Past, Present and Future

MERCY HOSPITAL

Past, Present and Future

A HOSPITAL AT THE HEART OF HEALING

Mercy Hospital has played an integral role in Maine health care since the hospital’s

founding nearly 100 years ago. From its genesis as a place to treat those struck by the

massive influenza epidemic of 1918 to its current status as one of Maine’s largest and

most-respected hospitals, Mercy has consistently held to its commitment to be “at the

heart of healing.”

What does this mean? Simply put, Mercy Hospital provides clinically excellent, compassionate

health care, especially to the poor and disadvantaged, reflecting the mission and values of

the Sisters of Mercy. As a mission-driven, faith-based organization, we care – in every sense

of the word.

Because to us, this is the essence of what a hospital does. We care. For our patients, for

our employees, for the community we serve. And we do this by attracting and retaining the

most highly qualified doctors and nurses, acquiring the most advanced and effective

technology to provide leading-edge diagnosis and treatment resources, and treating

each and every person with compassion and respect for their individual dignity.

This has been our mission from the start. And it is what keeps us moving forward.

For, in the words of Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, “We can never

say it is enough.”

In the following pages, we invite you to take an armchair journey into Mercy’s past, present

and future to gain a deeper understanding of the hospital’s evolution, and to share in our

vision of the Mercy of tomorrow.

1918

1943

1952

1998

2006

1998

MERCY WESTBROOK OPENS

1995

MERCY PRIMARY CARE CENTER OPENS

1996

VNA HOME HEALTH & HOSPICE AND MERCY JOIN FORCES

1988

MCAULEY RESIDENCE IS FOUNDED

HOW MERCY HOSPITAL CAME TO BE

In 1918, a deadly influenza epidemic swept the world. It claimed an estimated 50 million lives in mere months – more than any other illness in recorded history. The death toll from this epidemic was three times greater than that of World War I, which was also being waged at the time. Here in Maine, nearly 50,000 cases of influenza were reported, and at least 5,000 Mainers died, many of them in Portland.

Bishop Louis S. Walsh, leader of the Portland Catholic community, appealed for help. Miss Marion Weeks, the Protestant daughter of a surgeon, responded by giving her mansion at 681 Congress Street to the Portland Diocese for use as a hospital. The mansion was renovated and equipped to care for 25 women patients. It was named the Queen’s Hospital.

The Sisters of Mercy, an order with 60 active nuns in Portland at the time, mobilized to staff the new hospital and in 1922, four years after graduating from nursing school, Sister Mary Annunciata Quigley took her vows and took her place alongside them.

The patient census at Queen’s Hospital steadily grew over the next decade, and additional buildings were added to serve those who needed the Sisters’ care, compassion and charity most, particularly during the Great Depression. Then, with the introduction of Blue Cross pre-paid health insurance in 1933, the need for additional space grew even more imperative. In response, the hospital staff and trustees began formulating plans for a brand-new hospital. A ladies’ Auxiliary also was established, with civic-minded members of the greater Portland community contributing their time and talent to Mercy’s mission.

Recognizing the need for someone to shepherd the hospital through this major transition and into the future, the trustees appointed Sister Annunciata as the hospital’s first administrator. And in 1943, a new 150-bed Mercy Hospital opened at 144 State Street, with Sister Annunciata at its helm.

The story of Sister Annunciata’s stewardship of Mercy Hospital from 1934 to 1969 – told with excerpts from her own diaries – can be found in the following insert.

In the decades following Sister Annunciata’s tenure, the world and our nation have seen remarkable changes. Health care, in particular, has undergone a tremendous evolution as technological advances and medical discoveries enhance our capability to make and keep people well. Mercy Hospital has remained at the forefront of this evolution, adding wings, new campuses, new primary care facilities and a range of health and human service programs to meet the health needs of the community. Today, Mercy is a vibrant health system that includes five campuses and a total of 230 inpatient beds. While each campus has a unique focus, all work together to provide an interdisciplinary mix of medical, surgical and outpa-tient services that address the growing needs of the communities we serve. In addition, Mercy is continually adding primary care and specialty physician practice sites, and offers several community-based programs. In September 2008, Mercy opened its 42-acre Fore River campus which houses a new hospital and medical building. This campus brings together the latest tech-nology to serve a range of patient care needs, from digital mammography and minimally invasive surgical procedures to a one-of-a-kind birthing center and Orthopaedic Institute. Our State Street campus remains a full-service hospital operating Mercy’s only 24-hour Emergency Department and is home to Portland’s only hyperbaric oxygen chambers for wound healing.

Mercy, however, has always been about more than bricks and mortar and high-tech advances. Since our founding in 1918, we’ve held fast to our core values: compassion and respect for the dignity of every human being, in a setting of spiritual support.

