The Aroostook Medical Center Northern Light AR Gould Hospital

What it reported doing in 2024

From hospital to horsebackHealing through horsesAt Northern Light Mercy Hospital, compassion often extends well beyond the walls of the workplace. For Donna Lariviere, an occupational therapist, that commitment continues at a local horseback riding center, where she spends countless hours supporting therapeutic riding and hippotherapy programs. This specialized therapy provided by trained clinicians, including occupational therapists, uses the horses natural movement as part of treatment. She helps with lessons, barn operations, and daily horse care, serving riders who range in age from just 15 months to adults in their nineties. Each rider enters the arena with their own goals, challenges, and hopes, and Lariviere meets them where they are.Therapeutic riding gives disabled riders physical support by helping them get stronger, but it also gives them emotional support because it gives them confidence by doing something different, Lariviere addsBeyond physical gains, therapeutic riding offers powerful emotional and psychological benefits. Riders often experience increased confidence, improved emotional regulation, reduced stress, and meaningful social connection, whether through bonding with the horse or interacting with others in the program.The work, she says, is deeply rewarding, in part because her two worlds naturally overlap. My two worlds really intersect, Lariviere says. The same skills I use as an occupational therapist at Mercy hospital, meeting people where they are, building trust, and focusing on what matters most to them, are the skills I bring into the arena every day. Advancing cancer care close to homeFor people facing cancer, the journey can be uncertain. Between appointments, treatments, and everything that comes with a diagnosis, being surrounded by family, friends, and familiar places can make an incredible difference.At Northern Light AR Gould Hospital, a new TrueBeam linear accelerator, an advanced radiation therapy system, now ensures that patients can continue to receive state-of-the-art care without leaving their communities. This technology delivers quicker, more precise treatments, and replaces an older model that served Aroostook County for more than a decade.Radiation is an essential option for cancer treatment, explains Naghmeh Isfahanian, MD, radiation oncologist. It can be used before surgery to shrink a tumor, after surgery to eliminate remaining cancer cells, or even as a primary treatment on its own. The new linear accelerator allows us to deliver those treatments faster and more accurately while protecting healthy tissue and minimizing side effectsWith its enhanced imaging and speed, the TrueBeam also expands what is possible. We can now treat certain cancers, like those in the liver or multiple brain lesions, that we could not safely treat before, says Dr. Isfahanian.For patients in northern Maine, where winter roads and long drives can turn daily radiation treatments into a major challenge, having this technology closer to home is life-changing. Radiation therapy typically happens Monday through Friday for several weeks, Dr. Isfahanian notes. For someone who would otherwise have to travel two or three hours each way, being able to stay close to home truly matters.Other recent investments, including new infusion chairs at Northern Light Mayo Hospital and a hair preservation program at Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital, are just some of the ways Northern Light Health extends advanced, compassionate cancer care to patients throughout Maine.Every patient deserves quality safe care, says Brenda Farnham, BSN, RN, associate vice president for clinical services at Northern Light Cancer Care in Brewer. Sixty-one percent of Maines population lives in rural communities. We know the barriers people face, such as distance, weather, cost, and time away from work and family. By continuing to invest in facilities, equipment, and creative care models, we can reduce those burdens and improve outcomes.David

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 86.8%; rating input score 87
• Program expense ratio: 90.1%; rating input score 90
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 58.3%; rating input score 58; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 3.6%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.83; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.5%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -6.1% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings