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Maine Health Care Association

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Maine Health Care Association

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Established in 1954, MHCA is a statewide non-profit trade association representing long-term care

Governed by a Board of Directors, MHCA is the largest advocacy organization for facility-based long term care providers in Maine. Our membership includes nursing homes and assisted living/residential care facilities (also known as PNMIs). Members provide a range of long term care services that may include skilled nursing, rehabilitation or post-acute care, hospice, adult day care and independent living services. MHCA membership also includes 200 associate members, or companies, that provide valuable products and services to long term care providers. MHCA is the state affiliate of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living based in Washington, DC. MHCA is committed to advancing the quality of services, image, professional development and financial stability of its members. Our education and advocacy on long-term care issues are at the heart of our service to our members and those who work or reside in a long-term care facility.

09/14/2026

It's National Assisted Living Week, and MHCA is celebrating all the incredible caregivers who make such a tremendous impact on our residents! Thank you for all that you do!

08/27/2026

⛳ Golf. Give Back. Win Big.
Join the Mike McNeil Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament on October 27 at Samoset Resort.
✅ Support scholarships for future long term care professionals
✅ Amazing oceanfront course
✅ Chance to win $10,000 Hole-in-One
No team? No problem. We'll pair you up!
Register or become a sponsor today: 🔗 https://www.mehca.org/mmsfgolf

07/10/2026

Congratulations to Maine's 2026 Silver National Quality Award recipients! Your dedication to quality care, resident well-being, and innovation is truly inspiring.

07/04/2026

The Maine Health Care Association extends warm wishes to everyone for a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July celebration. 🧨🇺🇸

06/25/2026

Donna Thurston, Scarborough Terrace Assisted Living & Memory Care, Scarborough

Donna Thurston is a true Maine trailblazer, whose vision and dedication helped establish Therapeutic Riding Programs as a meaningful and lasting resource for children, teens, and adults with disabilities across the state.

Raised in Portland’s Deering Center neighborhood to a family of devoted animal lovers, Donna’s early years were filled with dogs, cats, and even a diaper-wearing rabbit named Brandy. Her love of horses began young, with riding lessons during her junior and high school years and grew to include therapeutic riding in adulthood.

At age 31, Donna purchased her first horse, Trixie, and soon after discovered an article on therapeutic riding. Intrigued, she sought out advanced training with leaders in adaptive riding on Boston’s North Shore and was later accepted into an intensive, month-long immersion program at the Cheff Center in Michigan—one of the nation’s foremost therapeutic riding centers. Remarkably, on the very day she returned, Donna was hired by the Baxter School for the Deaf to teach horsemanship and equestrian sport to their students, launching her professional journey in adaptive education. Donna went on to teach for the Portland Recreation Department and then spent nearly 20 years leading the Spurwink Therapeutic Riding Program, the first program of its kind in Maine. Working most often with youth who have what was termed “hidden disabilities” like autism, and children in foster or residential care, Donna created a structured, nurturing environment where participants were entrusted with real responsibility. Students learned to care for, groom, tack, and ride their horses, building confidence, independence, and connection through each lesson.

Through her leadership, compassion, and unwavering belief in the healing power of horses, Donna Thurston expanded access to nature-based, supportive education for countless Mainers. Her pioneering work laid the foundation for therapeutic riding in Maine, and the lives she touched remain a living testament to her passion, innovation, and enduring legacy.

Photography by Wyndee Grosso Photography, Westbrook

06/24/2026

Maybelle Sturgeon, Russell Park Rehabilitation & Living Center, Lewiston

Maybelle’s commitment to helping others began early. As the eldest child, she was tasked with caring for her younger siblings, while her parents worked. Growing up she was a student worker in her school library, assisting classmates to learn library skills, reading, and math. In adulthood, she made history, while working for SD Warren, when she was named the first lady weighmaster in the State of Maine, breaking barriers for women in public service.

