Personal StoriesRuthie Stone, patient at Belgrade Regional Health Center The health center has also helped Ruthie pay for medications that she cannot afford. When she had health insurance but not enough money to purchase all her medications, the health center provided free samples. And then, once she lost her insurance, her provider referred her to the Patient Assistance Program, run right at the health center by Crystal W. Fitch, LSW. Through this program, she is able to obtain many of her medications for free. “I would spend more money than I make on prescriptions without the Patient Assistance Program,” says Ruthie, “There is no way to get medications without insurance.” Philip Howe, patient of Mt. Abram Regional Health Center, Kingfield
Now recovering from a stroke, Howe became a patient of the health center after his primary care physician in Farmington left the area. “Down there you never knew who you were going to see,” he said. “When it was recommended I try the Kingfield location, I thought it would be nice to simplify things and stay close to home.” Howe’s stroke left him unable to write well and he needed help filling out paperwork for MaineCare and Social Security, and that’s where Crystal W. Fitch, LSW stepped in through the company’s Navigator Program. “If Crystal had not been available, I’m not sure who would have helped me fill out all the paperwork,” said Howe. “I don’t have any family in the area so I may have had to hire someone to do it for me.” A patient of Mt. Abram’s Dr. Robert Jacobs for about five years, Howe couldn’t say enough good things about him or his staff. “Dr. Jacobs takes the time to listen to me, he spends time talking to me and going over results and tests better than other practices I’ve been to,” he said. “The staff is always responsive and Dr. Jacobs is quick to bring me in for a follow-up or medication adjustment. I’ve got no complaints.” Bertha Moreau, patient at Western Maine Family Health Center, Livermore Falls Crystal Fitch, LSW, the company’s “Navigator” introduced Bertha to Eileen Castonguay who handles the Prescription Assistance Program at the Health Center. After that, Bertha learned about many other programs from Crystal that she and others in her situation don’t know about. “She helped me enroll in many programs,” said Bertha. “Some of them I qualified for and some I didn’t, but she helped me fill out all the applications for programs like the Affordable Care Program and MaineCare due to my disability.” Bertha further credits the Navigator program with helping her receive a corrective operation for a disability that she never would have had. Now she sees the doctor regularly. “I knew I couldn’t afford to see the doctor, so I just didn’t go before. It’s so much easier to go to the health center than to travel to Lewiston or Auburn,” Bertha said. “The doctors here are friendly and there’s no ‘runaround’. They get me in, make me feel welcome, listen to me, and get me out.” Alice Strait, patient of Bethel Family Health Center
Linda Therrien, patient at Western Maine Family Health Center, Livermore Falls
Corinne Hughes, patient at Strong Area Dental Center Heidi L. Ross, patient at Rangeley Family Medicine Verra Parsons, patient at Strong Area Health Center Joni James with her son Daniel, patients at Western Maine Family Health Center, Livermore Falls Kimberley Dolbier, patient at Rangeley Family Medicine Cindy Rollins, patient at Mt. Abram Health Center Sue Charles, patient at Lovejoy Health Center Joanne A. Chapman, patient at Rangeley Region Health Center Carol and Leslie ‘Pal’ Clark, patients at Lovejoy Health Center Lucretia Dudley, patient at Strong Area Health Center Carroll and Joyce Bowie of Livermore Falls, Maine, patients at Western Maine Family Health Center Jay Strickland, patient of Bingham Area Health Center Heidi Dow, Patient of Lovejoy Health Center Carol Rundlett, Patient of Lovejoy Health Center To contribute, please use our Online Form or download our Donation Form. |
Ruthie Stone has been a patient at Belgrade since it first opened in the old school house back in 1977. “Before that, I did not have a regular doctor and I went to the emergency room.” Not only does Ruthie rely on the health center for good, quick health information, but she also appreciates the “caring” staff members who make sure that people are physically healthy plus much more. About her medical provider, Vickie Chapman, APRN, Ruthie says, “I am taken seriously and she listens to what I say. I believe in her.” 
