Richard Hines, MD, of  Blue Hill Family Medicine, recently returned from this third deployment with the Maine Army National Guard. Upon his return from Afghanistan, Hines, who carries the rank of colonel, nominated two of his Blue Hill Memorial Hospital co-workers for awards from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense organization that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees. As a result of Hines’s nomination, Greg Roraff, the hospital’s chief executive officer who also serves as senior vice president for Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, and April Chapman, RN practice manager at Blue Hill Family Medicine, each received a Patriotic Employer Award.  As an organization, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital received a third award from the ESGR.  The "Above and Beyond Award" for Blue Hill Memorial Hospital recognizes the organization’s overall support of Hines’s military service.

“I am deeply humbled that Dr. Hines chose to honor us with these awards,” says Roraff.  “In his three deployments to the Middle East, it is really Dr. Hines who deserves to be thanked and recognized for the sacrifices he has made for our nation.  We are truly fortunate to have him as a doctor, and as a colleague.” 

Blue Hill Memorial Hospital and its practices celebrated these awards, and thanked Hines for his service with an informal reception on Wednesday, March 7.  Greg Small, Executive Director for the Maine Committee, along with other committee members traveled to Blue Hill for the occasion.

For more information on the awards, visit www.esgr.mil.