Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center (Maine) facts for kids

St. Mary’s Health System is a big medical center in Lewiston, Maine. It started way back in 1888. It was founded by a group of caring women called the Sisters of Charity of Saint-Hyacinthe.

Today, St. Mary's is a complete health system. It has a hospital with 233 beds for people who need serious care. It also has doctors for everyday health and specialists for specific problems. There's an urgent care center and an emergency room for when you need help fast. They also offer services for mental health and special clinics.

The system also includes d’Youville Pavilion. This is a place for older adults. It helps them get better after an illness, offers long-term nursing care, and special care for memory problems. The original hospital building, built in 1902, is a historic landmark. It is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Where is St. Mary's Health System?

The medical center is in Lewiston, Maine. It is located just south of the Bates College campus. The hospital sits on a piece of land shaped like a triangle. It is bordered by Campus Avenue, Golder Street, and Sabattus Street.

Next to the medical center is St. Mary's d'Youville Pavilion. This is a facility for senior care. It is also run by Covenant Health. You can get to the hospital using a round driveway on Sabattus Street. The biggest buildings at St. Mary's were built in the 1960s and 1970s.

What Kinds of Services Does St. Mary's Offer?

St. Mary's Health System offers many different types of medical care. Here are some of the services they provide:

• Help for mental health and behavior
• Cancer treatment
• Heart and blood vessel care
• Community health programs
• X-rays and other imaging tests
• Care for digestive problems
• Emergency room services
• Ear, nose, and throat surgery
• General surgery
• Lab tests
• Neurology (brain and nerve care)
• Nutrition advice
• Bone and joint care (Orthopedics)
• Primary care doctors
• Lung care (Pulmonary Medicine)
• Rehabilitation (getting better after injury)
• Rheumatology (joint and muscle diseases)
• Health care for seniors
• Help for sleep problems
• Urology (urinary system care)
• Urgent care for quick needs
• WorkMed Occupational Health (for work-related injuries)
• Wound care and other special services

Who Owns St. Mary's Health System?

St. Mary’s Health System is part of Covenant Health. This is a non-profit Catholic health care system. Being "non-profit" means they use their money to improve care, not to make a profit for owners.

Covenant Health has many different health organizations. These include hospitals, nursing homes, and places for seniors to live. They are located all over New England and in Pennsylvania. Covenant Health is the largest non-profit provider of after-hospital care in New England.

The History of St. Mary's Hospital

In 1888, Lewiston and Auburn were busy factory towns. Many people were moving there from Quebec, Canada. They came to work in the shoe and textile factories. The population grew to 35,000 people. But there was no hospital in the area.

This changed in June 1888. The Sisters of Charity of St. Hyacinthe bought a house and some land on Sabattus Street. This house became a 30-bed hospital. It also had an addition where the sisters lived and cared for 40 orphans. This was the first hospital in Lewiston/Auburn. It was also the first Catholic hospital in Maine. People called it the Sister’s Hospital, the French Hospital, or the Catholic Hospital. A stay in a shared room cost $5.00 per week. A private room was $10.00 to $12.00 per week.

The sisters wanted everyone to know that the hospital was for people of all backgrounds. The first patient, Nellie Hackett, was not French Canadian. This showed that the hospital welcomed everyone.

By 1898, doctors formed a medical staff. Dr. Alonzo Garcelon was their first president. Groups of volunteers, called the Society Dames Patronesses and the Men’s Hospital Association, were also formed.

In 1899, there was a smallpox outbreak. The city set up a "Pest House" to keep sick people separate. Records show the sisters spent 162 days nursing patients there.

It became clear that a bigger hospital was needed. So, in 1902, a new hospital building was constructed. It had 150 beds and 25 bassinets for babies. It cost $100,000 to build.

Saint Mary's General Hospital
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
St. Mary's Hospital from 1908 postcard
Location in Maine Show map of Maine Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	318 Sabattus St., Lewiston, Maine
Area	6.3 acres (2.5 ha)
Built	1902
Architect	William R. Miller; Father Paul Charland
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	87002191
Added to NRHP	December 30, 1987

2014 view of the historic hospital building.

The historic front of the hospital faces Sabattus Street. However, that doorway is not the main entrance today.

The hospital was designed by William R. Miller, an architect from Lewiston. Father Paul Charland, who was not a trained architect, also helped with the design. The building was finished in 1902.

Since 1902, Saint Mary's has grown a lot. Many additions and updates have made it into the large medical complex it is today.

In 1908, the hospital officially became L’Hopital Generale Ste. Marie – St. Mary’s General Hospital. Also in 1908, the St. Mary’s School of Nursing was started. This school trained nurses. By 1925, a house was made into a home for the nursing students.

The sisters also saw a need to care for older people who were sick or poor. In 1928, they built the Marcotte Nursing Home. A man named F. X. Marcotte, an early French Canadian business owner, gave $120,000 for this. One part of this building had 200 beds for the elderly. The other part, called St. Joseph’s Orphanage, was home to 250 girls. Most of these girls were not orphans. Their parents worked long hours in the mills and needed childcare. The sisters provided this important care. The girls could stay at the "orphanage" until they were 18. The sisters also taught them elementary school right there.

The amazing growth in care for the sick, the elderly, and children in Lewiston shows the vision of the sisters' founder, Ste. Marguerite d’Youville. The original Saint Mary's General Hospital building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. This means it is recognized as an important historic site.

See Also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine
• List of hospitals in Maine