COVER STORY

Kathy Lajoie(far left) answers the phone while in the middle of the reception office Resident Nurse Julie Meneely (left), Phlebotomist Maciann Hanson (center) and Radiologic Technologist Kandy Keegan (right) discuss a chart at the Berwick Medical Services Walk-In Care Center. Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist photo

Ever-expanding medical services and health care options in the Seacoast range from branch offices for better care and convenience to new equipment and hospital centers.

The public health challenges include baby boomers seeking to stick with their active lifestyles and younger generations starting families.

The demographics are driving change.

A shining example is Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, with main medical facilities in Dover. The institution plans to expand its birth center, a $8.8 million construction job, to meet a 49 percent increase in births from 2000 to 2005. The same day of that announcement, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital celebrated the opening of its new joint replacement and recovery center to help older and some younger people return to an active lifestyle.

"This is a whole new approach to surgery and recovery," Gregory Walker, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital president and chief executive officer, said at the time. "We created this program based on similar programs developed by JointVentures. Their research indicates patients recover faster and have less pain when they are involved in group recovery with coaches, share in educational classes before and after surgery and enjoy special spa-like features to make recovery as comfortable as possible."

Other expansions are notable.

In June, Portsmouth Regional Hospital announced it is launching a $63 million, multi-year project to expand surgery and endoscopy, patient care areas, and convert to all-private rooms. The construction and renovations will include the addition of new technology, equipment, wireless Internet access, and a host of other patient care and comfort features.

Cynthia Pappas Shanley, left, watches senior citizens in her over 50 group, H2U, perform skits at the Portsmouth Hospital. Don Clark photo

William Schuler, president and chief executive officer of Portsmouth Regional Hospital, said the expansion was fitting due to construction occurring 20 years after the hospital relocated to the Borthwick Avenue site and after adding 20 new physicians in the past year.

One of the first phases of the project is the creation of a full third floor above the existing Shoals Building, with 40 private surgical beds for the hospital's Heart and Lung Center.

Delivering medical care with an eye on consumer needs and convenience is apparent across the region.

York Hospital's Berwick Medical Services is busy with its new walk-in care, which it advertises as being as easy as dining out. Its new menu is available seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering x-ray, lab and pharmacy services on site at the corner of Route 9 and Dana Drive near downtown. Doctors, nurse practitioners and clinical staff treat people on a first-come, first-served basis.

"The demand is definitely there," said Kandy Keegan, a lab and pharmacy technician. "The word's getting out."

Area hospitals and health centers also host and expand a number of existing programs to promote health, rehabilitation, fitness and well-being.

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Cynthia Pappas Shanley continues to see new faces at H2U, a national program dedicated to "unique health needs of adults and providing them with valuable health information, resources and experiences."

H2U, formerly known as Senior Friends at Portsmouth Regional, stands for "Health Happiness You." For members who are 50 or older, the program offers an array of services with a $15 annual fee, including educational programs and screenings, free and discounted exercise classes, prescription discounts, and volunteer opportunities.