PrevME's mission is to improve health outcomes in Maine by educating clinical practitioners and implementing innovative care strategies, including a Community Health Worker program and a Preventive Medicine residency. The Preventive Medicine Enhancement for Maine (PrevME) Program’s mission is to improve health outcomes in Maine by educating clinical practitioners and implementing innovative care s
trategies to address the most pressing population health issues of our time. PrevME serves as a center for finding, developing, and spreading innovative practices in prevention, and training a new generation of leaders to make changes in health at a systemic level. PrevME has helped spearhead a number of innovative initiatives including culinary medicine, virtual lifestyle and wellness group medical visits, substance use disorder curriculum, cooking matters for pediatric patients and community outreach and education programs, including a community health worker program called the Community Informed Care Initiative. The Leadership in Preventive Medicine Residency program (LPMR), is a very successful program with ACGME accreditation since 2015 in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine that trains four residents each year in a program leading to full American Board of Preventive Medicine eligibility and certification. Additionally, we provide substantial curriculum for other physicians and health care providers in key content area of public health, preventive medicine, community engagement and pandemic response. The preventive medicine residents provide education for faculty and learners in the content area of preventive medicine across the health system and communities we serve and develop partnerships between health system facilities and the community. They provide clinical assistance for the Preventive Medicine Enhancement for Maine Program, the Community Informed Care Initiative, and other community and public health education initiatives. The Community Informed Care Initiative (CICI) is a Community Health Worker (CHW) Program that addresses gaps in health care access and delivery, as well as provides health education, outreach and connection to community resources. We developed CICI to meet the needs of New Mainers who do not speak English by identifying social determinants of health, assisting with health goals and medical complexities, and acting as a trusted, cultural appropriate liaison between the patient and provider. As our CHWs are integrated into MaineHealth clinical care teams, they help patients with care plan implementation, improve the efficiency of Primary Care offices and help people navigate complicated systems.
