Mary Jane Krebs, FACHE

As southern Maine’s only not-for-profit, private psychiatric treatment and recovery center, Spring Harbor Hospital offers hope to more than 1,700 patients annually. Our 100-bed facility is set on 50 private acres that recently expanded to include the Center of Excellence in Autism and Developmental Disorders situated steps from our front door. We offer patients of all ages a comfortable and pleasant environment to support their recovery.

This year, we launched plans to dramatically improve the lives of our patients and staff. While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly impacted those efforts, I am pleased with the strides we have made. We are fortunate that our leaders at Maine Behavioral Healthcare and MaineHealth value behavioral health when it comes to the wellbeing of our community—providing their support to these initiatives. I am particularly proud of our staff who have worked so hard to develop ways we can improve the excellent care already offered to our patients.

This page includes a summary of each project. I hope you enjoy reading about these efforts.

Sincerely,

Mary Jane Krebs, FACHE
President, Spring Harbor Hospital

Young Adult Unit Transformation

Our newly-transformed young adult unit, called 1 NorthEast, is now open to individuals aged 18-28 who have been admitted to Spring Harbor Hospital. Prior to this year’s redesign, these patients were situated in the adult or adolescent units. They are now able to receive treatment in a reconfigured 14-bed unit that is better able to meet their needs. The change was prompted by Kasey Moss, DO, MPH who leads the department.

“Young adult patients are unique. Many are experiencing their first psychiatric admission while also navigating the transition away from their families,” said Dr. Moss.

Both Dr. Moss and Ellen Tucceri, the unit’s nurse manager, knew it was important to involve staff with decisions impacting how the unit could provide the best care possible. Feedback they received identified the need for more robust patient groups and staff training to care for this specific population.

To support this work Dr. Moss recruited the help of clinicians throughout the MaineHealth system to lend their expertise in specific areas. Through short, virtual training sessions, staff learned about a wide range of topics that included substance use disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychosis early intervention practices, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and much more.

L-R: Mary Stanton, LMSWcc, Sheila Grant, RN, Kasey Moss, DO, Ellen Tucceri, RN

Did you know?

Spring Harbor Hospital is a 100 bed psychiatric treatment and recovery center and southern Maine’s only private, not-for-profit facility of its kind. It serves as the primary inpatient training site for the Maine Medical Center child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship and adult psychiatric residency training programs. It also serves as a vital training ground for nursing, social work, occupational therapy and pharmacy students. In this way we are paving the way for future generations of psychiatric providers throughout the MaineHealth service region.

Adolescent Unit Redesign

Plans to renovate our adolescent unit began well over a year ago with staff providing input on an updated design. The goal was to create more open space for patients with a secure nursing station that allows visibility throughout the unit. The first phase of construction included renovation of the library and quiet activity room. This was followed by demolition, then reconstruction of the new and improved nurse’s station and patient care areas.

Intensive Care Unit Construction

This past year saw tremendous effort put forth toward construction of a new behavioral health intensive care unit (ICU) at Spring Harbor Hospital. The project represents the hospital’s commitment to meeting the increasing needs for inpatient psychiatric care in the community. People who are severely ill respond best in a hospital environment where they can rest and receive treatment in a quiet area with reduced stimulation. A small unit of six beds, the ICU serves this purpose well. As of this publication, construction has been completed and the unit will soon begin serving the community.

Intensive care unit under construction

New intensive care unit common area