Just after midnight, a baby's first cry pierces the quiet of a hospital maternity floor. Mother's arms enfold a new life, promising safety and warmth. Yet, to keep this promise and provide the love and care her child needs to thrive, mother herself will need a community that cares about her, about her child, about the future.

  WHO WE ARE  •  WHAT WE DO  •  THE DIFFERENCE WE MAKE  •  OUR TEAM

Who We Are

Each year, the people of Downeast Health Services represent the compassion of community to pregnant and parenting women throughout Maine's Washington and Hancock counties. We offer women the comprehensive, one-on-one care of a visiting registered nurse during pregnancy and throughout the baby's first years of life. Providing invaluable health assessment, education, medical care, emotional support, and information; our nurses form a positive link between women and their health care providers in the months before and after birth. This helps to ensure a positive transition for mother and a healthy start for baby. With offices in Ellsworth, Calais, and Machias, we support families where they need it most - at home.

 What We Do

 "The nurse not only cared about my health, but she always took the time to answer my questions."

"We learned a lot about our baby's basic needs from your program."

"The nurse's support and information on breastfeeding really encouraged me to continue. It came at a time when I was really questioning nursing my baby."

Home visits yield impressive benefits for women, children, and families, as well as the healthcare providers that serve them.

Among those benefits:

For Pregnant Women

• Better understanding of pregnancy

• Improved self-care (nutrition, exercise, rest, etc.)

• Better communication with friends, family members, and healthcare providers

• Happier, healthier pregnancies

For Mothers

• Greater understanding of infants and confidence in caring for them

• Someone to talk to

• Help with breastfeeding and other postpartum concerns

• Easier adjustment to motherhood

• More supportive partners

• A more joyous life with baby

For Babies

• Improved care by well-informed parents

• Prompt help with feeding, diapering, sleep and other problems

• More appropriate toys and more stimulating places to play

• Fewer accidents and fewer trips to the medical office

• Happier, more supportive families

For Healthcare Providers

• A cost-effective, prevention-oriented program of primary care

• More knowledgeable patients

• Fewer emergency room visits and unnecessary calls to health care providers

• Shorter hospital stays following childbirth

• A healthier community

Also, for women and families who need additional services, Downeast Health Services offers access to information about family planning, services for babies with special needs, WIC, confidential testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and more.

A Promise We All Must Keep

Today, it takes more than just the nuclear family to raise a child. It takes the commitment of the entire community. To learn how hospitals and health care providers can offer the benefits of Downeast Health Services' visiting nurse program to pregnant and parenting women, please call Downeast Health Services at our home office in Ellsworth, 667-5304, ext. 236 or call toll free, 1-800-492-5550.

"Program unified by a Common Concern for the Health and Needs of the Family."

Our Team

The Maternal & Child Health Program was established in 1972. The service area includes Washington and Hancock Counties. The staff includes four dedicated registered nurses who have many years of experience. Their areas of training includes obstetrics, pediatrics, childbirth education, emotional health and home health care. 

For more information about the program, please call Downeast Health Services at our home office in Ellsworth, 667-5304, or call toll free, 1-800-492-5550. Or you can E-mail  ebyard@downeasthealth.org  .