COURTESY / MAINE SEACOAST MISSION
Simone Babineaux
March 23, 2023
Seacoast Mission hires nurse for key island health-services post
COURTESY / MAINE SEACOAST MISSION
Maine Seacoast Mission’s signature vessel is the Sunbeam, seen here leaving its berth in Northeast Harbor.
Simone Babineaux has been hired by Seacoast Mission to provide outreach and health services to unbridged islands on the Maine coast following the recent retirement of Maine Seacoast Mission’s island health services director, Sharon Daley.
The traveling nurse's "office" and the means to gain access to the islands is via the Sunbeam V, the mission’s 74-foot boat that visits outer islands and helps connect residents with doctors and specialists. Babineaux’s first day was March 13.
“Simone is a welcome addition to the mission and the Sunbeam,” Mission President John Zavodny said. “I am confident that Simone’s unique personal and professional history has prepared her well to work within our island communities.”
As a member of the island services team, the Sunbeam nurse operates the telehealth program, makes home visits and provides direct care, including flu and COVID vaccine clinics and wellness visits. The nurse also facilitates the elder care network, offering support, education opportunities and connections for health care workers and others who are helping islanders age in place.
“To provide health care as a part of an institution so steeped in island community and history is a dream come true,” Babineaux said.
Babineaux has been a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner for more than 25 years. She has worked in public health in Los Angeles, was a staff nurse at a medical clinic in Moscow, Russia, and was a first responder during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Most recently she has worked as a nurse practitioner at an assisted living facility and did home health assessments with individuals with multiple complex health care needs.
“It’s obvious that she really cares about people and is looking forward to getting to know islanders and learning about their islands and communities,” Douglas Cornman, director of Island Services, said. “It’s a bonus that she is comfortable with boats and being on the water.”
Daley retired at the end of 2022 after 22 years with the mission.
COURTESY / MAINE SEACOAST MISSION
Sharon Daley, right, seen with a patient aboard the telemedicine ship Sunbeam, retired after 22 years as Maine Seacoast Mission’s island health services director.
Maine Seacoast Mission is a Mount Desert Island nonprofit that dates back over a century and is headquartered in Northeast Harbor. It serves islands and coastal communities aboard its 74-foot boat, Sunbeam.
One of Sunbeam’s most important services is its telemedicine program, which includes a specially outfitted medical suite.
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