On May 22 at the Newagen Seaside Inn, a large and lively group of St. Andrews Auxiliary members and volunteers gathered to celebrate the past year of service to the community.

Significant changes and a great deal of activity within our local LincolnHealth (LH) health care system prompted the board of the Auxiliary to adopt the theme, “What’s Going On?” for this year’s annual Volunteer Recognition luncheon. Four speakers were tapped provide updates on local programs.

A short welcome by president Irene Gerny was followed with an update by LH president and CEO, Jim Donovan, on the merging of LH with MaineHealth. Donovan outlined how the primary focus of care over the past several decades has dramatically shifted from “heads in (hospital) beds” to outpatient care. With technology constantly improving the delivery of care, the ratio of inpatient to outpatient care will soon be 90/10. That said, the increasing scarcity of resources and staffing shortages has necessitated the cooperation and regionalization of health care providers across Maine to take advantage of the concepts of a team approach, regional services and shared costs. The road to merging LH with MaineHealth has not been without its share of pot holes but Donovan noted he is “proud of the journey this (LH) board took on!”

Next up was Coulombe Center Coordinator, Anni Pat McKenney, who outlined the growing list of services offered through, and in conjunction with, the Coulombe Center. Services include, but are not limited to, programs that address suicide prevention, stress reduction, and opioid addiction. The center, as part of LH, collaborates with the Boothbay Region Community Resource Council (BRCRC), the YMCA, local schools and law enforcement to manage social, emotional and physical needs of the community that can fall through the cracks. One component of the program is to recognize, reward and encourage efforts by individuals or groups doing innovative work that benefits the community. McKenney talked about the Coulombe Center Award for Innovation which this year was given to Twin Villages Food Bank Farm (https://www.twinvillagesfarm.org/) which received $3,000 to continue their efforts to combat food insecurity in the Lincoln County area.

McKenney noted that “this community has been leading the way,” serving as a model to neighboring communities which have based their own “Set for Success” (https://www.boothbayresources.org/set-for-success) programs on what has been done here on the peninsula.

Jerie Phinney, activities program manager for the Gregory Wing and Safe Havens programs at St. Andrews Village, thanked the Auxiliary membership for its continuing support and spoke with great enthusiasm of the activities she is able to offer residents because of the commitment of volunteers. Phinney said that by the time people find themselves at the Gregory Wing they have suffered many loses including freedom and control over their lives. They may experience depression and anxiety about no longer being able to contribute to society. Activities help restore purpose to their lives whether it be through music, art, gardening, cooking, exercise, crafts, games or any myriad of individual interests. Phinney also spoke of road trips, holiday celebrations, picnics and parades, parties and socials that encourage engagement. But group activities are not for everyone. Phinney described how their program tailors itself to meet individual needs by providing one on one time with volunteers for reading, pastoral and pet visits, manicures, the recounting of life stories and outings specific to a special interest. She told, for example, how one resident is taken yearly to a major ox pull event because that had always been an important part of his earlier life. Phinney closed with a simple “thank you and please volunteer!”

Now one year into her volunteer commitment as the manager of the St Andrews Thrift Store, Carole McCarthy is as enthusiastic as ever and thanked all those who support the store as volunteers, specifically mentioning her co-chairs, Jenny Brown, Melanie Groneng and Karen Gilbert and her cashier and volunteer managers, Laura Honey and Maren Fischer. She gave a special shout out to Wayne Gilbert who is always on hand to do a lot of the “heavy lifting” that keep the store operating at an optimal level logistically. She then said it is her corps of dedicated volunteers that makes the effort worthwhile and she closed with “thanks a million, I love you all!”

As the event came to close, recognition was given to all those who volunteer through the Auxiliary, with special mention of new members, honorary members and those members who have died over the past year.

The St. Andrews Auxiliary continues to be a vital organization that warmly welcomes new members and volunteers who wish to work within the St. Andrews medical facilities or at the St. Andrews Thrift Store. Contact Susann Hochstein at sue.hochstein@gmail.com to join the auxiliary; Carole McCarthy at crmccarthy20@hotmail.com to volunteer in the thrift store or Carol Ostermann at cwostermann@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer at the Village or on the LH St. Andrews campus.