“I’m generally healthy, but it’s still nice to know the health center is there if I need it,” according to Mt. Abram Regional Health Center patient, Philip Howe. “Since it’s local, I’m more likely to go to the doctor, especially back when I was self-employed, because time was money.” 
"Going to the health center is like receiving a big hug," says Alice. She admires Dr. DeCarolis of Bethel Family Health Center partially because, "I love how his brain works." Alice appreciates charts, graphs and, as a former teacher, the endless pursuit of knowledge. The fact that Dr. DeCarolis takes the time to share his findings and the reasons behind his diagnosis satisfies Alice’s curiosity. She wants the information, she appreciates understanding her medical situation, and she can depend on obtaining what she needs from staff at the health center. She says with warmth and enthusiasm, "Bethel is a great retirement place and the health center staff members understand the unique needs of our active senior community."
"To me, Dr. Lewis walks on water! He listens to me and is willing to go the extra mile." Linda tells of a time when she was feeling quite ill and initially Dr. Lewis wanted to refer her to Portland to see a specialist. However, knowing that Linda desired to stay close by, Dr. Lewis collaborated with a specialist in Portland to keep her much nearer to home. Linda has gone to Western Maine Family Health Center for more than ten years. She appreciates being heard and the willingness of the entire staff to assist her in meeting her health care needs.
"They treat me like a queen when I come here," states Corinne. She is pleased with the dental services she receives at Strong Area Dental Center and the cleanliness of the facility. She states that having a dentist nearby is as important to the community as "having schools for children." The shortage of dentists in the area has been difficult for area residents for many years. In fact, Corrine has at times traveled to New Hampshire for dental care. She continues to elaborate on her recent dental visit. "They are so professional and they are quick,"
she shares. "It’s pain free – I don’t feel a thing." 
Verra started obtaining health care at Strong Area Health Center as a teenager and eighteen years later is still coming. For her, the proximity of the health center to her home "makes it so much easier than trying to travel to Farmington all the time." She also notes, "It makes health care much more easily accessible to the elderly." Verra finds the staff "personable and very workable on appointments." Being able to call and receive an appointment quickly on the same day and the flexibility of staff are important to her. The availability of evening appointments "means a lot to me as a single mom."
"Emma takes the time to really listen and is patient even with two young kids who don’t always want to cooperate," says Joni. "She also respects what I have to say about my children’s healthcare." Emma Ansara, Family Nurse Practitioner, understands that parents are the best judges of her children’s situations. "If I call with a concern about one of the kids, Emma will ask me, "What is your Mommy sense telling you?" She knows that Moms know when something isn’t quite right," states Joni. Nine month old Daniel and his three year-old big sister, Zinnia, first became patients of Emma Ansara shortly after Daniel was born. "The private medical practice we had been going to was always too busy and a bit crazy," says Joni. "I often felt rushed and not listened to." That all changed when Joni transferred her family’s care to Emma Ansara at Western Maine Family Health Center.
“The health center is very important to this community. It is a bright light in the middle of the wilderness,” shares Cindy Rollins patient at Mt. Abram Health Center. “I had been seeing the same doctor for twenty years in southern Maine.” After moving to northwestern Maine, Cindy says, “I traveled back for my appointments for three years. I did not want to give up that doctor who knew me. I thought I was going to one of the best doctors in southern Maine. At first, I thought Mt. Abram Health Center was small, maybe not so up-to-date. I changed my mind. The doctors listen to me and hear what I have to say. I feel that they really check into things to find out what is wrong. They find the answer. I also appreciate that I can pick my doctor and choose between a male or female provider.”
