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Mercy Hospital's Report to the Community (2007)
View Mercy Hospital’s 2007 Report to the Community

Mercy Addiction Medicine practice moves to new location in Westbrook
Mercy Addiction Medicine, the physician practice of Mercy Hospital’s Recovery Center, has moved to the condominiums located next door to Mercy’s Westbrook Campus at 50 Park Road. Moving in to their new home are Ben Weinberg, MD; physician extenders Denise Bouchard-Crowley, NP, and Robert Klotz, PA; Office Practice Manager Martine Turner; and Office Receptionist Elizabeth Shike. They can be reached by calling 857-8383.

This new space offers an opportunity to increase outpatient physician practice volume, and frees up patient space at the Recovery Center’s outpatient department.

Mercy practices begin move to Fore River Campus
Two Mercy practices are preparing to move into the medical office building on Mercy’s Fore River Campus. New England Foot and Ankle Specialists and Fore River Urology begin seeing patients at their new location on Tuesday, April 8.

Gregory Pomeroy, MD, Peter Ameglio, MD and Shannon Meredith, DPM, of New England Foot and Ankle Specialists (formerly known as Portland Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Center), specialize in reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle. Marc Hodroff, MD, Greg Adey, MD and Caitlin Koehler, NP, of Fore River Urology, provide full office and hospital-based urologic care.

New England Foot and Ankle Specialists and Fore River Urology join a number of independent local physician practices also operating at the medical office building on the Fore River Campus. These practices include: All About Women; Allergy and Asthma Associates of Maine, PA; Ankle and Foot Associates; Casco Bay Gastroenterology (satellite office); Ideal Me; Jane McNally, DO; Plastic Surgery Center, PA; Portland Surgical Associates; and Retina Center of Maine.

Mercy's Phase I, 151,000 square-foot hospital building on the Fore River Campus (adjacent to the medical office building) will open in September. The Phase I hospital is the first step in a multi-phase project that will ultimately replace Mercy's State Street facility. The Phase I hospital will be a full-service surgical facility. Other services moving from the State Street hospital to the Fore River hospital in September include Mercy’s Birthplace, imaging services and laboratory services. Mercy’s Outpatient Oncology/Hematology Center, Breast Care Specialists of Maine and Mercy’s Lymphedema Center will move into the medical office building at the same time in September.

The new campus, which is connected to the Portland Trails System, will allow Mercy to modernize and improve the delivery of health care services. Phase II of the project will include an expansion of the Phase I hospital to accommodate the remaining services at State Street. An additional medical office building and possibly a hospital administration building will also be part of Phase II. The entire relocation is anticipated well in time for Mercy’s 100-year anniversary in 2018.

New treatment for chronic sinusitis available at Mercy
Mercy Hospital is the only hospital in southern Maine to offer a new, minimally invasive technology for treating chronic sinus inflammation. The Balloon Sinuplasty system, performed by ear, nose and throat specialist David Thomson, M.D., FACS, uses a small catheter and balloon to quickly open and expand blocked sinuses.

Sinusitis afflicts 37 million Americans each year, causing headaches, congestion, fatigue and other symptoms. Until recently sinusitis sufferers were limited to medical therapy, such as antibiotics and topical nasal steroids, or conventional sinus surgery. Medical therapy works for approximately 75 percent of patients, but is inadequate for the rest. For these patients, sinus surgery is often the best option; however, conventional sinus surgery requires bone and tissue removal in order to open blocked sinus passageways. For that reason, more than 600,000 patients elect to live with painful sinus conditions.

'Patients with chronic sinusitis have a poor quality of life. They consult me for relief from a chronic sense of sickness and fatigue, sinus headaches, sinus drainage and congestion,” said Dr. Thomson. “They request sinus treatments that are not risky, painful or invasive. Balloon dilatation sinus surgery is a technique ideally suited to these patients: it is minimally invasive, very effective, carries very little operative risk, and is nearly painless. It is proven to be both safe and effective in very carefully performed clinical trials.”

The Balloon Sinuplasty represents an evolution in endoscopic sinus surgery. A small, flexible balloon catheter is placed through a nostril into the blocked sinus passageway. The balloon is then inflated to gently restructure and open the sinus passageway, restoring normal sinus drainage and function.

“My experience in treating more than 60 sinuses with balloon dilatation is that the procedure is extremely effective in permanently enlarging and draining obstructed sinuses, with minimal postoperative pain, and rapid return to normal activity – usually within a few days,” says Dr. Thomson. “The real potential of balloon dilatation sinus surgery has not been fully realized. It is a minimally risky, minimally invasive treatment option for patients with chronic sinus disease who have failed to respond to medical treatments, yet are hesitant to consider surgical treatments. I look forward to offering this therapy to more patients in the greater Portland area in the near future.'

