Fifty years ago, the midcoast community came together with a bold vision: to bring high-quality, modern health care closer to home. After years of planning, fundraising and collaboration, including support from more than 30 financial institutions pooling their resources, that vision became reality on Oct. 5, 1975, with the opening of a new regional hospital – Penobscot Bay Medical Center.

The new 106-bed acute care facility, now known as MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital, marked a turning point for health care in the region. With a medical staff of 36 physicians representing a wide range of specialties, from general surgery and internal medicine to psychiatry, anesthesiology, obstetrics and dentistry, the hospital offered comprehensive services that had been previously out of reach for many in the community.

Among its early innovations was the ambulatory care program—groundbreaking for its time—which brought outpatient services and mental health treatment closer to home, eliminating long-distance travel for care.

Diane Hynes, RN, has lived this history firsthand over her 50-year career as an emergency department nurse. Starting at the Knox County General Hospital, she transitioned to the new facility in 1975 and has dedicated the past five decades to caring for patients in the emergency department.

“I love Pen Bay. I always have. I’m so proud of our hospital and what we do.”

– Diane Hynes, RN, emergency department, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital

When the new hospital opened its doors, Hynes remembers being amazed by how modern it felt, especially the private patient rooms, many with ocean views. “People would complain that it was too big and that they got lost,” she said. “Knox was a small building with two to four patients per room.”

Nursing looked very different then as well. “All nurses wore white dresses, nylons, white shoes and caps,” she said. “PPE (personal protective equipment) was nonexistent 50 years ago. There were no disposable gloves in the emergency department or gowns or masks. That didn’t start to change until the 1980s.”

Over the years, Hynes has witnessed major advancements in technology and patient care. Before seat belts and airbags were widely used, she recalled a time when trauma cases and fatalities were far more common. At the same time, advancements in medical technology continued to evolve, transforming patient care—from the innovations made in MRI and CT imaging to improved CPR techniques and new lifesaving procedures.

Through it all, Hynes says the heart of nursing remains unchanged. “Some things are the same over 50 years for nurses: empathy, communication skills, constant learning, ethical boundaries and teamwork.”

Diane Hynes, RN, celebrates 50 years—and counting—of dedicated service as an emergency department nurse at MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital. Pictured here from left: Caitlin Civiello, MD, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital emergency department; Diane Hynes, RN, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital emergency department, pediatric care coordinator.

Circa 1970’s: Nurses commonly wore white dresses, nylons, white shoes and caps. Pictured here: Diane Hynes, RN, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital emergency department pediatric care coordinator.

The Evolution of Care

Obstetrics and gynecology services at MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital have also undergone a profound transformation over the past 50 years. Lynn Tauss, a nurse in the labor and delivery department, has been part of the obstetrics team for 45 years, witnessing and helping shape that transformation.

“When I started, family practice physicians handled births as well as obstetricians,” she said. “Fetal monitoring was very primitive compared to what we use today, and epidurals weren’t available. Ultrasounds were rare and only used when necessary. Today, every expectant mother receives a sonogram at 20 weeks. Midwives take the first call and we offer a range of methods to cope with labor, from birthing tubs to epidurals and families let us know what options they want to use.”

Advances in technology and clinical expertise have dramatically improved outcomes for both patients and staff. When needed, pediatricians are able to consult via telehealth with specialists at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland and obstetric nurses are skilled in all areas—from labor and delivery to post-partum care. Many nurses have expanded their roles, including Tauss herself, as she became an international board-certified lactation consultant, dedicated to education and family support.

“In 1989, I began teaching childbirth education,” she said. “By 1994, I became a board-certified lactation consultant, helping organize our lactation program and mentor other nurses.”

One of the most impactful additions has been the creation of group prenatal care, known as CenteringPregnancy®. Expectant mothers with similar due dates meet regularly with one of the midwives, share experiences and form lasting friendships. Postpartum support groups and lactation programs have helped continue that sense of community.

“Even after decades, I’m still learning from the mothers in these groups,” Tauss said.

Guided by innovation and passion, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital has been a trusted health care partner in our community for 50 years, supporting patients through every stage of life. With more than 35 specialties, the hospital delivers high-quality routine, preventative and advanced care services. Molded by the dedication of its people, past and present, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital’s 50th anniversary marks not just a celebration of the past, but a commitment to the future.

Lynn Tauss, RN, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital Obstetrics and Delivery, has been a part of the women’s health team for 45 years. 

1985: Lynn Tauss, RN, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital Obstetrics and Delivery, welcomes a newborn.

Exploring our History

In the fall of 1901, nine physicians, with the help of public subscription, purchased the ‘Fessenden-Stakpole Homestead’ on the corner of Maple and White streets in Rockland. For $3,000 they bought the house and equipped it as an 11-bed hospital. This was the beginning of the Knox County General Hospital.

Learn more about the history of MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital >

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