Here is the latest news from the Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital. 

Pen Bay Pediatrics receives donation from Raising Readers and local family
Raising Readers, a statewide program funded by the Libra Foundation, was recently the recipient of memorial funds in honor of a Knox county resident, Cecilia Wickenden. It was her family's wishes that the donations stay in the region and promote health and literacy in Knox County.

With the funds received through the Raising Readers program, a standing, tiered bookcase was filled with books for children of all ages and donated to the Pen Bay Pediatrics waiting room. In an effort to keep the entire donation local and within the Midcoast community, the bookcase was designed, built and generously donated by Tom Higbee of Phi Home Designs and the books were purchased at Owl & Turtle in Camden. A plaque on the bookcase commemorates the donation from the Wickenden family.

The bookcase was officially presented at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 12 where members of Cecilia's family were present to gift the donation to Pen Bay Pediatrics.

Established in 2000, Raising Readers gives all Maine children, at least, a dozen books to call their very own. The first books are shipped directly to hospitals, so that along with their newborn, every parent takes home a set of books. Then, at each well-child doctor's visit through age five, parents receive another specially selected book to add to their home library. No sign up is required, and there is no cost to either families or health care providers to participate.

The program reaches the state's 16 counties thanks to a successful collaboration between MaineHealth and Eastern Maine Healthcare System, and the 356 hospitals and medical practices that give books to their young patients.

MaineHealth partners establish comprehensive addiction treatment program
Pen Bay Medical Center, Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Mid Coast Hospital plan to offer a continuum of care in the coastal region that promises a better chance at recovery.

Pen Bay Medical Center will join this spring with two of its MaineHealth partners, Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Mid Coast Hospital, to create a new and innovative program to help people cope with the growing problem of substance abuse and addiction in the community.

The Lincoln-Knox County Integrated Treatment Continuum brings new resources to the area to help with the alarming growth in drug-related overdose deaths — notably from opioid abuse — that have plagued not just the coastal region, but all of Maine in recent years.

"In this region, I think we have come up with a model that is sustainable and will deliver the right care to patients at the right time depending on their needs," said Mark Fourre, chief health affairs officer with MaineHealth in a news release.

Fourre added that, within MaineHealth, a work group has been formed to look at how the health care system's members are responding to the addiction crisis and what can be done to strengthen those efforts. He said the initiative in Lincoln and Knox counties is an example of how providers within the MaineHealth system can work together to enhance care.

Originally, Maine Behavioral Healthcare got a request from community stakeholders in Lincoln and Knox counties to extend an existing program at the Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center, which operates in Brunswick and Damariscotta. After looking at the needs, staff at Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Mid Coast Hospital reached out to Pen Bay to develop a model that leverages existing resources with new initiatives, creating an integrated continuum of care.

The new "hub and spoke" model will be put in place over the next several months and will be able to serve up to 190 patients each year. The care continuum will allow those affected by addiction to access the appropriate treatment depending on the severity of their addiction.

At the top of the pyramid in terms of acuity is the Pen Bay Psychiatric Addiction and Recovery Center, offering intensive inpatient care, which for some may be required for two to seven days.

The Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center, meanwhile, offers intensive outpatient services that will allow patients to deal with withdrawal and stabilize, which can take three to 12 weeks.

The next level of care is to be offered at Maine Behavioral Healthcare's Rockland office, and here new resources will be brought to bear including a full-time psychiatrist, nursing support and counseling services. This stage of care may take 12 to 18 months.

And finally, looking ahead, Maine Behavioral Healthcare will establish a plan to place patients with primary care providers who can monitor and maintain their treatment for long-term recovery.

While much of the discussion regarding the opioid abuse issue has centered on whether and how people combating an addiction can obtain replacement therapies such as Suboxone, Fourre said the Integrated Treatment Continuum takes that conversation to the next and appropriate level.

"We know there is a place for replacement therapies in the care of patients who are addicted," said Fourre, who also serves as the chief medical officer for another continuum partner, LincolnHealth. "But these drug therapies alone are not the answer, and they pose risks of their own, including diversion and misuse of the replacement drugs. While replacement therapies will be offered as part of this program, the critical pieces are the support services this model provides."

Paula Delahanty, vice president of nursing services at Pen Bay, said the program compliments well the acute care provided at the hospital's Psychiatric and Addiction unit. "We can get people through some of the worst stages of recovery, but to be successful, they will need additional support in the community," she said.

Eric Haram, director of the Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center, said the program allows more people to receive services and boosts their chances of success. "This gives us a chance, working with our partners, to treat people for a much longer period of time, which is very helpful." he said.

And Blanca Gurrola, vice president of outpatient clinical services at Maine Behavioral Healthcare, noted this initiative allows her organization to play an important role in the provision of behavioral health and substance abuse services in the community. "We will be able to provide the ongoing, community-based treatment that is critical to a successful recovery, "said Gurrola. "Having this continuum in place will reduce the chance of relapse."

Fourre said the final and future stage of the care continuum — getting the patient under the care of a primary care physician equipped to provide the range of services required for long-term success — may be the most important of all.

"Recovery is a lifelong process," said Fourre.

Sussman House Receives LEED Certification
The Sussman House at Pen Bay Medical Center has recently been awarded the LEED® Silver certification. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the leading program for buildings and homes that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and health performance. Pen Bay Medical Center used the system as a set of guidelines when planning and constructing the Sussman House.

The Sussman House opened its doors in December of 2014 and provides hospice patients and families care, comfort and privacy in a peaceful setting with access to state of the art pain and symptom management.

The LEED certification was achieved for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The highest scores were awarded to the Sussman House in the categories of energy efficiency and innovation in design/materials selection. The energy scores reflect the efficiency of the building for electrical, fuel, water consumption, HVAC, geothermal and lighting. The geothermal system at the Sussman House includes a set of pipes sunk into the bedrock underneath the building, which maintains a constant temperature for the building throughout the year. The water used in this process is circulated through the underground pipes and is returned to the surface to be used for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

High scores were awarded in innovation in design/materials selection for toxic material source reduction, mold prevention and connection to the natural world. Connection to the natural world involves providing outdoor places of respite to connect patients, staff and visitors to the health benefits of the natural environment, which the Sussman House is very proud to be able to provide.

Another area where the building scored highly was water efficiency and water reduction. The Sussman House has water efficient landscaping which includes the plants, trees, shrubbery and grass around the building. The plants were carefully selected to negate the need to use artificial irrigation. Water reduction in the Sussman House also scored highly due to the use of low flow faucets and low flow toilets.

"This facility was supported entirely by generous donations from the Midcoast community," said Louis Dinneen, vice president engineering and facilities services at Pen Bay Medical Center. "The level of environmental measures included is a reflection of the commitment of both our donors and Pen Bay Medical Center to the protection of the environment and the health of the community living in the Midcoast area."

The Sussman House expands the high quality advance care services already provided by Pen Bay Medical Center and Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care & Hospice and is available to patients and families throughout Midcoast Maine.
For more information or to make a donation, please visit penbayhealthcare.org/sussman-house/