Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/517347
M a i n e — A P h oto P o rt r A i t o f t h e P i n e t r ee S tAt e P r o f i l e s i n e x c e l l e n c e 126 Mercy has always been about more than just bricks and mortar and high- tech advances. Since its founding in 1918, the organization remains true to its core value: compassion and respect for the dignity of every human being, in a setting of spiritual support. Mercy's Fore River campus opened in 2008 along the beautiful Fore River in Portland. Mercy Health System of Maine P h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f M e r c y h e a lt h s y s t e M o f M a i n e M ercy is a comprehensive provider net- work that administers physical and behavioral health care services and is a member of Catholic Health East, a multi-institutional Catholic health system serving communities through regional health care systems in 11 eastern states from Maine to Florida. Its mission is to carry out the healing work of Christ by providing clinically excellent, compassionate health care for all, with special concern for the poor and disadvantaged. Mercy has played an integral role in caring for the people of the greater Portland community since the hospital's founding nearly 100 years ago. It began in response to the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918 that claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Mainers and more than 50 million worldwide. In response to this severe and deadly health care crisis, the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious order with 60 active nuns living and working in Portland at the time, mobilized to staff the Marion Weeks Man- sion located at 681 Congress Street. Miss Weeks had previously given her residence to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in order to provide space to care for the many local victims of the flu. Bishop Louis S. Walsh, then the leader of the Portland Catholic Com- munity, dedicated the building as "Queens Hospital," and it was quickly renovated and equipped to care for 25 women patients. As the patient census at Queen's Hospital steadily grew, additional buildings were added to meet the need. In 1933, with the introduction of Blue Cross pre-paid health insurance, the need for additional space became imperative. In response, hospital staff and trustees be- gan formulating plans for a new hospital building. A la- dies' Auxiliary also was established, with civic-minded members of the greater Portland community contribut- ing their time and talent to Mercy's mission. Today the Mercy Auxiliary remains an active partner in assist- ing the hospital achieve its goals through its members' philanthropic and volunteer efforts. Recognizing the need for someone to shepherd the hospital through a major transition of growth and into the future, the trustees appointed Sister Mary Annun- ciata Quigley as its first administrator. And in 1943, the new 150-bed Mercy Hospital opened at 144 State Street in Portland. Today, the Mercy System includes the state's lead- ing in-patient substance abuse and treatment center (the Mercy Recovery Center at Westbrook) Mercy Fore River, the short-stay hospital on the banks of the Fore River which opened in 2008; VNA Home Health Hos- pice; and its original building on State Street. As of 2012, the Mercy Health System employs more than 2,000 and is a major economic driver in the region. In the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy and in keep- ing with its role as a community hospital, Mercy has continued to reshape itself to the needs of its patients while striving to meet the highest quality and value standards. This effort includes bringing heath care to patients through responsive community-based ser- vices. It also involves a continuous refining of systems to reduce inpatient stays and hasten recovery times through careful patient education and a highly fo- cused pre-operative regimen. Mercy's clinically excellent and compassionate care is underscored by a long list of "firsts and only," including: Portland's only hyperbaric oxygen chambers for wound healing; one of the only hospitals in Maine with sur- geons dedicated only to breast surgery; the only health care organization north of Connecticut with a disease- specific Joint Commission certification in Spine; the first cochlear implants to be performed in the State of Maine;