This commitment is embodied not only in the care we give to each patient, but also in how we give back to the greater Portland community. Each year, Mercy provides in excess of $10 million in community benefits, including unreimbursed medical treatments, pro-bono medical services, community education and prevention outreach. We are one of the state’s largest employers. And Mercy is the first and only hospital to receive the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, which recognizes a Maine business that demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to its communities and employees.

The Mercy of today remains squarely focused on the needs of its patients and the community. We rec-ognize that the way in which patients access health care has changed dramatically, and so the way we deliver health care has changed, too. We bring health care to the patient through responsive community-based services, and are continually refining ways to reduce inpatient stays and hasten recovery times through careful patient education and a highly focused pre-op regimen.

We also understand that the community of Portland has changed. A burgeoning immigrant population, along with a growing number of under- and uninsured patients, requires special attention and modification of our signature programs such as McAuley Residence and Gary’s House, as well as greater emphasis on community collaboration.

From our modest beginnings in response to a devastating flu epidemic to our evolution into one of Maine’s leading health systems, Mercy remains at the heart of healing.

THE MERCY HOSPITAL OF TODAY

2008

MERCY FORE RIVER CAMPUS OPENS

2008

MERCY WINDHAM OPENS

2009

MERCY GORHAM CROSSING OPENS

THE MERCY HOSPITAL OF TOMORROW

HONORING THE PAST, BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

The 2008 opening of Mercy’s new Fore River campus marked the successful completion of Phase I of a two-phase project that will eventually relocate all of Mercy Hospital’s services from the State Street campus to the Fore River campus. This milestone not only heralded a new chapter in Mercy’s history, but also in the history of health care in greater Portland. Phase II is expected to launch within the next few years, with the relocation fully completed in time for Mercy’s 100-year anniversary in 2018.

In the meantime, we continue to improve and refine our services, adding clinical capabilities and programs, and attracting respected physicians, surgeons, nurses and other health professionals. We streamline operations to ensure the most efficient and effective patient care. We acquire new technology and adopt new techniques to optimize patient outcomes. And we never lose sight of what matters most: to heed the call and the mission, set forth by the Sisters of Mercy, to reach out and minister to the sick and injured in our community.

The future has never looked brighter. Despite economic volatility and dramatic changes in federal and state funding of health and human services programs in recent years, something extraordinary happened. The generous individuals, corporations and foundations that help to support Mercy dug even deeper, finding the means to give even more to help those who have less. This exceptional generosity – both spiritual as well as financial – speaks volumes about how much people believe and trust in Mercy. We believe this trust bodes well for Mercy’s future. As a faith-based and mission-driven organization, Mercy has always filled a unique niche in greater Portland’s health care community. In today’s fiercely competitive, profit-driven world, this commitment to the community – and from the community – truly sets Mercy apart. And it positions us for a successful tomorrow.

MERCY HEALTH SYSTEM OF MAINE — REACHING OUT TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY

Mercy Health System of Maine (Mercy) includes several dedicated campuses, with a total of 230 inpatient beds. Each campus has a unique focus, but all work together to provide a broad mix of medical, surgical and outpatient services. Mercy Medical Associates represents Mercy’s growing network of primary care and multi-specialty physician practices that provide both inpatient and outpatient care. We offer additional services to our community through the following programs:

VNA Home Health & Hospice (VNA) serves clients in southern Maine. Regardless of where clients receive medical services, VNA’s team of profes-sionals works closely with physicians to provide the highest quality care in the comfort of the client’s own home. VNA’s Hospice Team provides comprehensive care and support to clients and their families facing end-of-life issues.

Mercy Recovery Center is Maine’s largest substance abuse treatment program, offering inpatient and outpatient programs for adults. The Recovery Center’s team of skilled therapists, nurses and physicians treat the entire spectrum of addictions from alcohol to all types of drugs one step at a time, one day at a time, one person at a time.

McAuley Residence provides a safe environment and a comprehensive transitional living program for women in need. The residential program offers housing, life skills counseling, emotional support and mentoring. It helps women, with or without children, learn to live in a manner that improves their lives in a meaningful and lasting way.

Gary’s House is a hospitality home for families of patients undergoing medical treatment in a Portland area hospital. Gary Pike, for whom the home is named, wanted families to find comfort knowing they had a place to stay, near their loved one, without being financially burdened.

Mercy State Street 144 State Street Portland, ME 04101 879-3000

Toll free (800) 293-6583

Mercy Fore River 175 Fore River Parkway Portland, ME 04102 879-3000

Toll free (800) 293-6583

Mercy Medical Associates Fore River Medical Building 195 Fore River Parkway Portland, ME 04102 879-3364 Mercy Westbrook 40 Park Road Westbrook, ME 04092 857-8000 Toll free (800) 293-6583 Mercy Windham 409 Roosevelt Trail Windham, ME 04062 893-0290

Mercy Gorham Crossing 19 South Gorham Crossing Gorham, ME 04038

839-9101

www.mercyhospital.org

The Care You Need —

Where You Need Us To Be