projects  to a  state -wide audience of their peers and mentors including scientists, engineers, mathematicians, teachers, and other STEM professionals. Jess and Kevin Davis-Knowlton served as virtual judges in the categories of Nutrition and Development (Jess) and Engineering (Kevin). Patrick Wahlig from Falmouth High School took 1st place in Nutrition and Development (3rd place overall), and Vetri Vel from Bangor High School was 1st in Engineering (1st overall). This event was organized by The Jackson Laboratory and the Maine Mathematics and  Science Alliance.

MMCRI Research Assistant Ben Tero recently returned from a volunteer medical trip to Tanzania, where he captured this stunning view: While on a safari at Lake Manyara National Park in northern Tanzania  a family of elephants crossed the road mere feet away from  my vehicle. Not bothered by human presence at all, they proceeded to  leisurely make their way across the road, and disappear quickly into  the brush. This young elephant came so close to our vehicle that I had  to use a fisheye lens in order to capture them. This was easily a  highlight moment of the trip, and one I am so happy that I can share. Ben

Thank you to our MMCRI and UNE research labs who donated glycerol and hydrogen peroxide towards a project at UMaine to produce hand sanitizer on a large scale.  Lots of gratitude to Mike Mason, UMaine Professor, who is working hard on this initiative!

Curbside Pick up: Lobster and Beer Support your local fishermen and enjoy your favorite beer. Your two favorite things about Maine are now available curbside. For just $19.99, you can pick up a 6-pack of Shipyard beer and 2 live Maine lobsters. Pre-order and pick up between 3 and 6 pm daily. Orders placed by 2 PM can be picked up same day www.shipyardlobster.com

Many farms across Maine have added alternative ways customers can obtain farm products to accommodate for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Maine food producers are updating this database in an effort to increase public access to their products during this time. Many thanks to Allison Lakin of East Forty Farm and Lakin’s Gorges Cheese for initiating this important resource. Please connect with farms directly using the contact information provided in the directory: https://extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/farm-product-and-pickup-directory/

I am late in sharing some of the community gratitude that came in for February. Since then, in conversations with colleagues and friends, many others have come up. There is a lot of gratitude for the healthcare workers who are working under strained conditions, all of our public-facing businesses for developing creative ways to serve their communities, kind people who are offering to help and thinking of others, leaders of coordinated efforts, our own health, and many, many more.  You might be alone right now. You might have felt anxiety or uncertainty in the past days.  Take a deep breath.  And another.  Please think of something that you are grateful for, and share it in the comment box if you would like. Be well, Lucy

Dear MMCRI Colleagues,  I hope all are safe and sound.  Let’s stay in touch! Link to video message - https://youtu.be/50tQLPZf0m4   Doug

Donations How can I help? Many people have reached out to ask how they can support MaineHealth in the coming months. We are grateful for this generosity and so proud of the communities we serve.  MaineHealth expects to be caring for people with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future and we are planning ahead. If you would like to donate supplies such as N95 masks, gowns, gloves, or protective eye gear, please complete the form at this link: https://mainehealth.org/healthy-communities/coronavirus/donations  To protect our patients and care team members, we are not accepting unannounced drop-off donations of toys, blankets, or other items at this time. Please contact us using the form below before arriving at your local community hospital with supplies. We appreciate and thank you for your commitment to helping us keep our communities healthy.

Child Care Connection MaineHealth is doing as much as possible to protect our team members and their families during the  COVID-19  outbreak. Because of the need for social distancing and self-isolation, MaineHealth is unable to provide on-site child care. However, to support our MaineHealth community throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we are developing a directory of care options for team members and their families. If you are able to provide care to the families of our care team members, please complete and submit the form that can be found at this link: https://mainehealth.org/healthy-communities/coronavirus/child-care-connection We are encouraging both external partners and the MaineHealth community to contribute to this directory to support the current demand for child care. Your information will be added to our directory in real time and shared only with MaineHealth team members who are in need of support. If you have any questions or concerns, please c...

This is a public Facebook group that also seeks to link community members with local fisherman selling their products directly: https://www.facebook.com/groups/869154176844079/?ref=share

To our valued CSA community-  As the concerns around COVID-19 continue, we, the staff of Fresh Start Farms and Cultivating Community, wanted to send out an update on our programming and provide resources for this unprecedented time. While our office is closed, and our staff is working remotely,  we are continuing with CSA registration , and still anticipate delivery starting the first week of July. New American farmers in our program are looking towards this summer with uncertainty, and each CSA share purchased now provides secured income for them this growing season, as well as access to clean, local food for you. To read about our 2020 offerings, visit the  CSA page of our website . We are working closely with site coordinators to develop contingency plans for delivery, given that many offices might still be experiencing limited hours or staffing come this summer. We are also evaluating our food safety protocols at each step of the CSA process, and making...

For those of you interested in supporting local fisherman, the link below is where you can submit an order for this week: http://www.gulfofmainesashimi.com/purchase-fish ********************************* Fresh fish off the dock, no supermarket! Hello neighbors! The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is helping our local fishermen in these difficult times.  They have of course lost enormous orders from restaurants.  At the same time, many of us are hesitant to go to supermarkets, etc. This is a win/win supportive offer. This week they have only monkfish but each week changes. Please go to  www.gulfofmainesashimi.com/purchase-fish<http://www.gulfofmainesashimi.com/purchase-fish > to order. Here is more information on the mission if you are interested. Fighting the Effects of Coronavirus – A View from the Wharf Blog — March 15, 2020 Everyone is feeling the effects of coronavirus. We’re seeing many of our restaurant customers making the crushing decision to ...

