Construction of a 12-bed addition to the Gregory Wing at St Andrews Village could begin as soon as May, if the weather and contractors’ schedules allow, according to Lincoln County Healthcare President and CEO James Donovan.

Department of Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew formally granted a Certificate of Need for the 7,497 square-foot project, on Feb. 19. The dually certified long-term care and rehabilitation beds would add about 40 percent of capacity to the Gregory Wing, which currently has 30 beds and is often full.

Donovan said offering more long-term and rehabilitation beds closer to home has been a goal of Lincoln County Healthcare for several years.

The new beds will allow more Boothbay region residents to remain close to friends and family while they recover from surgery or a medical issue, or when they receive long-term care.

“We know this is a need in the community and the whole county,” said Donovan. He thanked Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew and her staff for quickly approving the application, which was submitted in December.

He also credited a Lincoln County Healthcare team that worked with MaineHealth Director of Planning Richard Linehan to put together a very complete application that left little need for questions or clarification from the state.

Judy McGuire, Senior Vice President of Senior Services at Lincoln County Healthcare, said providing care in a familiar setting, where providers know the patients and the residents, can mean care not only feels more personal, but outcomes are better.

Providing care in a person’s community helps maintain continuity of care, increasing the chances that a patient’s care team will be made up of providers who know the patient, such as the patient’s primary care physician.

Keeping patients and residents close to home also means family and friends can visit more easily, said McGuire. Studies have found a strong connection between maintaining strong social ties and better health outcomes, she said.

Because most of the providers at the Gregory Wing are from the area, they often know patients and residents and understand their background, where they went to school, their family, even where they live.

That makes it easier to develop the trusting relationships that make care more effective and it can help providers better understand the challenges a patient will face when they do go home, said McGuire.