I was very pleased to be nominated and confirmed as chairman of the Acadia Hospital board of trustees in July. While I have not had as long a history with the board as other committed volunteer trustees – people like Irving Kagan and former trustee Ralph Leonard – I have served and chaired other community service organizations whose focus was, in part, mental health.

I felt this experience, a dedication to community service, and over 20 years in banking would serve me well since mental health organizations across the country are struggling both with the demand for their services as well as the meager reimbursement they receive from insurance and government sources.

I spoke to the other trustees in my first meeting as chairman about my reasons for serving in this capacity. First, I felt that the services The Acadia Hospital provides are desperately needed in our regional communities. Secondly, I felt that the management and professional staff are, in my opinion, of the highest quality. I also drew to their attention two key phrases in the Acadia mission statement. (You can review the entire mission statement by going to www.acadiahospital.org.)

1. “The services … must be high quality, cost-effective, and accessible, achieving a balance between community needs and available resources.” In other words, we can not be all things to all people. The demand for mental health and substance abuse services in the northern nine counties of Maine far outstrip the available services at Acadia and other hospitals, clinics, and governmental programs combined. While Acadia takes any patient regardless of their ability to pay, we must be certain that those we do take are best served in our acute, resource intensive setting. And, Acadia cannot expand services beyond our means and jeopardize those for whom we can provide effective, high-quality care.

2. “As part of the regional network of Eastern Maine Healthcare, the mission of The Acadia Hospital shall be at all times consistent with and supportive of the goals of Eastern Maine Healthcare.” This means we are part of a system of care that works together to achieve efficiency and quality in all clinical settings, not just behavioral health. Eastern Maine Healthcare (EMH) brought Acadia into existence 10 years ago because of the dearth of acute mental health services in the region. In addition, the Board members of EMH and EMMC authorized the guarantee of the low cost tax-exempt bonds that opened the hospital.

I have no doubt that Acadia would not exist today without the support EMH gives to it. Early in its operations, Acadia was subsidized with approximately $5 million through a service contract with EMMC, and most recently it was given $3 million by EMH. While these contributions have been important, Acadia also needs to keep its finances in order. Just because an institution is non-profit doesn’t mean it should not be fiscally responsible.

We need to exercise financial discipline as called for in our mission statement so that we can continue to serve those individuals that we have the capacity to serve. And, we need to try to at least break even on our operations so that we are not a drain on other aspects of the EMH system of care that we also committed to in our mission statement.

The Bangor Daily News recently published an article (Dec. 15-16) that left the reader with the impression that EMH had neglected Acadia and its behavioral health role in the community. As you can see from the above examples of financial support, nothing could be farther from the truth. Massachusetts just had two psychiatric facilities close due to precarious finances, and EMH has made sure that same fate does not come to Acadia and its role within the system.

I have received nothing but strong support from EMH executive management including prudent financial consultations. Acadia receives an audit (conducted by the highly respected external firm, Deloitte & Touche) every year with the same scope as provided other EMH organizations. I have been very pleased with the excellent support I have received from Norm Ledwin, Dan Coffey and all other EMH executives as we work together with Acadia management to help the hospital fulfill its mission.

Unfortunately, these and other positive things I said to the Bangor Daily News reporter did not make it into the Dec. 15-16 article. Consequently, I feel a need to speak out to the community to reassure them that our community’s health care organizations are strong. They are sources of more than just high quality health care. They are also committed to community leadership in challenging times, and they are committed to economic stability, preserving the jobs, services and facilities they have brought to our area. I am proud to be a part of the team of volunteer trustees who guide these institution’s continued investment in community service.

Jim Conlon is chairman of the board for The Acadia Hospital

in Bangor.