Mount Desert Island Hospital (Bar Harbor, Maine). Mount Desert Island Hospital's history dates back to 1898, when the 46-by-84-foot hospital opened with 10 beds. Located on an island off the coast of Maine, the hospital is now much larger and became a designated critical access hospital in 2000. Mount Desert Island Hospital has earned the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades for the last three years. Additionally, the National Rural Health Association named Mount Desert Island Hospital as one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals for overall quality in 2014.