Lewiston, Maine-based St. Mary's Health System will phase out ICU services at its flagship hospital by the end of the year as part of a plan to realign strategic focus on high-demand services in the region.
"As we are not a traditional trauma center, we want to align our offerings with the demand for short-stay admissions and outpatient care," the system said in a Dec. 4 news release, which also mentioned plans to adjust inpatient capacity "to better reflect current demand for lower acuity services."
A spokesperson for the health system, part of Tewksbury, Mass.-based Covenant Health, told the Sun Journal that, with roughly one patient per day in the ICU and other hospitals in the area offering intensive care, it no longer made sense to invest resources in maintaining that service. The majority of employees who worked in the unit have accepted other positions within the system, the spokesperson said.
St. Mary's plans to elevate its offerings in primary care, behavioral health, outpatient services, elder care and emergency care. Next year, the 233-bed hospital is launching a behavioral health day program for patients who have been discharged, but still require a higher level of care than traditional outpatient services.
The health system said it has hired 39 new physicians and advanced practice providers this year to support expansion plans in outpatient service lines and greater integration between primary and behavioral health care. It plans to welcome six more primary care clinicians through next March, a spokesperson told the Sun Journal.
St. Mary's has reported financial losses in recent years. In January, the system laid off 31 employees and reduced hours for other workers.