This was contributed to us as private citizens to consider, and does not necessarily represent the views of MMCRI. Geoffrey Gratwick is a Maine State senator from Bangor, and is inviting community members, esp. in the healthcare professions to join him in asking Governor Mills to institute shelter in place. You may contact him by email if you would like to learn more about his efforts (ggratwick@gmail.com). He is interested if there is more support for his initiative. He writes: Good afternoon colleagues – I would like to send the attached letter to Governor Mills by 8:00 tonight (Sunday) and invite you to be a signatory.  Please pass it on to any and all other health care providers and their signatures will be forwarded in batches as they arrive. Please list your degree. The Maine Medical Assn will be passing this on to members; if you belong to another professional organization please have them consider passing it on to their members as well.  Governor Mills has indica...

Although the hospital (particularly the ER) is under seige with more patients than they can handle and not enough supplies for Covid-19 testing, research is alive and well at MMCRI. Our Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR) decided to send out a request for proposals to study in real time the epidemic of the Covid-19 virus, its biology, its epidemiology in Maine, its impact on the young and elderly, and its effects on the MaineHealth system. We were skeptical that we would get responses, but in fact we now have 5 proposals that we will review in depth starting Tuesday. We hope to provide resources to conduct at least 2 and maybe 3 projects during the next few months. If anyone else at MMCRI has an idea for a project, its not too late; the RFP closes at 5 pm Monday; contact myself or Meredith Ostreiche r or Tom Gridley and we can provide you with the forms necessary for submission.  Cliff Rosen

The Maine People's Alliance has organized Mainers Together to support community-based efforts to respond to current community distress. Ideas for giving, asking for assistance, volunteering, and sharing ideas here: mainerstogether.com

With current mandated closures of in-restaurant dining, many food businesses and breweries are still offering other options for take out or delivery. The Portland Food Map is collating these offerings, and their page also has some tips about food prep! https://www.portlandfoodmap.com Please share any other places that are doing a great job in helping our community in creative ways!

If State and community mandates allow , getting outside for fresh air and some exercise would be good, obviously with sensible practices.  Check this site for ideas ( https://www.alltrails.com/explore/us/maine/unity .) These walks and hikes are often quiet, no crowds. Kids should like these especially in springtime with lots of birds coming through and lots of new growth.  And a favor, we are new to Cumberland County and looking for good hikes. So if you have favorites or great discoveries, let me know. We are from the other County - Aroostook, and need good hikes around here, and hope to use them as long as we are allowed.   Joe Nadeau  

I stumbled across this new resource from KiwiCo to help support learning at home for kids from ages 2 to 12+. They add daily updates! Check it out: https://www.kiwico.com/kids-at-home

Finding ways to help with covid-19 is quite limited for most of us.  But small ways like donating blood can be helpful.  Apparently the shortage is severe, and probably will be for some time.  I've heard that in some places, there's not enough blood to meet current needs. Please think hard about donating. It's easy, fast, invaluable, and rewarding.  At redcrossblood.org, the online appointment feature is down, which means calling. When I called yesterday, I was 96th in line. But the line went fast, maybe 10 minutes. So be persistent.  Joe N

Hello everyone, As a health care team we all recognize that we are likely in the early stages of a significant pandemic in Maine and across the country. We also know that there are 1.1 million people (including our loved ones and friends) who are relying upon us to care for them whether it is a COVID-19 related illness, another type of illness, or both. Brave people doing great things: Living Patient-Centered Care Over the past two weeks we have seen dozens of our care team members step up and do whatever it takes to meet the needs of our patients who must be our top priority. Direct caregivers have accepted reassignments and stepped into different roles to help out where we needed them. Similarly, dozens of our support personnel have generously offered their help and filled in when asked. It is hard for me to overstate how proud I am to lead a care team that lives and breathes our mission and values with such commitment.   Businesses and other members of our community ...

National Center for Biotechnology Information Functional Genomics Workshop April 15-16, 2020 9am to 4pm PDT To register and for more information, visit  https://news.wsu.edu/2020/02/26/terrell-library-host-ncbi-functional-genomics-workshop/ Workshop presented using GoToWebinar. Attendance at all sessions not required. Sessions cover the following topics:   *   An update on NCBI BLAST and other sequence analysis tools   *   NCBI resources for animal and plant genomics research   *   NCBI resources for pathogen (bacteria and virus) genomics research   *   NCBI resources for gene expression and genetic variation research Featured speakers are:   *   Peter Cooper, NCBI Customer Experience team member and team lead for Strategic Communications (education, social media and conferences). For the past 22 years, he has provided user support for the NCBI molecular databases and tools and has directed scientific educat...

Hi all, Just found this great idea of our local fisherman selling directly to consumers - will help them stay in business. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute on Commercial Street is a pick up site!  Lucy ********************************* Fresh fish off the dock, no supermarket! Hello neighbors! The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is helping our local fishermen in these difficult times.  They have of course lost enormous orders from restaurants.  At the same time, many of us are hesitant to go to supermarkets, etc. This is a win/win supportive offer. This week they have only monkfish but each week changes. Please go to  www.gulfofmainesashimi.com/purchase-fish<http://www.gulfofmainesashimi.com/purchase-fish > to order. Here is more information on the mission if you are interested. Fighting the Effects of Coronavirus – A View from the Wharf Blog — March 15, 2020 Everyone is feeling the effects of coronavirus. We’re seeing many of our restaurant customers makin...