Maine Health Care Association

Maine Health Care Association Established in 1954, MHCA is a statewide non-profit trade association representing long-term care

Governed by a Board of Directors, MHCA is the largest advocacy organization for facility-based long term care providers in Maine. Our membership includes nursing homes and assisted living/residential care facilities (also known as PNMIs). Members provide a range of long term care services that may include skilled nursing, rehabilitation or post-acute care, hospice, adult day care and independent l

iving services. MHCA membership also includes 200 associate members, or companies, that provide valuable products and services to long term care providers. MHCA is the state affiliate of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living based in Washington, DC. MHCA is committed to advancing the quality of services, image, professional development and financial stability of its members. Our education and advocacy on long-term care issues are at the heart of our service to our members and those who work or reside in a long-term care facility.

Rodney "Rocky" Buck, MaineGeneral Rehabilitation & Long-Term Care: Glenridge, Augusta Rodney “Rocky” Buck was born on No...
05/31/2026

Rodney "Rocky" Buck, MaineGeneral Rehabilitation & Long-Term Care: Glenridge, Augusta

Rodney “Rocky” Buck was born on November 22, 1952, in Waterville and raised in Fairfield, Maine, where neighbors knew each other and Friday night games mattered.

All along, Rocky loved two things most: people and sports. By the time he reached Lawrence High, those loves blended into one. Whether it was football, basketball, or baseball, Rocky wasn’t just playing, he was leading. As a three‑sport varsity athlete and co‑captain of all three teams his senior year in 1971 at Lawrence High School, he had a way of pulling teammates together and making everyone feel like they belonged.

After playing college basketball at the University of Maine at Augusta and serving in the Army Reserves, Rocky came back to Fairfield to coach freshman football, wanting to give back to the area that shaped him. In 1973, Rocky married his high school sweetheart, Marcia. More than fifty years later, they are still side by side, having built a family that included two sons, six grandchildren, and a great‑granddaughter.

Rocky spent 44 years at Huhtamaki, but his real life’s work happened after hours. He coached, refereed, organized, and volunteered, always making sure kids had a place to play and someone who believed in them. For 30 years, he ran youth baseball for SAD49, shaping generations of players. In 2020, the field at the Dick McGee Complex was renamed the “Rocky Buck Field,” a living reminder of all whose lives he touched.

Rocky also gave decades to officiating, serving on the Waterville Football Officials Board and the Central Maine IAABO Basketball Board for over 30 years. He refereed many state championship games. His lifelong dedication to youth and high school sports earned him induction into both the Cal Ripken Hall of Fame and the Lawrence High School Hall of Fame.

Even in retirement, Rocky kept moving, playing pickleball, volunteering at the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry, enjoying the Celtics and Red Sox, and traveling with Marcia. Rocky’s life has never been about trophies, it’s been about people, and the community he’s spent a lifetime lifting up.

Photography by Dianne Chicoine, West Gardiner

Nina Bohlen, Avita of Brunswick, Brunswick Nina Bohlen, born in 1931, is a beloved artist and cherished member of the Lu...
05/30/2026

Nina Bohlen, Avita of Brunswick, Brunswick

Nina Bohlen, born in 1931, is a beloved artist and cherished member of the Lubec community. Nina came to the small coastal town at the age of five and deepened her connection to the area as she grew older. Her love for Lubec became a lifelong source of inspiration for her—one she later shared with her husband, artist Hyman Bloom, whom she met and studied with while attending Radcliffe College.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe, Nina joined Hyman as a member of the Boston Expressionist movement, becoming one of the few women associated with the group. Throughout her artistic career, Nina drew deeply from the natural world she experienced in Lubec—the woods, animals, ocean, and surrounding landscape. Since 1957, her work has been shown at notable institutions including the Danforth Museum, the Boston Public Library, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, the L.C. Bates Museum, and the Tides Institute and Museum of Art in Eastport, Maine. Nina’s achievements extend well beyond her exhibition history. She received an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in New York and was named an Artist in Residence at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. Most recently, an art studio was named in her honor at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art, where she served for many years on the Board of Trustees and played a vital role in developing and supporting the Artist in Residence Program. The Tides Institute is also home to the portable etching press designed by Nina’s husband for her—one she often carried into nature to create work en plein air (create work outdoors).

