In early June, representatives from eight clinics across the state boarded the Sunbeam to spend a day on Frenchboro. These representatives belong to The Maine Health Access Foundation’s (MeHAF) Safety Net Clinic group, which brings together clinicians, directors, staff, and board members from across the state to discuss issues that affect them. The cruise marked the first site visit hosted by one of the clinics.
Emily Creamer, Program Officer at MeHAF, explains that the group has met since 2022 and includes Ellsworth Free Clinic, Knox Clinic (Rockland), Mainely Teeth (Portland), Maine Seacoast Mission, Oasis Free Clinics (Brunswick), Our People’s Clinic (Augusta), Portland Community Free Clinic, and Trinity Jubilee Clinic (Lewiston). “We meet quarterly and every meeting is an opportunity for the clinics to come together. We do a lot of peer sharing, talking about what is going on in their clinics,” she says. “We also provide some learning opportunities. When the clinics identify a need for shared learning, we do our best to fill that gap for them.” In addition to learning opportunities, MeHAF provides funding to the organizations which allows them to take the time away from their clinics for their work together, including this session on Frenchboro.
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Providing healthcare on a boat differs greatly from working in a brick-and-mortar building, but Emily notes that the underlying work is similar, and their core missions are the same—to provide care to people who would otherwise not be able to access it. The clinics all provide care to uninsured and underinsured patients as well as underserved communities.
The cruise deepened the group’s understanding of the Mission and the Sunbeam‘s work, while also giving them a glimpse into daily life for residents of unbridged islands. Val Sammarco, Data Coordinator at Mainely Teeth, said that over lunch she learned how islanders handle everything from a simple prescription pickup to a full medical emergency. “There’s not really a formal form of like a first responder or emergency care,” she learned. “There was mention of going to an urgent care over on the mainland. I can’t even imagine trying to coordinate something like that or wait times for emergency services.” She added that working with the Mission showed her how a program that works well on the mainland might not translate to an outer island. Alex Bazinet, Director of Operations at Mainely Teeth, joined her on the cruise and noted that the clinics have consistently supported one another: “Everyone has been willing to share resources and provide connections.” She added, “I truly think that the individuals involved all see the work that each of us is doing and how it affects our communities.”
Garrett Fontaine, volunteer Medical Director of Our People’s Clinic in Augusta and a family doctor, began thinking about how to help islanders with medical emergencies. Before he even left, he said, “The wheels are turning. I passed along a couple of names of people.”
According to Emily, this cross-organizational collaboration has benefited everyone involved, “People are now able to call upon each other or reach out and ask for help from each other to troubleshoot issues.” Just as the Mission has stepped in whenever needed, the clinicians left the cruise considering how they could return the favor.
To learn more about how the Mission impacts residents of Maine islands, visit the Island Health web page.