Calais Community Hospital

07/31/2025

Please apply at; www.calaishospital.org

07/28/2025

FIRST SMART KNEE IMPLANT IN MAINE PERFORMED AT CALAIS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
‘Smart Knee’ captures and transmits knee motion data to optimize monitoring and recovery

Earlier this month Calais Community Hospital became the first hospital in Maine to offer smart knee technology for total knee replacement. The implant, Persona IQ, offers insights and data unlike ever before to surgeons and patients alike. This will help improve short and long term outcomes.

CCH Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Wendy Crawford has had extensive training to bring this next generation of knee replacements to Down East Maine. The addition of the Persona IQ smart knee option now provides the ability to send state of the art technology right out the door with the patient. The smart knee provides visibility into the post-surgical journey via the MyMobility app and keeps the patient more connected to the healthcare team every step of the way. The Persona IQ smart knee can also be used with the ROSA robotic knee system introduced at CCH last year. ROSA is used to tailor the placement of a knee implant to each patient, ensuring a precise implant fit to improve comfort and recovery. Both technologies were developed by Zimmer Biomet, a global leader in orthopedic innovation.

Dr. Crawford was introduced to the potential of Persona IQ technology during a ROSA continuing education session. She instantly thought it would be a great fit for rural medicine. The device and app are more than monitoring the progress of a patient’s knee replacement, it also provides access to education, video guided exercise routines, reminders and effortless communication with the care team at CCH. Patients and their surgeon can easily access data from Persona IQ through the specialized MyMobility app. “The smart knee provides real-time insights to the patient and myself about how recovery is going, ensuring the knee implant is functioning optimally,” explained Dr. Crawford. “It also provides access right at home to education and video exercises to maximize outcomes post-surgery, which is a tremendous benefit for my patients living in this remote area.”

The smart knee uses implantable sensor technology that provides for the measurement of range of motion, step count, walking speed, and other crucial gait metrics. The data is transmitted to the patient’s personal base station at home, very similar to how a pacemaker provides information. The data is then securely delivered to a HIPAA-compliant cloud-based platform where both the orthopedic surgeon and the patient can easily check it. The Persona IQ Smart Knee first became available in 2021 and has been used to collect over 6 billion data points for patients and their care team.

“The expansion into the latest robotic and smart technology is a testament to the hospital's commitment to providing the community with high quality, advanced, and safe care," says Steve Lail, CEO of Calais Community Hospital. "As the only hospital in Maine to utilize both the ROSA Knee System and Persona IQ Smart Knee technologies for total knee replacement, the hospital is reinforcing its dedication to delivering exceptional care to the community".

Learn more about this innovative new offering at www.calaishospital.org/knee-replacement .

07/21/2025

Logan Raye, FNP joins Baileyville Medical Center

Calais Community Hospital is pleased to announce the addition of Logan Raye, Family Nurse Practitioner, to the new Baileyville Medical Center scheduled to open in September.

Logan earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing at Husson University in Bangor. As a nurse Logan has experience in emergency medicine, post anesthesia care and supervision roles. She has worked at small, rural hospitals, but also ventured out to Boston and a large facility in North Carolina to gain experience ahead of her final goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Logan’s roots are firmly planted in Washington County. She and her sister were raised just on the other side of the County in the Machias area until she was a teen, when the family relocated to Calais. Her father is a fisherman and her mother works alongside him at the family businesses - and also spent years chauffeuring her and her sister everywhere for sports and activities. Logan speaks fondly of her childhood; the family camping trips and the travel sport adventures. While she sees the work it was for her parents, she said participation on those many teams left her with a lot of friends she still keeps in touch with, the importance of teamwork and also the responsibility for showing up and putting the work in.

Outside of leaving for her education and some larger city experience, Logan always intended to come back home. “All of my family is here,” she explains. “And I like being able to know people personally and let that aid in treating them.” While she will treat all ages, she says the teen to young adult age range is special to her. “It can be a really hard time with school, hormones, life changes and trying to become your own person.” She tries to be direct with patients, answering questions and providing information needed so they can take part in their care and make decisions with knowledge and support. “I want my patients to be involved and partner with me in their care,” stated Logan.

Logan and her husband Brandon reside in Calais with their 10-month-old son. In her down time Logan enjoys spending time with family, going to the lake and pretty much any activity outdoors. With school completed, she hopes to also be able to travel more and create memories of new places with her husband and son. Her goal is to visit all 50 states and at least 25 countries.

Logan will begin seeing patients in Baileyville in September. If you wish to establish care with Logan Raye, FNP at the Baileyville Medical Center, we encourage you to initiate the transfer of your medical records by contacting your current office or downloading a medical records release form available on the CCH website, www.calaishospital.com in the Patient Guide section. Baileyville Medical Center staff will be available to speak with by mid-August at 454-9530. Please join us in welcoming Logan when the opportunity presents itself.

https://www.calaishospital.org/logan-raye-fnp-joins-baileyville-medical-center/

07/11/2025

Full time and per diem positions available.
Apply today!
www.calaishospital.org/career/

07/10/2025

07/08/2025

DR SUSAN LUTHIN JOINS BAILEYVILLE MEDICAL CENTER

Calais Community Hospital is pleased to welcome Dr. Susan Luthin, Family Physician. Dr Luthin will staff the new Baileyville Medical Center scheduled to open in September.

Dr. Luthin earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Maine Orono and her Medical Degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
She brings 35 years of family medicine experience. While her work as a Family Medicine physician has her caring for every age range, she says she has a special passion and fondness for pediatrics. During her 28 years in the Dover-Foxcroft area she delivered hundreds of babies and even had the privilege of a few of the babies she delivered returning to her to have babies of their own. While practicing in that location half of her practice was pediatrics and obstetrics, with the rest consisted of general family medicine for adults.

