Anesthesiology nurse Tina Moring stands Oct. 30 with co-worker Corie Hubbard outside Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Moring and co-workers raised roughly $11,000 to buy a Nissan Rogue SUV for Hubbard, a technician in the anesthesiology department. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Central Maine Medical Center anesthesiology technician Corie Hubbard learned good work ethics from his father growing up in Tennessee, so when a co-worker asked him to stay late after his shift Sept. 27 to help unload equipment from her vehicle he said yes.

Before starting at CMMC in January, he had been working temporary jobs but never in the medical field, he said. When someone mentioned an open position sanitizing rooms at the hospital he decided to apply, not knowing how meaningful it would become to him.

“I was working a lot of temp jobs and stuff like that, so like it was just all dead ends, and someone mentioned this and to be honest with you I applied just to be doing something, not knowing that it would be the job that I would completely love,” he said.

He first started sanitizing rooms and equipment in the anesthesiology department, then became a technician in September — now stocking medical carts and retrieving necessary equipment to help support providers, he said.

His co-workers have become like a second family to him, supporting him through some of the toughest times of his life recently, he said.

When he got down to the parking garage that Friday in September, he discovered how deep that support ran when Tina Moring, an anesthesiology nurse, was there with a 2015 Nissan Rogue SUV.

Surrounded by co-workers, he was brought to tears as he hugged those who gathered to give him probably the most generous gift he has ever received, he said.

“I just lost it, I cried like a baby,” he said. “I hugged everybody out there. I kind of had an inkling something was going on but I didn’t know that it was something that big.”

When his last car needed repairs that were too expensive for him to fix at the time, he found himself without a vehicle, he said. After that, he had to rely on co-workers, some of whom would drive several miles out of their way to help him, and rideshare apps to get to work.

Corie Hubbard, an anesthesiology technician at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, shares Oct. 30 about his family falling on tough times as anesthesiology nurse Tina Moring listens at the hospital. Moring led a fundraiser that brought in roughly $11,000 to buy Hubbard an SUV. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Then he was evicted from his Lewiston apartment almost four months ago, leaving him, his wife and their 3-year-old son without a place to live, he said. They landed in a Leeds homeless shelter, where they have been able to stay off the streets.

The local housing market is tight, with inquiries about available apartments being posted on local Facebook groups almost daily. Lewiston has a large unhoused population and there are not enough available housing units to satisfy the need locally — add to that people moving to the area and others already here being priced out of their apartments in recent years.

The median gross rent in Lewiston increased from $696 in 2017 to $903 in 2022, according to information in the State of Maine Housing Data Portal.

Though an increase of about $10 million in the total value of residential construction permits in 2023 could signal more housing stock is being built, the city’s annual “housing scorecard” showed that high housing costs persist and there was an increase in youth homelessness, along with other housing issues, according to a July 14 Sun Journal article.

There are two housing projects proposed by the Lewiston Housing Authority that would add a combined 107 affordable senior housing units in Lewiston, one at the Ramada by Wyndham Lewiston Hotel and Conference Center and another at the former Martel Elementary School on Lisbon Street.

Despite some steep struggles, Hubbard stays hopeful that things will get better for his family in time, and he remains grateful for what he does have, he said. His religious faith has helped him through that — sometimes it is the only thing that keeps him from giving up, he said.

Moring held tightly to Hubbard’s arm as he talked to Sun Journal staff Oct. 30 about his struggles, which included taking ownership of his past mistakes. She watched him with apparent unwavering support as he became tearful at times.

Tina Moring is a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Central Maine Medical Center. She often works with anesthesiology technician Corie Hubbard. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Opportunities

To Moring, sometimes things happen for a reason and while at work one day, some of her co-workers came to her asking for help to strategize a way to coordinate rides to and from work among some staff for Hubbard, she said. To her, carpooling and ridesharing seemed like a Band-Aid solution.

Soon after that she was in church, taking to heart a sermon that was about helping those around you as those opportunities arise, when the thought popped in her head, “why not just buy Corie a car,” she said.

“I believe that at times things are sort of brought to our attention and it could be an opportunity and you have two choices, you can either take that opportunity and leave the door open or you can close the door,” she said.

She set out just to see how much she could raise from co-workers and other hospital staff, giving them her Venmo information so they could make donations, she said. To her surprise, she raised roughly $11,000 within 10 days from anesthesia providers, nurses, technicians, surgeons and other staff members. Some people gave donations of $100 to $1,000.

Central Maine Medical Center anesthesiology technician Corie Hubbard talks Oct. 30 about his family falling on tough times. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

She thinks the overwhelming support proves how valued and respected Hubbard is among his co-workers, she said. He has a good work ethic, often staying late to help others, all while staying positive and keeping a smile on his face everyday.

“This man, he speaks to my heart a lot and for that Corie deserves everything, and so much more,” she said.

When she started shopping for a used vehicle, she wanted something in good shape, reliable, big enough to fit him and his family, and with relatively low mileage, she said. Admittedly, it had been a long time since she had last looked at used vehicles and she did not realize how much that market had changed, so she brought family members with her to help her find a good selection.

She brought three cars back to those who had donated funds, feeling as though they should be involved in what vehicle should be selected, she said. The Nissan was selected above two others she considered, both Subarus. There were enough funds left over to pay for registration fees and six months of insurance.

“It takes a village and we need to just care for one another,” she said. “If there was more of that happening, if there was more of this going on in the world it would be a better place, wouldn’t it?” she said.

“It definitely would be a better place,” Hubbard said.

‘A blessing’

After about a month with the car, Hubbard has been careful to keep the car clean, despite having a toddler who can sometimes make things messy, he said. It still does not seem real to him but he likes being able to take his family to the store when they need to go. “It has been a blessing,” he said.

He is the type of person who usually stays in the background, so to be recognized and given the gift of a car has been an amazing experience, he said. He has a newfound respect for the people he works with and he values his job more now — making him want to work even harder.

“I’m grateful because, it’s something my dad always told me, ‘people don’t have to be nice,’” he said. “So, I’m just grateful.”

Being without a home for the first time in his life has given him a newfound respect for being able to have his own space, he said. It is his next big goal and he will not take it for granted when he finally does get into his own home.

“If this had done anything it has truly given me the mindset of whenever I do get my own, not only will I be more grateful I will be more responsible,” he said.

Hubbard said the term caregiver certainly describes Moring. “It’s her makeup,” he said.

Moring gets a bit bashful when given that kind of credit. “I do like to be very loving and caring and compassionate, I think caregiver yes, but I definitely have a very special spot for people — I love to take care of people,” she said.

She said she will help in finding housing. Taking his arm, she said, “We’re working on it.”