A Blue Hill Memorial Hospital physician and nurse midwife met with international students, staff, and host parents from George Stevens Academy at the Blue Hill Inn as part of the hospital’s community outreach efforts.  The students, all young women, had traveled to Blue Hill from several different countries including South Korea, Germany, Vietnam, and China.

Sarah Pebworth, owner of the Blue Hill Inn, provided a welcoming environment for the event and served pizzas from an island in her kitchen, explaining the ingredients to the students when necessary.  “We are very grateful to Sarah for her hospitality,” says Kim Goff, director of development for Blue Hill Memorial Hospital.  “I knew we could count on Sarah to help us make this evening a success.  As a business owner, she is creative and very generous with her time and resources.” 

After enjoying pizza, salad, and cupcakes with the students in the inn’s dining room, Kathleen Ober, MD and Suzanne Norgang, CMN of Blue Hill Women’s Health Care, answered questions related to nutrition, headaches, sleep, family planning, infection prevention, and other topics of interest to the young women.  Many of the questions had been submitted in advance, and were drawn from a basket for direct, evidence-based answers. 

While laughter was common throughout the evening, the young women shared more serious concerns, such the risks associated with certain types of contraception.   The evening’s discussion also touched upon eastern versus western approaches to women’s health.  Ober urged the students to try different approaches in order to discover what works best for them.  “I embrace complementary medicine,” says Ober.  “If my patients have read about something and want to give it a try, I am supportive of their interests.  Every woman is different.  What works for one might or might not work for another.”