When asked about her philosophy for patient care, Dr Luthin shared, “I try to really listen to my patients and meet them where they are at. That allows me to give advice and guidance on how they want to be treated.” Sometimes the optimal treatment plan is just not something a patient can do yet. “And that’s ok,” she explains. “I work with them to do the best they can.”

Dr. Luthin grew up in New Jersey in a suburb outside of New York City. She grew up in a close-knit family, the middle child of seven children. Both of her parents were teachers, her dad eventually serving as the Superintendent of Schools and her mother eventually becoming a Homemaker once all the kids came along. Besides her and her siblings, she said they always had lots of kids in the house with visitors all the time and frequent overnight stays. Her home was one of refuge where extras were always welcome to hang out or crash for the night.

Every summer her family came to Maine. Spending time with her cousins in a small town on a lake outside of Augusta had her deciding “these are my people.” So, when it came time for college and then a career, she very purposefully chose a field that would allow her to work and live in rural Maine.

Dr. Luthin’s family includes her daughter and son-in-law, an 11 year old grandson and a 10 year old granddaughter. In her free time she enjoys all the outdoors has to offer in hiking, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. She also dabbles in playing multiple instruments such as the octave mandolin, trumpet, penny whistle, guitar and fiddle. She mostly plays for her own enjoyment, but she does participate on occasion with a Contra Dance band and takes part in Jazz jam sessions when they are held in Eastport.

Dr. Luthin will begin seeing patients in Baileyville September 1. If you wish to establish care with Dr. Luthin at the Baileyville Medical Center, we encourage you to initiate the transfer of your medical records by contacting your current office or downloading a medical records release form available on the CCH website, www.calaishospital.com in the Patient Guide section. Baileyville Medical Center staff will be available to speak with by mid-August at 454-9530. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Luthin when the opportunity presents itself.

https://www.calaishospital.org/dr-susan-luthin-joins-baileyville-medical-center/

07/01/2025

We are excited to welcome our first patients to Baileyville Medical Center in September. Watch for announcements about the ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration!

If you wish to establish care with either of our providers at the Baileyville Medical Center, we encourage you to initiate the transfer of your medical records by contacting your current office or downloading a medical records release form available on the CCH website, www.calaishospital.com in the Patient Guide section. Baileyville Medical Center staff will be available to speak with by mid-August at 454-9530.

Baileyville Medical Center Providers Susan Luthin, MD, and Logan Raye, FNP are located at 71 Broadway St, Baileyville, Maine.

06/26/2025

06/23/2025

Our first bout of summertime heat is upon us. The heat index (what the air feels like to us) will be in the upper 90s to low 100s for our area. Brush up on precautions and what to watch out for. Avoid any strenuous outdoor activities, stay hydrated and stay as cool as possible. Be mindful of small children and pets and never leave them in a car unattended even if it is running. Also please remember to check on the elderly and those who may have special medical needs to make sure they are ok. Stay cool and hydrated.

06/05/2025

Dr. Cressey Brazier Retires After Serving Community Since 1986

Dr. Cressey Brazier, ED Physician, retired on May 31 from Calais Community Hospital. Dr. Brazier first came to Calais “moonlighting,” as he calls it, in the Emergency Department while working at EMMC in 1986. Over the years he has maintained a consistent presence in Calais throughout all the transitions, ranging from occasional fill in for shifts to regular full time rotations in the department as of 1992.

Dr. Brazier graduated college with a Bachelors Degree in Zoology. With that, there were three choices: medical, dentistry or veterinary medicine. He applied to medical and dental school both, but ultimately followed the medical route at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He served as the President of his medical school class for four years and graduated AOA, with medical academic excellence. Dr. Brazier has spent over 50 years in Emergency Medicine. The specialty of Emergency Medicine was not recognized until 1988, and he sat for the medical boards that year and every decade since to maintain his certification.

In his youth Dr. Brazier split his time between his father’s home in Brooks, Maine near Belfast, and his mother’s various locations across the country, as she moved frequently for work. His father was an undertaker and his mother an accountant. He had a taste of two worlds: living in a small town from the time he was a boy and frequently being the new kid while seeing and living in many new places. His family was large and full with the remarraiges of his parents, growing to give him nine sisters and four brothers between them all.

Dr. Braziers work ethic and need to stay busy was instilled in him as a child. He credits his stepmother with teaching him the value of time and money. Around the age of eight she would pay him a penny for every potato bug he picked off the leaves, which he used to buy fudgecicles. He has worked more than a typical full time schedule since he was a teen, usually holding multiple jobs at once even through medical school. His long and varied resume includes work as a dock worker, milking cows, farm hand, building chicken barns, woodsman, 7-eleven cashier, construction worker, orderly, and of course helping his father in the family business. His father’s hearse doubled as an ambulance, by simply placing the red light on top. Dr. Brazier’s father gave him the hearse as a gift, and that is what he drove to medical school.

Dr. Brazier and his wife Teresa reside in Red Beach. His family includes his three daughters, a step daughter and step son and five grandchildren. In his free time he enjoys golf, cooking and traveling. He and Teresa are avid cruisers having been on 28 cruises over the years. His plans for retirement include having more time for the things he loves, including a family trip to Vegas in the Fall.

While the greater Calais community will most definitely miss the familiar site of Dr Brazier in the ED, he has, without a doubt earned his retirement. His tireless dedication and the care he has provided over decades will not soon be forgotten. Congratulations Dr. Cressey Brazier and best wishes on an enjoyable and happy retirement!