Windham nurse flies high to provide care for patients

By Erin Rose

The need to serve and help others drives Windham resident Caitlin Sidley in her role as a registered nurse for LifeFlight of Maine, the state’s sole air ambulance service.

Windham resident Caitlyn Sidley is a
registered nurse for LifeFlight of Maine,
the state's sole air ambulance service. Sidley
flies with the LifeFlight crew to deliver 
advanced and specialized care to patients
experiencing severe illness or who have
suffered a significant trauma and helps
care for them while they are airlifted
to the hospital. SUBMITTED PHOTO

“It sounds cheesy, but I just wanted to help people, to be able to make an impact on someone’s life when they’re going through a tough time,” she said.

Flying on an Augusta AW109 helicopter based in Sanford, Sidley delivers advanced and specialized care to patients experiencing severe illness or who have suffered a significant trauma, like those incurred in a serious car accident, while transporting them to the hospital.

“The most rewarding part are the Thank Yous that come in from patients that do well and from patient’s families,” she said. “When they tell you, ‘I know they’re in good hands’ and they trust us with their lives on the worse day of their lives.”

The variety of cases and the ability to devote attention to a single patient were driving forces that inspired Sidley to focus on airborne nursing as opposed to providing care at hospitals.

“In this role, I’m able to concentrate on one patient and give them my all, and then it’s an adventurous job,” she said, adding that in a hospital setting, a nurse is required to divide attention between several patients, in addition to caring for the patients’ families, among other duties. “You don’t know what you’re getting from one call to the next. It can be a baby in one call and in the next, you’re with an adult or landing on a highway helping a trauma or you’re taking a patient from one hospital to another. I like the mix and not knowing what’s coming next.”

While in the air, Sidley can provide advanced care, including running tests, giving medications or blood as needed, and managing ventilators for patients who are intubated to help aid their breathing. The helicopter also contains a “point of care” system that enables the caregivers to run tests while in flight to provide an additional level of care, ensuring patients receive the correct medications or treatments to help improve their condition before arriving at the hospital. Sidley is also paired with a paramedic during the transit and the two work in tandem to provide care.

“I like our cardiac calls. Those are my favorite to do,” Sidley said. “Our bread and butter are STEMIs, but I love a complicated cardiogenic shock call, multiple IV medications, managing these patients and trying to get them better before they get to the hospital or wherever they’re going.”

One common misconception about the air ambulance service is that they are just monitoring the patient while enroute to the hospital. The nurses and paramedics take steps to help stabilize and provide care to help patients arrive at the hospital in better condition.

“People think we are just giving them a ride to the hospital, but we’re actually doing care and trying to make them better from the minute we get to the bedside,” Sidley said.

One of the most challenging aspects of the role is waiting for the next call. Time is spent in various ways, including added training to maintain certifications, meeting with tour groups, and maintaining the base of operations, but staying alert can be hard.

“The waiting can be hard because you can get bored and get complacent. You need to be able to stay focused and stay training,” she said. “There is a ton of extra education and training that go into keeping you on the line and keeping you on flight duty.”

Sidley also noted that patients should not hesitate to engage the air ambulance service based on financial concerns.

“People are often afraid to call because they think that there is going to be a huge bill attached to us. We’re a nonprofit and we’re not going to deny anybody care,” she said. “We get it done and we work with you. Financial factors should never be considered.”

LifeFlight offers a charity program to help patients who are unable to meet the financial obligations once their insurance determines how much they’ll cover. Patients are also only financially responsible for the care they receive, as the LifeFlight Foundation, a separate nonprofit organization, pays for aircraft costs, medical equipment, training and education, and all the associated operating costs.

LifeFlight of Maine was founded in 1998 and has bases in Sanford, Lewiston and Bangor. From July 2024 to June 2025, the service transported 2,876 patients. Of those, 642 calls were for cardiac care, while 929 were for acute medical conditions that are not related to cardiac or stroke and 488 were trauma cases. There were also 223 stroke cases, which require rapid treatment to stop symptoms and prevent long term injury.

