Down East Community Hospital

09/25/2025

09/25/2025

On behalf of our Mammography Department, we would like to remind providers and patients that we will be offering 50 free mammograms during the month October as part of our ongoing effort to raise awareness of Breast Cancer. The criteria to qualify would be any patient who is uninsured or has a high deductible. Please have your provider contact our scheduling department by faxing orders to 255-0238.

09/24/2025

Dr. Shaw will be joining the Down East Health Center in East Machias and we are ready to schedule appointments. If you wish to establish care with Dr. Shaw, we encourage you to initiate the transfer of your medical records by contacting your current provider’s office or by downloading a medical records release available on the DECH website by going to www.dech.com and clicking on resources/printable forms/health information or by clicking on this link https://dech.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Health-Information-Authorization-Form.pdf. Down East Health Center staff will be available to assist you as well and you can contact them by calling 255-2772.

Dr. Quinn will be available to take appointments for any acute needs in the time between when your records have been transferred and your first appointment with Dr. Shaw.

Dr. Shaw looks forward to taking care of your healthcare needs.

09/23/2025

After a very successful pilot program, we have decided to start a new class that will begin on November 3!

If you are looking to start a new career in the medical field, we have an exciting opportunity for you to become a Medical Assistant and get paid while you train!

There are limited seats so take the first step and apply now at www.dech.org or www.calaishospital.org.

09/16/2025

09/12/2025

Full Time Technologist Aid Position Available at DECH! Apply now at www.dech.org.

08/29/2025

It's hard to believe that August is about to come to a close! We started our August employee appreciation month with snow cones, moved on the next week to a carnival, then to a BBQ, and finished off with a very special cake day (thank you Gwen Hatt)! There were a lot of prizes given out, with the most coveted being time off and the Blackstone griddles. Thanks to all of our staff for coming out to have a little fun and for all you do every day!

08/05/2025

Full Time HVAC Technician Position! This is a great opportunity to be part of a great team. Apply now at www.dech.org!

08/04/2025

Dr. James R. Shaw to Join the Down East Health Center

Down East Community Hospital is pleased to announce that James R. Shaw, MD FAAFP is joining the Down East Health Center in East Machias in October. Dr. Shaw looks forward to working collaboratively with Dr. Quinn and Evan Merrill, FNP.

Dr. Shaw is from Greenville, SC. He attended Wofford as an undergraduate, then received his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. He completed his Family Practice Residency Program in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

He has 47 years of experience caring for adult patients of all ages with acute and chronic illnesses as well as tending to their preventive care needs. He particularly enjoys caring for complex older patients. He believes everyone should have a primary care doctor who knows them and will listen. He feels listening is the most important skill a caregiver can possess.

Dr. Shaw has experience in occupational health care as medical director of a large industrial plant with responsibilities for employee health, ergonomics, and management of Workers Compensation. For several years, he practiced emergency medicine managing an emergency department, local EMS, and served as county medical examiner. He also had extensive experience in nursing home management and care.

Dr. Shaw is relocating here from the mountains of North Carolina with his wife, Kate, a family nurse practitioner and veteran and their dog Jackson. They are looking forward to learning about life in Maine and the local community from the everyday people they meet.

Dr. Shaw is accepting new patients, and you can schedule an appointment by calling the Down East Health Center at 255-2772.

07/30/2025

Full Time Technologist Aide for Imaging Department - This is a great opportunity to work with a great team. Apply now at www.dech.org!