St. Joseph Healthcare, committed to wellness promotion and wholistic healing, provides healthcare services which embody compassion, competence and community.

A LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY FROM SISTER MARY NORBERTA,
PRESIDENT & CEO  

Since 1947 the Felician Sisters from the Enfield, Connecticut Province have sponsored St. Joseph Healthcare which includes St. Joseph Hospital underneath its umbrella of services. From that very first day on June 1, 1947 the Felician Sisters who were placed at St. Joseph Hospital to continue the works of the Order’s Foundress, Blessed Mother Mary Angela, have made Bangor home. The greater Bangor area is a rich and vibrant community full of cultural expressions and people who are devoted to kindness, compassion and helping one another to improve as a larger community.
  I have personally been blessed to be part of this community for more than a quarter of a century within my role as President and CEO of St. Joseph Healthcare and St. Joseph Hospital. It is an exciting time in health care. There are many challenges such as health insurance woes - but there are also new technologies which are helping people to live longer, healthier lives.

  As I share news of happenings here at St. Joseph Healthcare with various members of the community, I often hear that we need to be sure to share this information with the community at large. We have added numerous new and upgraded technologies within the past year to better serve you. In addition, our quality of care has been most recently recognized nationally by the receipt of two awards from Avatar International, Inc. There are so many exciting changes taking place throughout the Organization and we want you to share in our excitement as St. Joseph Hospital is your community hospital.
  In relation to exciting changes, a year ago I had publicly mentioned that it was time for me to consider focusing my energies more closely with the umbrella organization of St. Joseph Healthcare and having a new President/CEO handle the day-to-day business of St. Joseph Hospital. Unfortunately, my benign comment has turned into a rampant rumor in the community that I am retiring. Please make no mistake about it - I am not retiring and any plans for a new Hospital CEO will not be addressed for many, many months to come. Even with the addition of a dedicated CEO for the Hospital, I would still remain as the President/CEO for St. Joseph Healthcare - the parent organization for the Hospital and its various affiliates.
  One area that we are moving forward with is modifying our relationship with Covenant Health Systems. For the past eight years St. Joseph Healthcare has held an affiliate status with this Catholic health organization. Covenant is well-known within the state of Maine, as St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Lewiston is also a member of this Organization.
   The Felician Sisters from the Enfield, Connecticut Province along with the local community governing board have made the decision to increase our relationship by becoming full members of this group. Membership within Covenant Health Systems allows the Felician Sisters to relinquish sponsorship responsibilities while maintaining the Catholic identity and direction of the Organization.
  All Catholic organizations must operate under a recognized Catholic organization in order to be considered a work of the Catholic Church. Religious Congregations, Dioceses and Public Juridic Persons are all examples of these types of organizations that are formally recognized to carry out the ministries of the Catholic Church. The Vatican has granted Covenant Health Systems the status of Public Juridic Person, meaning that they are granted the authority to sponsor Catholic ministries and missions like St. Joseph Healthcare. As there are fewer and fewer Felician Sisters joining the Enfield, Connecticut Province it has become prudent for the Sisters to contemplate the future of St. Joseph Hospital and ensure the Catholic mission, ministry and legacy. The decision to move toward full membership within Covenant Health Systems and allow Covenant to provide official sponsorship of St. Joseph Healthcare was made to ensure the long term viability of St. Joseph Healthcare as a Catholic organization.
  There are many steps in the process to becoming a full member of Covenant Health Systems including the completion of a state Certificate of Need application process and Vatican approval of this sponsorship change. If all goes as planned, we would anticipate the official change to take place in late 2008 or early 2009.
  The membership and sponsorship change will not have any negative impact for the community. The change will be virtually seamless as there will be no change in the Sisters’ presence at the Organization, no change in senior leadership within the Organization, no change with the medical staff, no change in community board governance, no change with employees and no change with services provided to the community. In fact, being part of Covenant Health Systems allows us to tap into a far-reaching health network dedicated to the same Catholic principles of love and compassion at the mission core.
  I have been honored to lead St. Joseph Healthcare for more than 25 years. In all that time, I continue to be amazed by the employees’ and physicians’ dedication to the Felician ministry of compassion, competence and community. I am continually shown the beauty of the human spirit and all of us at St. Joseph Healthcare feel it is our honor and privilege to care for you and your loved ones.

  With God’s blessings we have been able to grow from a tiny hospital operated within a wood-framed home to the largest community hospital in the state of Maine. St. Joseph Healthcare is thriving and will continue to thrive under the sponsorship of Covenant Health Systems just as it has under the sponsorship of the Felician Sisters.

Sister Mary Norberta, C.S.S.F., FACHE
President & CEO, St. Joseph Healthcare

NUCLEAR MEDICINE DEPT. ACQUIRES TWO NEW CAMERAS

The St. Joseph Hospital Nuclear Medicine Department has installed two new Philips BrightView single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) cameras. SPECT cameras can detect radioisotopes commonly infused into the bloodstream prior to the test. A powerful computer then generates images which doctors can study to diagnose conditions in various organs of the body, including the heart, lungs, bones, liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.

Medication Safety Guide (900k pdf)

Medication Safety Card (100k pdf)

Also available at many doctors' offices, emergency rooms and pharmacies throughout the area.