Food is Medicine MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital

MaineHealth is offering a FREE 15-week program to help people improve their health with nutritious food and lifestyle changes. Eating healthy foods can help with conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Your journey toward better health can start today!

Who can join? This free program is for people who:

• Are age 18+
• Have a chronic health condition (like type 2 diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol or high blood pressure)
• Have limited access to affordable, healthy food
• Want to make healthy lifestyle changes

What you can expect

• Weekly bags of healthy food and accompanying recipes from MaineHealth Food Pantry Brunswick
• Connect with and support others in your community
• Resources to help manage your health conditions

For More Information:

• call: 207-373-4513
• email: midcoastchi@mainehealth.org  
• visit: https://mainehealth.org/fimbrunswick  

A collaboration between MaineHealth Lifestyle Medicine Brunswick and the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program.

Registration fee covers the cost of registrant and one support person. Please register only ONE participant for a class so that you will not be charged twice. A receipt will be issued which can be utilized to submit to your insurance company. Reimbursement is dependent upon individual plans, refer to your plan for additional information.

If you cannot afford the registration fee due to financial hardship, please contact childbirth education at childbirtheducation@mainehealth.org.

Rescheduling or canceling your class registration can be done by contacting childbirtheducation@mainehealth.org. Refunds for class cancelations include a 10% processing fee. No refunds will be given after class begins.

This class meets online. If you are registered for this class, you will recieve an email about 2 days before the class starts with a link to join. 

This class covers the benefits of breastfeeding, different breastfeeding techniques and positions, how to make enough milk, and local community and professional resources. Attending this class before your baby’s birth will help you meet your breastfeeding goals. 

We recommend attending this class between the 32nd and 36th week of pregnancy.

Basic Life Support in Obstetrics (BLSO) is designed to improve the management of normal deliveries, as well as obstetric emergencies by standardizing the skills of first responders, emergency personnel and maternity care providers.

The BLSO curriculum is designed to train:

•Pre-hospital care providers 

•First responders and emergency personnel

•Medical, nursing, and physician assistant students

Coastal Communities Youth Kicking Asthma Breathe Well Group
Join us for a program that educates and empowers children ages 8 to 11 through a fun, interactive approach to asthma self-management. Children will learn how to recognize warning signs, avoid triggers and talk confidently about their health.

The class follows the Open Airways for Schools® (OAS) curriculum, the nation’s most widely recognized asthma management program for children. Since its introduction more than three decades ago, OAS has reached hundreds of thousands of children nationwide and has been proven effective.

Children who complete the program learn to prevent symptoms, recognize them early, take appropriate management steps and work with parents, teachers, medical professionals and friends to manage asthma daily.

Classes will be offered both in person and via Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided after registration.                                 

To register, email or call Suzan Michelle Collins at: 207-301-5892 or Suzan.Collins@mainehealth.org

Suzan Michelle Collins, BSRT, RRT, is a second-year graduate student working on her graduate degree in Respiratory Care at Boise State University. She is a certified asthma educator and holds specialty certifications as a COPD educator, pulmonary disease educator, tobacco treatment specialist and in pulmonary rehabilitation.

She has received national awards for her work in Asthma Management from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Dr. Charles H. Hudson Award for her work in Cardiopulmonary Health from the ARCF and the Nick Jones Breathe Strong Rally Champion Award from the COPD Foundation. Locally, she has received the 2024 Operations Transformation Advocate Award from MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital and has been invited to present her research and work performed here for several national conferences.  

Suzan volunteers for many organizations, supporting and advocating for patients and the cardiopulmonary profession.

We are offering this class in person at Maine Medical Center, Portland. You will receive directions to parking and the classroom once you have registered.

To avoid duplicate charges, please register only ONE participant per class. The registration fee includes costs for the registrant and one support person. A receipt will be provided for insurance reimbursement purposes. Reimbursement is subject to individual insurance plans, refer to your plan for additional information.

If you cannot afford the registration fee due to financial hardship, please contact childbirth education at childbirtheducation@mainehealth.org. 

Rescheduling or canceling your class registration can be done by contacting childbirtheducation@mainehealth.org. Refunds for class cancelations include a 10% processing fee. No refunds will be given after class begins.

Expectant first time parents can learn about common newborn needs and behaviors and how to prepare for bringing baby home. This class includes information about how to care for and comfort a newborn, feeding, safe sleep and other ways to keep your baby safe, and tips on how to make this newborn period an easier transition for you.

We recommend attending this class between the 32nd and 36th week of pregnancy.

*Please note for our Winter classes: If the weather forecasts unsafe driving conditions, the class will be cancelled. Be sure to check your email and/or voicemail! We will do our best to reschedule or transfer you into another class. If where you are coming from has bad weather, please contact us to reschedule!

Join us for a 3 hour virtual session loaded with all the info you will need to get breastfeeding off to a great start! 

Topics will include: 

• What to do to prepare during your pregnancy
• How to get a good latch
• How to establish a strong milk supply
• How to navigate bumps in the road
• How to introduce pumping and bottlefeeding
• Postpartum resources available 
• So much more!

Partners are encouraged to be present as well but do not need to be registered. We recommend taking this between 30-35 weeks if possible. Join us to feel empowered about starting your feeding journey!

You will receive an email from the instructor with a zoom link 1 week prior to the scheduled class. Please check your spam/junk folder for emails from erin@lighthouselactationmaine.com. 

Join us for a free, nurse-led group for parents and parents-to-be. We offer a welcoming place for new and pregnant parents to talk, listen and get support from others during the transition to parenthood. Babies welcome! Snacks and beverages will be provided. Drop-ins are welcome. Please call 301-8343 for more information.

This group meets on the 2nd Monday of each month, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

For people with Parkinson’s disease, their families, friends, and caregivers. Attendees should bring a bag lunch; drinks and desserts provided.

Questions? Please contact Spectrum Generations at 800-639-1553.