While raising three children of her own, Maybelle devoted herself to caring for many more. She operated a State licensed daycare for years, supporting families to include those of local physicians, attorneys, and Bowdoin College professors. Long before community supports were available, Maybelle provided full-time care to a child with cerebral palsy—transforming that child’s quality of life through her dedication and love.

Maybelle and her husband also operated a foster home for over a decade, welcoming children ranging from newborns to teenagers in need of stability and care. On more than one occasion, foster children arrived on holidays to include a year where Maybelle welcomed three children late on Christmas Eve; Maybelle ensured—without hesitation—that these children felt the warmth of the holiday, complete with gifts and a sense of belonging.

Maybelle dedicated many years of service to the Rebekah Assembly of Maine. She is a 35 year member where she has served in leadership positions, ultimately becoming the Assembly President—an office she held a couple times. This achievement reflects the confidence, respect, and trust she has earned by her peers.

Maybelle’s legacy is one of selfless commitment to others, unwavering generosity, and leadership rooted in kindness. Her lifetime of service has strengthened families, uplifted children, and enriched her community in ways that will be felt for generations.

Photography by Dianne Chicoine, West Gardiner

06/23/2026

Doris Smith, Durgin Pines, Kittery

Born on March 2, 1928, in New York City, Doris Smith was the eldest of four children, assuming responsibility early, helping raise her siblings in the absence of their father. Growing up in poverty in the city demanded strength and self-reliance, qualities that shaped her later in life.

A strong student, Doris earned a scholarship to Providence Bible College in Rhode Island where she met her husband, Theodore Smith. Married on August 19, 1950, Doris and Theodore raised five children while relocating across Maine, Massachusetts, and Canada. Over decades of involvement, Doris became a steady presence families and neighbors relied on in times of need. She addressed food insecurity by organizing meals, supported children and elderly neighbors, cared for individuals during illness or loss, and offered practical assistance that helped families regain stability. Doris’s impact extended powerfully through education. She organized learning programs for children and later became an educator herself. Beginning in 1962 at Mitchell Elementary School in Kittery, Doris influenced generations of students while continuing her own education. She earned her teaching degree from the University of Maine at Gorham at age 43, modeling perseverance and lifelong learning.

Her service never diminished in the face of hardship. After the tragic loss of her son, Doris continued to support others with empathy and strength while carrying her own grief. Later, following Theodore’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, she became an advocate for awareness, support, and research, raising funds and assisting families navigating the disease. Doris Smith’s impact is measured in decades of sustained service, countless lives stabilized during crisis, students inspired to learn, and communities made stronger through her presence. Her legacy lives on through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and through the many individuals whose lives are better because she chose to serve consistently, quietly, and without hesitation.

Photography by Wyndee Grosso Photography, Westbrook

06/22/2026

Joan Rodrigue, Sunset Home of Waterville

Joan LaCroix Rodrigue was born March 30, 1931. Joan and her husband Richard were married for 71 years and raised two daughters Betty and Sandra.

Joan has always lived on the edge and explored many passions. She was a race car driver, competing in the Powder Puff class at the Unity raceway, and an avid golfer. Joan made front page news when she scored a hole-in-one at the age of 77 in Zephyrhills, Florida, where she and Richard spent their winters. But it was country music that really spoke to her.

As a child Joan taught herself to play guitar and took to yodeling. It was at the WTVL radio station she met and began singing on the air with "Yodeling Ike". At the age of 17, Joan began working at Keyes Fiber Co. in Waterville where she met Arlene "Kitty" Plisga, Jim Doody and Joan Quirion. Together they formed the country western band "Big Jim and His Harem". As a band, they played for several years together throughout Central Maine, often headlining shows at the Waterville Opera House.

Even after Big Jim passed, Joan continued to perform, playing and yodeling on local radio stations, especially WMHB Radio 98.7 out of Colby College. On the radio, Joan performed many cover songs and in addition, began performing original songs that she wrote herself.

