Looking for health information? Our Health Educators are here to help. We are trained to find credible, reliable, up-to-date health information to answer your health questions. We can also connect you with local resources.

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We offer many classes (virtual and in-person) to help you learn about health topics and help you meet your health goals. Join us to learn about heart health, stress reduction, healthy cooking, and more. Our classes are taught by local health experts, including doctors, dietitians and health educators. Many of our classes are free or low-cost. Scholarships are available.

View our classes

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program is designed to help people cope more effectively with both long and short term stressors. Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn from the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, MBSR has been scientifically proven to enhance the ability to manage and reduce pain levels, and improve focus, resilience and the capacity to recover more quickly from challenging life events. Instruction involves mindful meditation practices, discussion, gentle stretching and yoga (appropriate for all ability levels).

We also offer a variety of books, eBooks, and classes about mindfulness and stress reduction. Browse our lending library!  

Learn more about our mindfulness program

Our professional team is committed to helping our community be the healthiest it can be.  

Jessica Begley, MPH
Jessica is a Senior Program Manager with MaineHealth Education & Training. Jessica received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan and has experience in community-based public health, research studies, and healthcare system. She leads the system-wide Patient Education Transformation initiative to ensure patient education is accessible, actionable, and consistent across the MaineHealth system.

Jean Gould, BS
Jean is a Senior Program Manager with MaineHealth Education & Training. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maine. Jean has been working in the healthcare field for over 20 years. Since joining MaineHealth in 2001, she has enjoyed working with patients to provide tools and guidance that help them find high quality trusted health resources.

Bethany Sanborn, MPH, MCHES
Bethany is the Director of MaineHealth Education & Training. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Southern Connecticut State University and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist. Bethany’s passion for patient-centered care and communication is fueled by her professional training and 20+ years working in public health – as well as her experience as a caregiver to family members with complex medical conditions.

Kayla Sargent, MPH
Kayla is a Program Manager with MaineHealth Education & Training. She earned her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service. Kayla believes that it’s everyone’s right to have health information that is easy to understand and written in plain language. She works to ensure that patient education is accessible to all patients and care teams.

Lynn Connolly, BA
Lynn is a Program Management Specialist with MaineHealth Education & Training. She received an Associate’s degree in Office Management from University of Maine Machias and a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design & Media Arts from Southern New Hampshire University. Lynn is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and has worked at MaineHealth since 2004. Lynn’s primary focus is transitioning our services to online platforms (books, audio books, healthy lifestyle classes) to ensure they can be accessed by everyone in the MaineHealth regions of care.

Julie Westerhouse, BS
Julie is the Program Coordinator for MaineHealth Education & Training. She earned a degree in Photography from Ithaca College. Julie has lived in Maine since 2003 and loves all that the state has to offer from the mountains to the sea. She strives to guide you in the right direction and help you find what you are looking for!

Bonnie Carleton, BS, CHES
Bonnie is a Health Educator with MaineHealth Education & Training. She received a BS degree in Community Health Education from the University of Maine at Farmington. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) from The National Commission on Health Education Credentialing and a Wellness & Health Coach through Real Balance Global Wellness. Bonnie is skilled in health literacy, plain language design, and patient-centered communication. She helps people find reliable health information and resources to live a healthy lifestyle.

Jenny Marcoux, BS
Jenny is a Health Educator with MaineHealth Education & Training. She earned a BS degree in Health, Wellness and Occupational Studies from the University of New England in Biddeford and is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health degree. Jenny is passionate about nutrition literacy, enjoys writing fun and informative newsletters, and likes to help people find meaningful information about their health.

Browse our free lending library! We have lots of health and wellness books, eBooks, audio books, and DVDs.

Browse our library

Healthwise is an easy-to-search online health resource library. Use it to find trusted in-depth information on many different health conditions and find answers to common health questions.

Healthwise

Topics include:

• Advanced Care Planning
• Cancer
• Children's Health
• Diabetes
• Fitness and Exercise
• Healthy Eating
• Heart Health 
• Quitting Smoking
• Senior Health

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