Nina was also a dedicated educator, teaching classes and workshops in Maine and Massachusetts, and she mentored many private students. Beyond the visual arts, she was an accomplished musician and became a yoga instructor in the early 1960s. Today Nina is a beloved member of the Lubec community, where she is known for her kindness, sense of fun, and loving, accepting presence, which is felt by people of all ages. When asked how she wished to be remembered, Nina replied that she hopes to be known as “a good artist,” adding, “I’ve always loved Lubec.”

Photography by Sarah Labonte, Westbrook

Norman Blomquist, Maine Veterans' Homes, Bangor Born on June 25, 1932, in Embden, Maine, Norman Allen Blomquist grew up ...
05/29/2026

Norman Blomquist, Maine Veterans' Homes, Bangor

Born on June 25, 1932, in Embden, Maine, Norman Allen Blomquist grew up as one of twelve children in a hardworking family. Independence came early to Norman, shaped by rural life and parents who modeled grit, faith, and perseverance. These traits would define a lifetime of service lived largely without fanfare.

In 1950, Norman enlisted in the United States Navy, embarking on a military career that would span more than 20 years. Trained as a Navy Corpsman, he later served as an in-flight surgeon’s assistant—one of the most dangerous medical roles in combat. His service took him to Korea, Vietnam, and throughout Europe, where he worked under fire to stabilize wounded Marines and soldiers, often in helicopters or makeshift surgical environments. Norman was wounded by shrapnel on three separate occasions, sustaining injuries to his back, leg, and neck that would impact him for the rest of his life, including significant vision loss.

Among the memories he carried most closely was caring for a young Korean boy during the war, offering protection and comfort amid chaos. Decades later, that boy—now a man—tracked Norman down to thank him, a reunion that affirmed the lasting power of compassion even in wartime.

Norman’s service was recognized with numerous honors, including three Purple Hearts, five Good Conduct Medals, the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Meritorious Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He also trained as an X-ray technician, continuing his lifelong commitment to healing. Later in life, Norman experienced a rare second-chance love story, reconnecting with his high school sweetheart, Doris, at a class reunion when both were in their seventies. They reside together at Maine Veterans’ Homes in Bangor, where Norman remains active in music, games, and social activities. Known for his kindness, quiet humor, and deep faith, Norman Blomquist’s legacy is not only one of heroism, but of humanity—proof that true bravery often shows up quietly, does the work, and leaves a lasting mark on countless lives.

Photography by Monty Rand Photography, Bangor

Dean Bennett, Memory Care at Market Square Health Care Center, South Paris Dean Bennett, a 9th generation Mainer from we...
05/28/2026

Dean Bennett, Memory Care at Market Square Health Care Center, South Paris Dean Bennett, a 9th generation Mainer from western Maine, is husband to the love of his life, Sheila, a father of two, grandfather and a passionate preservationist of Maine’s great outdoors. Dean graduated high school from Gould Academy in Bethel, and went on to receive his Journeyman’s certificate in cabinet making and architectural millwork. Dean loves hunting, canoeing, hiking, playing music, and writing many books. Dean’s passion to be a voice for protection of wilderness and conservation in Maine is longstanding. He was a member of an organization called Citizens to Protect the Allagash, that took great strides to protect the north Maine woods and protect the Allagash wilderness waterway, keeping it wild and scenic. His passion for conservation led him to expand his education, earning many degrees including a PhD in Resource Planning and Conservation. Dean’s career spans teaching in public schools, and many years as a professor of science and education at the University of Maine at Farmington, earning the title of Professor Emeritus.

