As final act, Bridgton Hospital Guild dnates money for mammogram equipment

PHOTO: From left, Bridgton Guild Treasurer JoAnn Morasse; Peter Wright, president of Bridgton and Rumford hospitals; Guild President Marlise Libby. (Submitted photo)

BRIDGTON — Bridgton Hospital is a step closer to acquiring a state-of-the-art 3D mammogram unit, thanks to a $40,000 donation from the Bridgton Hospital Guild.
For years, the now-dissolved guild has been operating a coffee shop and thrift store to help raise money for equipment that the hospital, on its own, could not acquire. Recently, Bridgton Guild President Marlise Libby and treasurer JoAnn Morasse presented Peter J. Wright,president of Bridgton and Rumford hospitals with the donation.
“For years, we’ve been glad to help Bridgton Hospital get equipment they need with funds we were able to raise,” Libby said. “As our final donation, we were able to further the effort to obtain this much-needed 3D mammogram unit.”
“On behalf of the team members and leadership at Bridgton Hospital, I cannot thank the members of the guild enough,” Wright said. “The time and effort these volunteers have put in to ensure we provide the best healthcare to our community has been invaluable.”
Mammography is one of many diagnostic services Bridgton Hospital makes available to residents of western Maine. All imaging is done digitally, which makes results easily accessible and transferable, if necessary.
The Bridgton Hospital Guild is also deeding the building the thrift shop was in to Bridgton Hospital. Proceeds from the sale of the building will also go toward purchase of the mammogram equipment.
The guild, which has been in existence for more than a century, in 2019 announced that lack of volunteers may lead to its dissolution. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the issue.