Dear Editor:

Thank you for sharing an interesting story about Lauri Andrews, the Boothbay Region District Nurse. As the story shared, this nursing program meets the needs of the region by providing a registered nurse to area residents and has been around since 1952. There is no one typical patient for the District Nurse. The patients referred for care range from age 50 to 102. Many have cognitive, complex medical and situational needs that require the skill of a nurse to assess and coordinate their care. This care is not covered by insurances like Maine Care or Medicare.

Most of the patients have limited financial and family supports to help them manage at home. The District Nurse helps with medication management, physician ordered care and provides early intervention to avoid complications.

Maine has the oldest population in the nation. In order to enable this population to remain at home as long as safely possible, services like the District Nurse is one of the safety nets that allows for this in the Boothbay region. The nursing care provided is needed to help manage difficult medication regimens that often consist of more than 15 medications.

The Boothbay Region District nurse is a valuable nonprofit service that requires the support of grants, town funding and financial support from people in our communities. I would ask that you please consider donating to our summer fund drive when you receive information in the mail, or simply send your contribution to the Boothbay Region District Nurse, P.O. Box 554 Boothbay, ME 04537. For more information on the services of the District Nurse please call 633-5533.

Kenneth Rayle

Treasurer

Boothbay Region District Nursing Association