Over Dean’s lifetime he has written and illustrated many books, including three children’s books. Some include Maine Dirigo “I Lead”, which was used as a text book in Maine middle schools for several years. He also wrote Allagash: Maine’s Wild and Scenic River. In 2021, at 86 years old he wrote and illustrated a book called Thoreau's Maine Woods: A Legacy for Conservation. He has co-authored books with his wife Sheila, including The Wild Heart of Maine: Exploring Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Baxter State Park, and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (January 2026). In Dean’s down time, he enjoys deer hunting at his family camp which led to the publication of the book Ghost Buck: The Legacy of One Man’s Family and its Hunting Traditions. This year was his 39th year hunting with his kids at the family camp. Dean also plays banjo in his family band called “The Crank Telephone Company Dixie Land Band,” the name coming from the last hand-cranked telephone system in America, owned by his Aunt and Uncle. Currently Dean resides at Market Square Health Care Center spending time with his wife, writing books, and sharing his knowledge with his fellow residents, leading and teaching educational programs.

Photography by Sarah Labonte, Westbrook

Howard Baker, High View Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, MadawaskaHoward was born in 1947 in Ohio, where his life stor...
05/27/2026

Howard Baker, High View Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Madawaska

Howard was born in 1947 in Ohio, where his life story began with resilience and courage that would define him for decades to come. At just 17 years old, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1964, serving honorably for four years. During his time in the service, Howard faced multiple near-death experiences that tested both his strength and his faith. He contracted tuberculosis and nearly lost his life. In another incident, a 100-pound metal hatch fell on his head, causing him to lose his memory for two years, yet even then, he continued to serve. After leaving the Navy, Howard moved to Rhode Island. He married and became a father to three children: Regina, Howard Jr., and Vern. Howard soon began a career in cross-country trucking, a job that suited his adventurous spirit. While traveling through Kansas, Howard survived an extraordinary ordeal when a tornado lifted his truck and carried it nearly a mile. When it finally came down, all that remained was the driver’s seat and steering wheel. He spent a week in the hospital, where people from across the state came to meet the man they called “The Miracle Man” due to all the near-death experiences he had been through.

Sometime after he divorced and met his current wife, Barbra. They married in 1986 and made their home in Allagash, Maine. Some years later, tragedy struck when Howard lost his son, Howard Jr., in a heartbreaking accident when he was 15. Howard Jr. had gone out sledding with his friends and, unfortunately, was struck by a vehicle. When their son died, it was their faith in God that carried them through the great loss. They ministered for 17 years at Agape Church in Fort Kent. In 2010, Howard faced another battle when complications from asbestosis, caused by his military service, led to organ failure. Once again, he survived. Even as Alzheimer’s later touched his life, Howard remains the caring, selfless man he has always been. Today, he continues to find strength in God, music, singing, and prayer. Known for helping anyone in need, Howard’s life is a testament to perseverance, faith, and a heart devoted to others. He embodies strength and courage despite his battles and his stories. His kindness will forever leave a mark on this world.

Photography by Monty Rand Photography, Bangor

MHCA would like to thank all of the event sponsors and our annual sponsors for so generously supporting this year's Reme...
05/27/2026

MHCA would like to thank all of the event sponsors and our annual sponsors for so generously supporting this year's Remember ME celebration. Each day we will feature one of the residents who received lifetime achievement recognition! Congratulations to all!!

MHCA honors 30 long term care residents with lifetime achievement awards at today's Remember ME celebration! Our keynote...
05/20/2026

MHCA honors 30 long term care residents with lifetime achievement awards at today's Remember ME celebration! Our keynote speaker was Maine news legend Don Carrigan! Congratulations to all! 🎉💐👏

This we celebrate the incredible staff, volunteers, and residents at our skilled nursing centers! We appreciate you!
05/11/2026

This we celebrate the incredible staff, volunteers, and residents at our skilled nursing centers! We appreciate you!

Wishing all the moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day! 💐🌼🌷
05/10/2026

Wishing all the moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day! 💐🌼🌷

Thank you to all the attendees, speakers, and sponsors of today's Assisted Living conference! We had a fantastic turn wi...
04/23/2026

Thank you to all the attendees, speakers, and sponsors of today's Assisted Living conference! We had a fantastic turn with nearly 150 attendees and a full day of education. Thanks to all for making today such a terrific success! 🎉📚📈📊🧑‍💻

Address

317 State St
Augusta, ME
04330

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+12076231146

Website

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