Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center (Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center (Maine) |
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| Covenant Health Systems | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 93 Campus Drive, Lewiston, Maine, United States |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Beds | 233 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1888 |
St. Mary’s Health System is a big healthcare group 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 more than just a hospital. It has 233 beds for people who need to stay overnight. It also has doctors for regular check-ups and special doctors for different health needs. There's an urgent care center and an emergency room for when you need help fast. They also offer services for mental health and other special treatments.
St. Mary's also includes d’Youville Pavilion. This is a place for older people who need special care. It has rehabilitation, long-term nursing, and memory care. The original Saint Mary's General Hospital building, built in 1902, is a very old and important building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Where is St. Mary's?
The medical center is in Lewiston, Maine. It is located right next to the Bates College campus. The hospital is 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 place for senior care. You can get to the hospital through a round driveway on Sabattus Street. The biggest buildings at St. Mary's were built in the 1960s and 1970s.
What Services Does St. Mary's Offer?
St. Mary's Health System offers many different ways to help people stay healthy. Here are some of the main services they provide:
- Help for mental health and behavior
- Care for cancer patients
- Heart and blood vessel care
- Services for the community
- X-rays and other imaging tests
- Help for digestive problems
- Emergency room for urgent needs
- Ear, nose, and throat surgery
- General surgery
- Lab tests
- Neurology (brain and nerve care)
- Nutrition advice
- Bone and joint care (Orthopedics)
- Regular doctor visits (Primary Care)
- Lung care (Pulmonary Medicine)
- Rehabilitation to help you recover
- Care for joint and muscle diseases (Rheumatology)
- Health services for older adults
- Help for sleep problems
- Kidney and bladder care (Urology)
- Urgent care for quick medical needs
- WorkMed Occupational Health (for work-related injuries)
- Wound care and other special services
Who Owns St. Mary's?
St. Mary’s Health System is part of a larger group called Covenant Health. Covenant Health is a non-profit organization. This means they use their money to help people, not to make a profit. They are a Catholic healthcare system.
Covenant Health has many hospitals and care centers. They have nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and places for seniors to live. These places are all over New England and in Pennsylvania. Covenant Health is the biggest non-profit provider of after-hospital care in New England.
A Look Back: St. Mary's History
In 1888, Lewiston and Auburn were busy factory towns. Many people from Quebec, Canada, were moving there. The population grew to 35,000, but there was no hospital.
This changed in June 1888. The Sisters of Charity of St. Hyacinthe bought a house 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. It cost $5.00 a week for a bed in a shared room. A private room was $10.00 to $12.00 a 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, the hospital had a team of doctors. Dr. Alonzo Garcelon was their first president. Groups of volunteers, like the Society Dames Patronesses and the Men’s Hospital Association, also formed to help.
In 1899, there was a smallpox outbreak. The city set up a "Pest House" to keep sick people separate. The sisters helped there, providing 162 days of nursing care.
It became clear that a bigger hospital was needed. So, in 1902, a new hospital was built. It had 150 beds and 25 bassinets for babies. It cost $100,000 to build.
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Saint Mary's General Hospital
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St. Mary's Hospital from 1908 postcard
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 318 Sabattus St., Lewiston, Maine |
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| 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 |
The old hospital building was designed by an architect named William R. Miller. Father Paul Charland also helped with the design. It was built in a style called Late Gothic Revival.
Since 1902, the hospital has grown a lot. Many parts have been updated and expanded. This has made Saint Mary's into the large medical center 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 turned into a home for the nurses.
The sisters saw that many poor, sick, and elderly people needed care. So, in 1928, they built the Marcotte Nursing Home. A man named F. X. Marcotte, who was a successful French Canadian business owner, donated $120,000 for it. One part of this building had 200 beds for the elderly. Another 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 important childcare and even elementary schooling for these girls. The girls could stay at the "orphanage" until they were 18 years old.
The amazing growth in caring for the sick, elderly, and children shows how important the work of the Sisters of Charity of Ste. Hyacinthe was in Lewiston. Their vision came from their founder, Ste. Marguerite d’Youville.
The historic Saint Mary's General Hospital building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. This means it is a very important historical site.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine
- List of hospitals in Maine
