The MaineHealth Podcast

Vitals & Voices, Episode 8

Happy October! While we love everything about fall, there’s one kind of "fall" that is genuinely scary.  On this episode of Vitals and Voices, your hosts Jordan and Chris sit down with Clinical Nurse Educator Holly Woodman to dive into the crucial world of falls prevention from a nursing perspective. Together, they break down the essential tools inpatient nurses use to keep patients safe, active, and moving. Plus, Holly shares invaluable tips on how to set patients up for ultimate safety once they transition back home. Got questions or want to connect?  Reach out to the team at [email protected] for more information about the podcast or our fantastic guests.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 93

In this episode, Kelly Elkins, Chief Operating Officer of MaineHealth, is joined by Britt Crewse, Southern Region President, and Kathryn Cope, COO of Maine Medical Center Biddeford/Sanford and incoming COO for York Hospital within MaineHealth, to discuss an important milestone as York Hospital and MaineHealth continue their integration journey.

The conversation explores how the organizations arrived at this point, what the integration means for patients, care team members, and communities, and the opportunities it creates to strengthen access to care across southern Maine and the Seacoast region.

Together, they discuss how MaineHealth is honoring York Hospital's more than century-long legacy of community-based care while building on its strengths through expanded collaboration, continued investment in local services, and enhanced access to specialized care. The discussion also highlights the importance of supporting care team members through change and ensuring exceptional care remains close to home.

Looking ahead, Britt and Kathryn share their vision for a stronger, more sustainable future for healthcare in the region and the benefits this partnership will bring to the communities they serve.

Dr. Michael Madaio discusses the latest updates on respiratory virus vaccines, including influenza, RSV, and COVID-19, and shares practical tips for primary care providers on vaccine recommendations, communication strategies and upcoming developments.

Curbside Consult is a podcast from the MaineHealth ACO that brings together specialists and primary care physicians. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist to share their unique insights.  

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn. 

Margie Skeer, Sc.D., MPH, MSW, Chair of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine presents Family Meals: Setting the Table for Adolescent Substance Use Prevention. Her research focuses on family engagement related to adolescent substance use prevention, specifically family meals.  

In this episode, Dr. Skeer explains why adolescence is a sensitive developmental period for substance use and how regular family meals can help prevent teen alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use. She reviews life-course evidence, brain development, and the mechanisms by which shared meals promote communication, monitoring, and healthy expectations.

She describes the SUPPER Project—a randomized trial that boosted parent–child conversations about substances—and summarizes observational research linking meal frequency and quality to lower substance-use risk. She defines family meals broadly (even short, shared snacks), highlights practical strategies for clinicians to encourage brief daily check-ins, and notes limits: meals may be less protective for youth with high adverse childhood experiences, or ACES.

MaineHealth Public Health Grand Rounds: Join us for engaging discussions on today’s evolving public health landscape. Hosted by Dr. Dora Anne Mills, MaineHealth brings together national and local experts to explore critical public health issues impacting Maine and communities across the country.

Episode 92: Delivering the Future -- Rural Obstetrics in a Changing Maine, Part 2

In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins continues the conversation on the future of rural obstetric care with Dr. Katherine Campbell, Chief & Chair of the MaineHealth OB/GYN Service Line, and Dr. Maureen Perdue, OB/GYN and Chief Medical Officer at MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital.

Building on the challenges discussed in Part 1, the conversation shifts to potential solutions and opportunities to strengthen access to maternal healthcare across Maine. Together, they explore innovative care models, the role of regional collaboration, advancements in technology, and strategies to address workforce challenges while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.

Drs. Campbell and Perdue also share how MaineHealth is working to adapt to the changing healthcare landscape and ensure that patients in rural communities continue to have access to high-quality maternal and women's healthcare services close to home. The discussion highlights the importance of balancing local access with sustainable care delivery and outlines a vision for the future of obstetric care in Maine.

Today's Andy's Open Door program featured a discussion on the FY27 Scorecard with Vice President of Operational Transformation Celia Shaughnessy and Kelly Filippi, RN, from Maine Medical Center Portland.

This episode explains MaineHealth’s FY27 scorecard approach—simplifying to five system priorities (care team, quality, patients, access, finance), aligning regional and department goals, and using scorecards as a tool for learning, accountability, and improvement. Celia and Kelly share real unit examples of how daily KPIs, coaching, and a new application help teams track progress, remove barriers, and empower bedside staff. 

The Kids Who Aren't OK

Welcome to MaineHealth's Virtual Public Health Grand Rounds!

Our guest today is Ross Greene PhD, child psychologist and author of many books including, The Kids Who Aren't OK: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging and Hope in Schools, the Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. Greene originated the evidence-based Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model of intervention. He is the founding director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance | Compassionate Support for Kids and developed and executive produced the documentary film, thekidswelose.com

MaineHealth Public Health Grand Rounds: Join us for engaging discussions on today’s evolving public health landscape. Hosted by Dr. Dora Anne Mills, MaineHealth brings together national and local experts to explore critical public health issues impacting Maine and communities across the country.

Vitals and Voices, Episode 7

Going back to school is a major milestone for any kid, but for long-term pediatric patients, it comes with unique challenges. In this special "back-to-school" episode of Vitals and Voices, hosts Chris and Jordan sit down with two incredible professionals from the Barbara Bush Children’s (BBC) at MaineHealth: Tim Mason-Osann, Hospital Teacher and Liaison, and nurse Sarah Mogan. Tune in as Tim and Sarah share an inside look at how healthcare and education intersect in the unit's in-hospital school program.

They discuss the powerful mental and emotional benefits of keeping long-term patients engaged with school, and how they team up to prepare these resilient kids for a successful transition back to classroom life.

Listeners hear real patient stories that show how school programming brings normalcy, reduces stress, and helps children transition back to school, plus the challenges and rewards of advocating for students across many districts in Maine.

Episode 91: Delivering the Future -- Rural Obstetrics in a Changing Maine, Part 1

In this episode of a two-part series, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores the future of rural obstetric care and the challenges facing maternity services in rural communities across Maine.

Joined by Dr. Katherine Campbell, Chief & Chair of the MaineHealth OB/GYN Service Line, and Dr. Maureen Perdue, OB/GYN and Chief Medical Officer at MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital, Kelly discusses the evolving landscape of rural maternal healthcare. Together, they examine the factors putting pressure on traditional care models and the growing need to balance local access with quality and safety.

The conversation also explores why healthcare organizations across the country are rethinking traditional care models and what these changes could mean for patients and communities in Maine.

Be sure to tune in for Part 2 coming soon, where Drs. Campbell and Perdue discuss potential solutions, innovative care models, and how MaineHealth is working to strengthen access to high-quality maternal healthcare for rural communities now and in the future.

The Well-Being Rounds Episode 4

This wasn't in the manual!  Whether you are a physician out of residency or a new-to-practice APP, the first year of practice is HARD.  This episode is hosted by Stephanie Gray, PA, and provides perspectives and resources for new-to-practice providers navigating those challenges.

Our guest Dr. Ian Milligan discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by clinicians new to practice — from the shift in clinical responsibility and the "brain drain" many feel, to balancing family life, schedules, and financial pressures in this unique stage of life and career.

Listen to the conversation as they highlight practical supports that help early-career physicians and APPs thrive at MaineHealth. They touch on mentorship, onboarding and buddy systems, access to up-to-date resources, thoughtful ramp-up of clinical workload, wellbeing-centered leadership, and strategies like mindfulness and clear home communication to protect personal time and resilience.

The Well-Being Rounds is a MaineHealth podcast dedicated to discussing provider and APP wellness.