Coastal Healthcare Connect
Vol. 03 No. 1 | January 2021
PBMC Health Center Welcomes First Patients
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en Bay Medical Center (PBMC) is celebrating the opening of a new 42,000-square-foot Health Center on its Rockport campus – and the opportunity it presents to expand and improve access to primary care in our coastal communities. With additional precautions in place to ensure the safety of patients and care team members during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PBMC welcomed the first patients into the new space in early December. The facility opened in earnest on December 14 with all offices seeing patients. “We know that improving access to high-quality primary care is one of the best ways to improve a community’s health,” said Mark Fourre, MD, president of PBMC and Waldo County General Hospital. “This new Health Center is critical to our efforts to do just that, and it embodies our commitment to the health of this community. “Not so long ago, we faced a pressing shortage of primary care providers,” Dr. Fourre said. “We responded by hiring numerous providers across Coastal Healthcare Alliance over the past four years, with a focus on primary care and pediatrics. This new facility gives them and the growing primary care team a space that empowers them to deliver the best care possible for our patients.” Before the Health Center opened, PBMC’s primary care practices
Above, a view of the entrance to the new Health Center on the campus of Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC).
were scattered across several locations off campus. The new facility brings them under one roof. It houses Internal Medicine and Family Medicine, Pediatrics and Pediatric Physical and Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech Pathology, and the Ear, Nose and Throat practice. It also provides space where specialists from the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center can meet with patients in Rockport, reducing the need for children with special health needs to travel to Portland. “The Health Center marks an important step forward for this
community,” said PBMC Chief Medical Officer Mark Eggena, MD, PhD. “It will improve the health care we bring to the community by making it easier for physicians and staff to collaborate and connect patients with the wellness, prevention and specialty services they need.” Dr. Eggena described the Health Center as an especially safe place for patients to come for their health care during the pandemic. “The safety of patients and care team members is our first priority,” See Health Center, page 4
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Provider Profile
Jude Stevens, DNP Adult Gerontology Primary Care
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hat happens when you mix a little bit of Vermont with a little bit of Cape Cod? Just ask Jude Stevens, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC. Stevens recently joined Pen Bay Internal Medicine, a department of Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC) that focuses on adult health and wellness. Born and raised in Cape Cod, they graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of Vermont. Before joining PBMC, Stevens delivered primary care to adults, adolescents and older adults in rural northern Vermont. Other clinical interests include affirmative care for LGBTQI individuals and communities and integrative care. Stevens is accepting new patients. To make an appointment, call Pen Bay Internal Medicine at 3015800. To learn Stevens’ answer to what happens when you mix Cape Cod and Vermont, read on. #
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including the licensed alcohol and drug counselors. We also started to work on smoking cessation. This patient also had lingering cough and some elevated white blood cells that we discovered via blood work. Through referral to hematology, we discovered lymphoma. That was one of my most impactful examples of teamwork with a patient. Even if we couldn’t address all the problems that we had in a given day, let’s address what we can and get you back. I think things really started looking up for this patient as we worked together over time. What can a new patient expect when they meet with you for the first time? I strive to create a comfortable, safe environment for people to talk about difficult things, to share who they are, to engage in shared decision-making. I am there to provide guidance, but ultimately it’s the patient’s goals and needs that drive our trajectory. I am particularly interested in preventive care and assisting patients with navigating systems of care to figure out how we can best meet their needs. When patients come to see me, they can expect a safe environment to receive their health care. Our facilities are regularly sanitized and our care team members are educated on a daily basis about COVIDrelated developments in our community. We take our responsibility for patient safety very seriously.
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What drew you to a career in health care? I knew for several years after finishing my undergraduate studies, in which I focused on healthrelated issues from a more social science lens, that I wanted to translate theory into practice. The nursing model in particular was something that always resonated particularly well with me. Certain experiences, like caring for my mother during her end of life and watching her team of care providers, including nurses and nurse practitioners, had a profound influence. I knew after that experience that I wanted to pursue the path of becoming a nurse practitioner.
Before coming to PBMC, you worked at a rural health facility in northern Vermont. What attracts you to providing health care in rural settings? My most recent job was at a federally qualified health center in the Northwest corner of Vermont where we provided accessible community-based care to an underserved rural community rooted in the dairy industry. Prior to that, I worked as a registered nurse for three years while I completed my graduate studies at the University of Vermont. There is great opportunity to get to know your patients and your community in a rural setting. I think there is something special about being a member of a close-knit community which prioritizes knowing and caring for our neighbors.
