But living the mission moves far beyond the hospital walls, extending out into the community to meet needs on so many levels. What follows is a more in-depth look at how Goodall Hospital, its staff and its leaders live the mission each day. From providing charity care to free community education, Goodall Hospital embraces its role as the leader in community health and feels privileged to be meeting your needs.

Supporting Economic Well-Being
The health and well-being of a community is dependent on many factors, one of which is economic stability. Goodall Hospital continues to be successful in recruiting and retaining a top-flight workforce.

We now provide 596 jobs and rank as the leading employer in the Sanford-Springvale Region. Goodall’s payroll was nearly $18 million in Fiscal Year 2003, and it is estimated that our workers and their families contribute more than $53 million to the local economy.

Service Provided to All
Improving the health and well-being of the community begins with access. In the past year, nearly 64,000 patient visits took place, predominantly on an outpatient basis. We greeted 211 new babies and performed 2,357 surgeries. Goodall Hospital’s Emergency Room treated more than 18,000 patients.

As a non-profit organization, we remain committed to serving all of those who need care regardless of their ability to pay. In the past year, we provided more than $1.4 million in free care, and endured an $18.5 million Medicare/Medicaid shortfall. This is the difference between what the government pays us for services rendered and the actual charge for the service.

In addition to the economic support, we embarked on a new program, MedAssist, to help patients and their family members obtain insurance. The MedAssist caseworker also helps to qualify patients for other social service programs, including Food Stamps.

Advances in Technology
Enhanced diagnostic capability, when combined with skilled physicians and surgeons, leads to better patient outcomes. Newer technology also brings comfort and expedient service to our patients as well.

Goodall Hospital has always been a leader in diagnostic imagery. In this past year, a new CT Scan was installed. The Toshiba Aquilion, valued at $800,000, scans eight views, or slices, of the patient per second. Our previous CT Scanner provided a one slice per second view. We were the first in Maine to offer this technology.

A new ultrasound unit was also purchased in 2003, and like the CT Scanner, it provides powerful and precise 3D imagery for better diagnostics.

Training for the Future
One way to better assure the communities’ health for years to come is to share our expertise and knowledge with students who are planning to pursue the field of medicine in the future. Members of our Rehabilitation Services staff serve as mentors for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Students, while first- and second-year students at Southern Maine Community College spend a full semester under the guidance of our radiologic technologist. Southern Maine Community College nursing students have also trained at the Newton Center, one of Goodall Hospital’s ElderCare Services facilities. Our staff also serves on several clinically based boards, including the Southern Maine Community College School of Radiology Advisory Board; the Southern Maine Community College Nursing Advisory Board and the Sanford Vocational School Healthcare Advisory Board.

Health Improvement Programs
Goodall Hospital offers many educational opportunities, providing patients with know-ledge and information to improve their health and well-being. Along with a variety of staff-led support groups, we offer three nationally-certified, multi-disciplinary programs that assist patients as they recover from major life-altering events and attempt to manage chronic disease.

Heart Watch I and Heart Watch II, our Cardiac Rehabilitation programs, and Breathe Easy, our Pulmonary Rehabilitation program, are certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Each program combines exercise and education, along with important life skills training.

Our Outsmarting Diabetes program gives people with diabetes the skills they need to carry out a lifetime plan. It has received the seal of approval from the American Diabetes Association, assuring that our program meets or exceeds the national standards for diabetes self-management education programs.

Beyond the Hospital’s Walls
There are many programs that Goodall Hospital supports that have an impact on the overall health and well-being of the Sanford Springvale Region. The Goodall Hospital Board of Trustees has long-supported the Alliance for Healthy Families. Now in its eighth year, the program continues to provide support to first-time parents in our communities.

Healthy Families promotes physical and emotional childhood development; positive parent-child interaction and improved parenting skills. The program also serves as a resource to connect families to needed community resources. Last year, the Board earmarked more than $168,000 to the program, which served more than 640 families.

We are proud and honored to be the Sanford-Springvale region’s community hospital and remain committed to improving its health and well-being for many years to come.