Serving eastern and central Maine
Nearly 100 years ago five federated women’s clubs joined forces to fund the Bangor Health Committee and hired Edith Bicknell to achieve five public health goals: pure food, clean milk, the diminution of filth, the health of public schoolchildren, and the free and ready availability of TB tests. Edith traveled by foot, horse and buggy, and trolley to tend to those sick at home. Edith had grit, tenacity, and compassion. From our humble yet proud beginnings in 1913 as the Bangor Health Committee, Bangor Area Visiting Nurses includes a staff of nurses, home health aides, therapists and social workers - serving healthcare needs in our region. We're still on Edith's mission. As the delivery of healthcare moves from the hospital to home setting, the need for qualified care at home has increased. It’s where we most want to be when we’re sick. Visiting Nurses will be there. It's what we do best - it's our mission!
Hospice of Eastern Maine (HOEM) was the first hospice in the Bangor area and originally named COPES. It is a community-based program licensed by the State of Maine and certified by Medicare and Medicaid. Since 1981, HOEM has been helping family members and friends care for their loved ones in a way that preserves quality of life and eases pain so that one's final days can be comfortable and meaningful. Hospice care is an appropriate choice when the medical focus is on pain relief and symptom control rather than a cure; and when a person is ready to spend his or her final days at home, cared for by family, friends, caring volunteers and medical professionals.
The 2008, 2 Those Who Care Agency of Distinction, Bangor Area Visiting Nurses has received HomeCare Elite status 4 years in a row. Founded in 1913 and celebrating 97 years of service to the community, last year their caring staff drove 230,322 miles to provide 17,998 visits to 1,022 home care and hospice patients and their families. Home care and hospice services are paid for by public and private sources, or directly by patients and their families. Generous donations from individuals, businesses and towns allow for continued high quality service. A part of the Eastern Maine HomeCare Family, and a member of EMHS, Bangor Area Visiting Nurses and Hospice of Eastern Maine work to ensure the highest quality home care and hospice is available to all who need it in eastern and central Maine.
For more information about our home care and hospice services, please call our EMHC Patient Referral Line toll-free at 1-866-591-8843.