TAMC palliative care provider joins
Dirigo-Maine Geriatric Society
PRESQUE ISLE — Nancy T. O’Neill, MD, FAAFP is a familiar face in Aroostook County, having worked for TAMC for 13 years and counting, though not consecutively.
She returned in January to help the medical center develop a palliative care program, and now her extensive experience with the elderly population of the region has earned her an invitation to represent the hospital as an active board member of the Dirigo-Maine Geriatric Society.
As a palliative care provider, O’Neill primarily serves the elderly population of Aroostook County. This multi-disciplinary approach to caring for those dealing with a serious illness provides physical and mental care to improve a person’s quality of life as they deal with the stresses and complications of disease. 
O’Neill’s experience should be a good fit for Dirigo-Maine Geriatric Society, which is comprised of a group of physicians who care about the senior population in Maine and who are who are trying to ensure quality care for this population.
“The geriatric population in Maine is growing, particularly in Aroostook County,” said O’Neill. “These are very strong and independent folks, but they also need services to provide excellent care for their geriatric needs, and these services help to allow them to grow old well, and in their homes.”
O’Neill attended medical school at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester, graduating in 1983, and completed her residency at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. She is board certified in family medicine and, after practicing in Greensboro, Ala., she joined TAMC’s Aroostook Family Practice in 1990 where she worked until 1996. From 1996-98, she worked at a family practice in Harwich, Mass., and then she returned to Aroostook County to work as TAMC’s emergency room medical director for one year, and then resumed her work at Aroostook Family Practice from 1999-2005.
O’Neill left The County once again to practice in Greensboro. While there, she furthered her elder care experience by developing a weekly home visit model to care for elderly home-bound patients, some of whom had not seen a doctor in years.
Before returning to Aroostook and TAMC in January of this year, O’Neill served as chief of staff at Hale County Hospital for two years, and then was recruited to open Brewer Medical Center, as medical director of large center with a family practice, integrated psychiatric and physical therapy, and walk-in services for Penobscot Community Health Care.
“I have extensive experience in hospice with Hospice of Aroostook, Comfort Care Hospice in Alabama and Beacon Hospice in Bangor,” added O’Neill. “In palliative care, I see very ill patients with many coinciding illnesses; cancer, end stage emphysema, end stage cardiac disease, kidney disease.”
Working with Dirigo-Maine Geriatric Society will give O’Neill an opportunity to be a voice for the seniors in Aroostook County, where access to medical care is a primary concern.
“The County needs more support for their seniors; many of them live rurally and many have caregivers who need support, as well. Distance is a major factor,” she said. “As a member of the board of MDGS, I hope to work toward providing quality care to seniors, honoring their personal goals of care and also to bring support to the many caregivers.”
O’Neill hopes that, through her work, she can inspire organizations to work together to improve the quality of life for the elderly population in Aroostook County.
“There are many agencies in The County who work with geriatric folks; we need to work together to spread services,” she said.
O’Neill officially began her service on the Dirigo-Maine Geriatric Society in April.