“I think the health center is very important to the community because it serves a lot of people and it works. It has been here thirty years and two of the first providers are still here. I think that says a lot. It meets the medical needs of the community,” says long-time Lovejoy Health Center patient Sue Charles. Sue appreciates the personal attention the health center offers. Sue received an invitation from the health center to join ‘Living a Healthy Life,’ a six-week living with chronic disease class offered by the health center. “It was nice to know that someone cared enough about me to let me know about this class. I appreciated that personal touch. The invitation was a plus. I thought, ‘six weeks, two hours; seven miles... I can do that.’ ” When reflecting on her experience in the class Sue says, “I thought there was a lot of support. It was well organized. It started on time and ended on time. I think of that group almost every day. I think... ’drink water, exercise and move more.’ “
“For some people, having the health center close to home makes the difference between getting medical care or not,” says Joanne Chapman coordinator of the Rangeley Region Appointment Transport (RRAT) and a patient at the health center since 1996. “Many residents of Rangeley would only get crisis care if they had to travel to Farmington. That is a long way to go, especially if you are elderly or not feeling well. It would mean that they would be in an ambulance heading south.” Being close to home offers others advantages as well, “I think that being local and community oriented are important. I know the people here and it is a friendly atmosphere. I think they really care; it is not just a job,” shares Joanne.
“It is convenient, especially in emergencies,” says Pal Clark one of Lovejoy Health Center’s first patients. “Years ago, I passed out while driving my truck. I had been working in the woods, stacking wood. My wife and our three year old granddaughter were in the truck. I found out later I had a heart arrhythmia. It would have taken a half or three-quarters of an hour for an ambulance to get here. It would have taken another half hour to drive to Waterville.” “I would not have known what to do if the health center had not been here,” says his wife Carol. “It is comforting to know that the health center is close by.” Pal and Carol also appreciate the friendly atmosphere, “It is personal, almost like a family. We walk in and whoever is out there calls us by our names even if they are busy.” 
“It is like you do not miss the water until your well runs dry. A lot of people just would not get health care without Strong Area Health Center. It makes a big difference,” says Lucretia Dudley, Strong Area Health Center patient, as she reflects on what the health center means to her community. “The staff has been really, really friendly. They know us and they will go out of their way to help us. I think they are really concerned about each person; we are more than patients. After my husband passed away, I was having pains in my chest. I would have passed it off, but my social worker suggested that I make an appointment on my way out. They hooked me to all sorts of machines, than sent me to the hospital. I ended up having a triple bypass. I do not know what would have happened if I had not made that appointment.” Having the health center close to home has made a significant difference to Lucretia’s health care. She says,” Because of the price of gas and everything, I probably would not keep my appointments or take the medications I need without the health center close by.”
"Having lived in the Bingham area most of my life, I know that having the health center in our community means an awful lot," says long-time Bingham Area Health Center (BAHC) patient Jay Strickland. Strickland, father of six, is grateful that he and his family don’t have to travel all the way to Skowhegan for care, "especially considering gas prices these days," he says. In addition to the convenience, Strickland says that the health center is also vital because it offers care to everyone, those with and without insurance or means to pay. "I had good health care coverage back when I worked at Sappi," he says. Now self-employed, Strickland reports that since his layoff from the mill he feels "very fortunate that [he] and [his] family can receive the kind of quality care that the health center provides." "My job now is as good as most in the area, but it is harder and harder for people around here to keep up with health care costs, with the loss of industry and the higher paying jobs and benefits that have left with it. Having this health center here makes a real difference, as there is a great need for the services and we don’t have anywhere else to go. It makes the community a better place," he says.
"I’ve been a patient of Lovejoy Health Center since I was a child, and now my four children are patients of the center as well. I appreciate that the providers and staff here truly know their patients and are in-tune with our health care needs. Having health care available here in the community means we don’t have to travel the distance to the hospital or elsewhere. This was especially important to me during my first pregnancy when I developed gestational diabetes. I needed to have blood tests a few times each week. Having the health center close to home meant I was able to avoid many trips to Waterville and/or buying a machine, which would have been difficult for me to do. As always, the health center was able to accommodate my needs.”