Have you had an “Aha” moment that confirmed your decision to be in health care? I can think of one patient in particular who had come to see me for primary care. They had not engaged with healthcare of any kind for many years. This patient was concerned about their level of alcohol consumption. We talked about that and developed a timeline for how we were going to address that on an outpatient basis while also connecting the patient to other sources of care,
What are some of your passions outside of the hospital? I love being outdoors. I love hiking. I love swimming and finding new swimming holes off the beaten path. It See Jude, page 3 2
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PBMC, WCGH Earn Prestigious Leapfrog Hospital Awards
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ll five eligible MaineHealth hospitals – Franklin Memorial Hospital, Maine Medical Center, Mid Coast Hospital, Pen Bay Medical Center and Southern Maine Health Care – have received a fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of ‘A,’ the highest hospital safety grade that Leapfrog offers. This is the first time each of these local health systems have received ‘A’ grades in the same survey period. Additionally, The Leapfrog Group has named LincolnHealth, Pen Bay Medical Center, Waldo County General Hospital and Stephens Memorial Hospital among its 19 Top Rural Hospitals for 2020. MaineHealth hospitals make up more than 1/5 of the rural hospitals that were chosen nationwide for the award. “These awards recognize the commitment of everyone in our hospitals to deliver outstanding
patient-centered health care every day,” said Mark Fourre, MD, president of PBMC and WCGH. “What’s so impressive is that our care team members continue to do so even as we navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I also think that this award showcases the power of being a member of the MaineHealth system,” Fourre said. “Sharing best practices with each other made it possible for all four hospitals to win this award, and it contributes to our collective ability to deliver high-quality health care across our state.” These recognitions by an independent, national evaluator of quality and safety are a reflection of the incredible work our teams do each and every day to deliver high-quality, safe patient-centered care. This is a remarkable accomplishment during a year in which COVID-19
has challenged us all. Leapfrog safety grades are assigned to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals every six months based on the hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care. The quality of patient care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the annual Top Rural Hospital award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. “As a Maine native, it means a great deal to me that my family and friends can depend on excellence from so many Maine hospitals,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I personally congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible.”
Jude Stevens Joins PBMC Internal Medicine fisherpeople and anglers. My grandparents and greatgrandmother were well-known fisherpeople where I grew up. While I haven’t gone fishing or clamming since I was a teenager, I hope to relearn some of these skills in Maine and have found many other ways to enjoy being on the water.
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is incredibly important for me to be outside on a daily basis regardless of the season or weather or activity. The simple act of engaging with the natural world in some way is joy-giving for me.I also love weaving with my floor loom, reading fiction, traveling and learning new languages, birdwatching, and caring for pets and animals – even if they aren’t mine!
I visited Maine as a child and one of my grandmothers was born and raised in a community of recentlyemigrated Greeks who settled in Maine. I’ve always felt an affinity for this place. It was while I was visiting Maine last winter that I decided to follow my interest and seek a position here. I soon discovered Pen Bay Medical Center which seemed like the perfect combination of a well-resourced medical system serving a close-knit rural community. Having maintained some social connections in this area over the years, I already knew what an incredible, vibrant community this is.
Why Maine? I’m originally from Cape Cod where my mother’s side of the family goes back many generations. In many ways, Maine combines the things that I love most about Vermont, where I lived for the last 10 years, and Cape Cod, where I was born and raised. I yearned to be closer to the ocean for the last 10 years. I come from a legacy of people who lived off of the ocean including 3
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Health Center Welcomes First Patients Agency, Camden National Bank, Horch Roofing, O’Hara Corporation and Viking Lumber. Other, local donors included CedarWorks and The First National Bank. Early foundation contributors include the Sunshine Lady Foundation, the Libra Foundation, the Davis Family Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and the Fisher Foundation. In addition, care team members across the organization donated more than $500,000 to the capital campaign that raised money for the project. Ann Bresnahan, who co-chaired the capital campaign along with Dr. Eggena, praised all who contributed. “I have always known that PBMC was committed to its vision of making our community the healthiest in America,” Bresnahan said. “What this fundraising effort has shown me is that the community shares this vision, too. I am so encouraged by what I have heard and seen over the past two years of this effort, and I have no doubt that we will reach our goal.”
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he said. “The pandemic has taught us that delaying care and routine screenings such a mammograms and colonoscopies out of fear of COVID-19 can lead to serious health complications.” COVID-19 forced the hospital to change plans for the way it marked the opening. Instead of a large public celebration, PBMC held a series of small private ribbon cutting ceremonies, and all participants wore masks and maintained social distancing. A video of the event can be viewed on YouTube at https://bit.ly/pbmcribboncutting. The $16-million Health Center is being funded solely through the Campaign for Coastal Health. Philanthropic support included a $2 million gift from MaineHealth and a gift of $500,000 from the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. A number of local businesses supported the campaign with major donations, including Allen
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Address service requested Coastal Healthcare Alliance 118 Northport Ave | P.O. Box 287 | Belfast, Maine 04915