Patients range in age from newborns to the most elderly, with the majority of patients aged 51 to 80. <

Raymond residents want answers for slow mail delivery

By Kendra Raymond

If you live in Raymond, it is possible that you are asking, “Where is my mail?” United States Postal Service mail delivery in Raymond has become intermittent recently, leaving many residents wondering what is going on and hoping for a solution.

Slow and intermittent mail service in
Raymond since December has left residents
frustrated and seeking answers about how to
improve and speed up delivery by the U.S.
Postal Service to residents there.
PHOTO BY KENDRA RAYMOND  

The unofficial Postman's Motto appears on an inscription above the New York City post office on 8th Avenue. It reads, "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." But Raymond residents are perplexed at the problem and want to find a solution.

Despite numerous phone attempts to find out why mail service is so slow over a week’s time, staff members at the Raymond Post Office said they would not comment on the issue. Phone calls to the national U.S. Postal Service number have been fruitless, as several options to leave a message are offered, but there is no possibility to speak to a live person.

The USPS website lists the postal service mission as, “The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.”

Members of several Raymond area social media groups have reported mail arriving just once or twice a week, sometimes late at night. Some expressed fear about deliveries after dark, while others were concerned about the safety and welfare of the drivers.

People have received pieces of mail for a similar address or even recipients across town. Some are connecting via social media with photos of mail in hopes of getting pieces to the rightful owners. Raymond residents are investing a lot of time into helping their neighbors receive their mail.

Some feel angered about not receiving solicitations and ads as some report it feels like “big brother” choosing what they will receive and when. Others are concerned about missing medications, bills, bank statements, paychecks, tax documents, and appointment letters. One resident said she was unable to file her tax return as her W-2 still has not arrived.

In some areas of town, community members also reported receiving the December holiday edition of The Windham Eagle newspaper just last week, the first delivery in seven weeks. Many are dissatisfied with the irregular delivery schedule of the newspaper and magazines by the postal service and want to receive the missing issues. This has been an ongoing problem since last fall, and concerns have been addressed to the Postmaster General for New England, who indicates they are working on resolving the matter.

Kelly Mank, who owns The Windham Eagle newspaper, said she’s encouraged by recent improvement in delivery of the newspaper in Raymond and said the issue hasn’t affect delivery to all homes, just to some areas.

Sadly, the Raymond Post Office receives a 1.9-star review on Google. Reviewers complain about a 75-minute closure for lunch and unsatisfactory customer service from the Raymond Postmaster.

Gayle Farrell’s review says, “Have not received any mail since December. Filed a complaint and the postmaster of Raymond closed it as “resolved” and three days later still no mail. Medical documents, social security documents, checks, retirement info, and more. Where is my mail? Went to ask and I was told ‘it’s in the truck.’”

Raymond resident KJ Grow submitted this review: “I cannot tell you how much disruption and inconvenience this has caused in my life and for my neighbors. Checks never arrive, health care documents and insurance cards never arrive. Packages usually arrive, but you have to track for yourself, when they are likely sitting at the post office, and if you're like me, take time off work to go pick them up. Somehow The Windham Eagle always makes it to the mailbox. I cannot imagine the stress this must cause for people who rely on USPS for prescription medications.”

After submitting a service request, one resident reported receiving a case number within 24 hours. The email stated that the USPS would investigate the situation and then reach out to resolve the issue. As of this printing, no response has been received by the resident after two weeks have passed.

The USPS offers several contact methods for concerned customers. You can visit your local post office and ask to speak to the Postmaster to inquire about mail concerns. USPS customer service can be reached by email at: https://emailus.usps.com. Or reach out by phone at 1-800-ASK-USPS® (1-800-275-8777). Forms are provided to submit a service request.

Copies of The Windham Eagle are available at locations throughout the Lakes Region as well as on its website at: www.thewindhameagle.com. <