St. Mary’s Hospital restores medical oncology services in Lewiston through Augusta partnership

Medical oncology services resumed at St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston on July 7 through a collaboration between St. Mary’s Health System and MaineGeneral Health’s Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta.

The arrangement restores local access to ongoing oncology visits, therapies and infusion services after St. Mary’s suspended medical oncology services in 2024. The prior oncology team relocated to Brunswick, according to the Portland Press Herald.

For patients in Lewiston-Auburn and nearby communities, the change means they can again receive some ongoing cancer treatment at the Lewiston hospital rather than traveling for every appointment. The program does not remove the requirement to travel to Augusta initially: Patients must establish their care through MaineGeneral there before continuing eligible care at St. Mary’s.

Two days of Lewiston-based care

MaineGeneral cancer-care providers from Augusta began working in Lewiston two days each week starting July 7. St. Mary’s says the program is staffed by a physician and two advanced practice providers.

Once a patient has established care in Augusta, ongoing oncology appointments, therapies and infusions can continue at St. Mary’s in Lewiston under the collaboration. The available reports do not identify the specific days providers will be in Lewiston or estimate how many patients will use the service.

The limited local schedule is an important distinction from a full-time or fully local cancer-care program. The confirmed arrangement provides two days of provider coverage each week in Lewiston while retaining Augusta as the point where patients begin care.

Services available through the collaboration

St. Mary’s lists a range of clinical and support services available through its partnership with MaineGeneral’s Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care. They include hematology, radiation oncology, clinical trials, genetic counseling and oncology navigation.

The listed support resources also include social work, nutrition counseling and survivorship services. The hospital’s materials describe these offerings as part of the collaborative cancer-care program, alongside the restored medical oncology treatment and infusion services in Lewiston.

What patients need to know

The immediate next step for someone seeking to use the Lewiston-based program is to establish care in Augusta. After that step, patients may receive ongoing visits, therapies and infusions at St. Mary’s, subject to the program’s care arrangement.

The restart marks the return of medical oncology services to St. Mary’s after the 2024 suspension. It is not described as a replacement for every specialty or procedure that may previously have been available at the hospital, and the available information does not say that all cancer patients will be able to avoid travel to Augusta.