Hachey promoted to Senior Vice President
Michael Hachey, CPA was recently promoted to Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Services and Network Development for Mercy Health System of Maine. Hachey has served as the Mercy’s Chief Financial Officer since 2003. Prior to serving Mercy, Hachey was the Chief Operating Officer at Miles Health Care in Damariscotta and the Chief Financial Officer for both Miles Health Care and St. Andrews Hospital in Boothbay Harbor.

New technology at Mercy to treat Peripheral Arterial Disease
Physicians at Mercy Hospital recently began using the Diamondback 360 Orbital Atherectomy System for removing plaque blockages in the arteries of the leg, restoring blood flow to the lower parts of the leg. The new technology was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late September, 2007, and is used at Mercy by vascular surgeons Drs. Paul H.S. Bloch and Christopher T. Healey of The Maine Surgical Care Group and Mercy vascular interventional radiologist Dr. David R. Langdon. Mercy Hospital is currently the only hospital in Northern New England with this technology.

Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, is a life-threatening condition where a fatty material called atherosclerotic plaque builds up on the inside walls of the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to all other parts of the body. The build-up of plaque causes atherosclerosis – commonly referred to as hardening of the arteries. This can reduce blood flow to the legs and feet and if advanced can lead to amputation of the leg.

Existing atherectomy technology involves a “boring” process through the artery, which can knock loose chunks of plaque that can then travel to other areas of the body. This new device uses a diamond-coated crown and a unique high-speed “orbiting” action that sands away plaque, including hard, calcified plaque. This pulverizing process allows the plaque to be safely reabsorbed by the body through the blood stream and protects the healthy tissue of the arterial wall. The Diamondback 360 Orbital Atherectomy System is specifically designed to treat PAD in affected areas in the smaller arteries below the knee, allowing improved blood flow to the lower extremities and helping prevent the condition from becoming limb or life-threatening. The new device is faster than existing technology and helps patients avoid the need for open surgery. Another feature is that it can be used effectively in patients with rock hard calcified plaque.

“The Diamondback 360 device is a unique tool that is a significant advance for patients with PAD,” said Dr. Bloch. “We can now help many people who have arteries that were previously thought to be untreatable.”

Verizon makes grant to McAuley Residence
McAuley Residence has received a $24,000 grant from Verizon to support McAuley’s Healing from Domestic Violence initiative. The program aims to help women break the cycle of dependence on an abusive intimate partner or family member and to develop strategies to overcome interpersonal violence and to gain control over the direction of their lives.

Verizon’s grant will allow McAuley Residence staff to pursue four major goals in intervening with women who have experienced domestic violence:

• help women attain the highest level of employment possible through pursuit of vocational and/or educational advancement opportunities;
• assist women to develop personal finance budgeting and management skills;
• facilitate access to community services and supports, which includes developing a plan for personal safety for themselves and their children by the time they leave McAuley Residence;
• provide women with a supportive environment in which to develop productive and positive coping skills.

“We are extremely grateful for Verizon’s generosity and support of McAuley Residence, and the Healing from Domestic Violence program in particular,” said Sr. Miriam Therese Callnan, RSM, Executive Director of McAuley Residence. “This funding will enable us to launch this important program for our residents.”

McAuley Residence, a department of Mercy Hospital, is a transitional housing program for women, with or without children, in crisis. In addition to offering support, shelter, and safety, McAuley Residence encourages women to commit to making a permanent, lifelong change to better themselves and their children. The goal is to help women develop the skills they need for self-sufficiency.

Devlin named Medical Director of Diabetes Management and Education
Mercy Hospital is pleased to announce that John T. Devlin, M.D., has joined Mercy as the Medical Director of the Diabetes Management and Education Program. Dr. Devlin was previously the Medical Director of the Diabetes Center, Division of Endocrinology, at Maine Medical Center. At Mercy Dr. Devlin will provide outpatient care for diabetes patients, and will also work with Mercy staff to develop inpatient treatment protocols.

Dr. Devlin received his medical degree from Cornell University and completed an internal medicine residency at Maine Medical Center and a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored fellowship in endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, where he is an associate professor.

Dr. Devlin has an extensive body of journal research to his credit. He is a member of several research and nutrition/diabetes societies. Dr. Devlin is a Fellow in both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Endocrinology.