Turning Ideas into Impact

In the fall of 2024, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital (MHPBH) opened the doors to its Innovation Space, a vibrant hub for transforming ideas from frontline care teams into meaningful improvements for patients and staff. Located along the hospital’s main hallway, the space reflects a commitment to collaboration and creativity—where concepts become solutions.

The vision for the Innovation Space came from Barry Howe, MD, and Nir Harish, MD, who imagined a dedicated environment to nurture ideas and accelerate change. Today, the space features a conference room, flexible workstations, high-top seating and even a cozy kitchen area. Care team members staff the space part-time, inviting colleagues to share insights and brainstorm ways to enhance care delivery.

“With health systems facing unprecedented financial, clinical and operational challenges, we won’t succeed by simply squeezing traditional solutions harder. We need to invent new ways of doing things, reframe old problems and innovate our way through,” said Dr. Harish.

“Frontline staff have the best view to what’s working and what isn’t. When we trust frontline staff to name the problems they see, and actively participate in solving them, we not only find better solutions—we build a culture where people feel valued and engaged.”

– Nir Harish, MD

Innovation in Action

Over the past year, the Innovation Space has inspired practical solutions that improve care and enhance the patient experience. Emergency department teams introduced simple but effective changes, such as adding measuring tapes to triage doors for quick and accurate height measurements and reorganizing medication rooms with care team member input to improve efficiency. Partnerships have also played a key role in innovation. Collaborating with the Knox Clinic Dental Program has made oral health services more accessible, while a joint effort with St. George Workforce Development brought middle school students into the hospital for hands-on learning about health care careers.

Several initiatives have focused on meeting patients’ immediate needs. The hospital now maintains a supply of warm, dry clothing for those arriving wet from snow, rain or ice. It also provides prepaid cell phones to patients without phone access so they can stay connected to their care teams. To reduce waste and costs, an online “Swap Shop” allows departments to exchange surplus supplies. Comfort and engagement are also priorities. A mobile patient library offers reading material during hospital stays and hearing aids and reading glasses are now readily available for hospitalized patients.

Looking Ahead

Innovation doesn’t stop here. Several exciting initiatives are underway, including:

• Development of remote audiology services to reduce wait times for hearing tests
• Piloting retinal cameras that allow off-site ophthalmologists to assess eye emergencies
• Collaborating with community partners to improve patient transportation options

Other projects focus on safety and well-being, such as:

• Developing a process to encourage safe firearm storage
• Providing free gun locks for families of children and adolescents with depression
• Expanding counseling resources for care team members after traumatic workplace events

“As we look ahead, one of our goals is to connect with every department and make sure that we’re continually collecting all the ideas that are out there. We want to make innovation part of daily life, not a special project,” said Dr. Harish. “We’re really just getting started.”

Bringing innovative concepts to life.

The Innovation Space serves as a collaboration hub where we transform frontline care team member ideas into impactful improvements for patients and hospital staff. Learn more about the Innovation Space at MHPBH >

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