During a trip to Nashville, Joan and her sister met country music singer Margo Smith, Margo ended up inviting Joan up onto the stage to perform and yodel with her. Joan's talent for yodeling was unique and caught the attention of many. She could double and triple yodel-a rare talent!

Today Joan is 94. She and her best friend and former bandmate, Kitty live across the hall from one another.

Photography by Dianne Chicoine, West Gardiner

06/21/2026

Joseph Poulin, Mount Joseph at Waterville

Joseph Alphonse “Alphy” Poulin was raised in Augusta, Maine, as the eleventh of fourteen children in a lively household where hard work, music, and family were central to life. One day his older sister dragged him to her dance class, only expecting him to watch. Instead, he stepped onto the dance floor that afternoon. Alphy recalls the teacher taking notice of his sheer talent and encouraging him to attend. Although dance was not a common path in his hometown, Alphy showed an early talent and followed his passion with courage.

After turning eighteen, Alphy took a leap of faith, boarding a Greyhound bus from Maine to Boston, changing the course of his life. He was quickly recognized by leaders of the Boston Ballet School for his physical ability and artistic promise, and within just a few months, he found himself performing in The Nutcracker, beginning his extraordinary career.

Over the years, Alphy danced, choreographed, and taught across the globe, working in countries such as Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Russia, and Switzerland. He became fluent in several languages and spent many years as a ballet master in Europe, helping shape dancers at the highest professional level. Later, his career brought him to New York City, where he taught at the prestigious Juilliard School for fifteen years. To this day, he reminds others that he does not work with “amateurs,” holding those around him to the same ambitious standards he has always set for himself.

Despite his remarkable accomplishments, Alphy has always remained humble and shied away from attention, even when it comes to the attention he has earned. Steven Belber, playwright, met Alphy and, after spending a day together, was inspired to write “Match”, a play and later a film, based on his distinctive personality. Patrick Stewart was cast as the character inspired by him. Alphy, who was met with great applause at the premiere, never felt the praise belonged to him. Alphy reminds us that no dream is too big. Succeeding is not a miracle, but the result of persistence, discipline, and determination, and joy must be found along the way.

Photography by Dianne Chicoine, West Gardiner

06/20/2026

Sanford Phippen, Orono Commons, Orono

Sanford “Sandy” Phippen, born on June 19, 1942, in New York and raised in Hancock, Maine, says his early experiences exploring the shores of Frenchman’s Bay instilled in him a deep appreciation for Maine and a strong work ethic. It was also during these formative years that he discovered a lasting devotion to literature in the Hancock Point Library, where books opened new worlds and laid the foundation for a lifetime dedicated to learning, teaching, and storytelling.

Sandy pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Maine, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1964, and later completed his master’s degree at Syracuse University, then choosing a career teaching English literature. He began his professional career teaching in New York, and after fifteen years he returned to Maine, where he taught at Orono High School and served as an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine until his retirement in 1996.

At Orono High School, he founded and advised the award-winning Inside student newspaper, which earned consistent state-level recognition. His professional contributions were further acknowledged through his involvement with the National Council of Teachers of English, the Orono Teachers Association, and his inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. He was a dedicated advocate for Maine literature, a member of the Maine Humanities Council, and instrumental in establishing the Hancock Historical Society.

Following his retirement, Sandy devoted himself fully to writing. Drawing upon decades of experience teaching, supporting the Hancock Point Library, and serving as president of the Hancock Historical Society, he authored several works that vividly portray life in Downeast Maine, including The Police Know Everything, Kitchen Boy, and The Best Maine Stories: The Marvelous Mystery. From 2001 to 2004, he even hosted the PBS program A Good Read, spotlighting prominent Maine authors. Sandy continues to be known for his warmth, intellect, and lifelong dedication to literature, education, and the cultural heritage of Maine.

Photography by Monty Rand Photography, Bangor

Address

317 State St
Augusta, ME
04330

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+12076231146

Website

http://www.mehca.org/

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