Northern Maine AHEC hosted their first Rural Health Immersion (RHI) of 2025 at the beginning of March. Nine medical students from UNE COM participated in the 4-day event, where they were immersed in some of the communities of Penobscot County.
Some of the highlights included attending an all-day event held at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine, where the students were able to tour the facilities and hear about the programs offered to their residents. Good Shepard Food Bank and the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, both located in Bangor, Maine, also welcomed the students with open arms, showing them their processes and how they help within the communities.
At the end of each experience, the students asked each of the speakers, “As future healthcare workers, what is something you think we should know or do going into our new roles?” While vastly different from one another, each location gave the same message: Listen and treat each patient as a person and not another number. RHI’s are incredibly rewarding experiences, and have lasting impressions on not only the students, but the community partners as well.