SUCCESS STORIES
New CNA Training Program at Mount Desert Island Hospital Lifts New Careers
Congratulations to Jane Coombs, who has successfully completed Mount Desert Island Hospital’s (MDIH) free Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program. Jane, who previously worked in Environmental Services, dedicated herself to the 152-hour program, which included classroom lectures, labs, and clinical training. She has passed the State of Maine CNA exam, officially earning her certification.
The CNA training program at MDIH was launched in 2025 with support from the Building-ME Network, a founding partner of CHET. Funding helped pay for textbooks, equipment for learners, a training mannequin and more. Clinical Nurse Educator Barbara Jean Bragdon ran the program while also participating in the Rural Education Leaders Academy (RELA), a CHET sponsored program. As a RELA scholar, Barbara Jean used this new CNA program as the focus of her quality improvement study.
Jane Coombs now is employed at MDIH on the Med Surg floor as a full-time CNA. Offering this education where Jane was employed helped her financially and she was able to work around her schedule to attend the CNA program for free as she was an employee. Jane worked full time while supporting her family so she knew she could not have achieved this milestone with the financial burden of tuition, travel time, and lost hours on the job. With the CNA training complete, Jane is already looking into attending a nursing program to become a registered nurse!
Jane Coombs (left) and a fellow CNA student receive instruction from Clinical Nurse Educator Barbara Jean Bragdon (right)
Passion for Nature Turns into a Career as a Rural Healthcare Provider
Dr. Jaclyn Israel always had a passion for the outdoors. After her journey to becoming a doctor ultimately took her to Detroit for medical school, she knew that a more rural environment would be perfect for the next step of her residency. That is why Dr. Israel chose the rural track at Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine.
When she reached her third year of residency, Dr. Israel was seeking a gynecology rotation to gain further experience providing OB/GYN care in a rural setting. The MERGE Collaborative, one of CHET’s founding partner organizations, connected Dr. Israel with an OB/GYN rotation through MaineHealth Stephen’s Hospital in rural Norway, Maine.
After completing her residency in June 2024, Dr. Israel accepted a full time position as a Family Medicine Physician at Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, Maine. Through the opportunities provided by MERGE, she was able to follow both of her passions: one for the outdoors and the other for providing exceptional care to an often underserved population. She is now working and living in close proximity to the hobbies she loves, and fostering a thriving obstetric and pediatric practice in rural Maine.