By Northern Light Mercy Hospital
If there is a secret recipe for helping mothers overcome substance abuse and move forward confidently on a path towards success, the McAuley Residence may have it. Since 1988, the McAuley Residence in Portland has been providing mothers struggling with substance use disorder and their children with housing and support. In 2020, a second residence was established in Bangor, coincidently at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both homes have had an extraordinary track record of getting families directed towards an optimistic and bright future.
Currently, the Portland McAuley Residence is housing fifteen families and the Bangor residence has capacity for ten families. Melissa Skahan, vice president of mission integration at Northern Light Mercy Hospital, shares that she currently has five mothers entering higher education and many others leaving the residence to pursue successful career tracks.
“When basic needs are met,” she comments, “families are able to fully engage in treatment and services. We provide capacity building to promote core life skills to cope with the challenges that life brings. It’s absolutely rewarding when that moment occurs when women start seeing potential for themselves and their family and the ability to become a vibrant part of the community. They can’t do that if they are struggling to meet basic needs.”
The McAuley Residence provides a safe and comfortable home, access to nutritious food, and multiple evidenced-based interventions for both mother and children. Women commit to actively engage in their individualized program, which is designed to promote positive, lasting changes. The goal is to break the cycle of unhealthy dependencies and encourage healthy independence.
Melissa adds, “We have a holistic approach covering all aspects of recovery, including spirituality, parenting, physical and emotional wellness, career and education, financial responsibility, and recreation. This is done through professional staff who provide comprehensive individual coaching, psycho-educational and therapeutic groups, and community meetings.”
MaineMOM
The McAuley Residence’s programming is also well aligned with the state’s MaineMOM (Maine Maternal Opioid Model) program. This program aims to improve care for pregnant and postpartum people with opioid use disorder and their infants by integrating maternal and substance use treatment services.
Melissa also commented that the state of Maine remains committed to making sure the McAuley Residences are set up for future success. The passing of LD 1771, an Act to Stabilize Families, in 2018 helped to fund the initial years of the Bangor residence, and Melissa and Northern Light Health plan to stay in close collaboration to meet and exceed the desired outcomes for the benefit of all Maine mothers who need support for substance use disorder and their families.
“There really is something magic about seeing a young woman, who came into our program hopeless and in fear, walk out of our residence confident, full of life, and ready to take on the world with her newfound skills. It fills you with hope. So, yes, I guess you could call what we do here a recipe for success,” smiles Melissa.
While the Bangor residence is only just over a year old, due to the high demand for services, both McAuley Residences are already planning to expand.
McAuley Residence is a program of Northern Light Mercy Hospital.
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Northern Light Mercy Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. Northern Light Mercy Hospital is a paid advertiser.
