Description of types of providers
    Our medical provider team displays a variety of educational backgrounds and professional experiences.  To help you understand some of the terms and titles, we have compiled the following descriptions:

M.D. and D.O.
    There are two types of physicians in the United States. One has an M.D. (doctor of medicine) degree, and the other has a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine) degree. Both physicians have premedical training, an undergraduate college degree, four years of training in a medical school and a year’s internship in a hospital. If he or she chooses to enter a medical specialty, he or she enters a two to six year residency program. 

     The D.O. believes that a disturbance in the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones and joints) causes changes in other systems of the body. As part of their diagnosis and treatment, osteopathic physicians use osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) as well as other traditional forms of treatment to care for their patients.

P.A. —– Physician Assistant

    A Physician Assistant (P.A.) is a health care professional who has an advanced degree. Physician assistants practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, physician assistants conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, and counsel on preventive health care. Within the physician-P.A. relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services.

F.N.P. —– Family Nurse Practitioner
    A Family Nurse Practitioner (F.N.P.) has an advanced degree in nursing. Family nurse practitioners meet the health care needs of the family by providing health assessments, direct care, and guidance, teaching, or counseling as appropriate, particularly around family self-care. They are dedicated to primary health care. They treat all age groups and the array of medical conditions that patients have. Family Nurse Practitioners work collaboratively with physicians.

Jeff Ray, D.O.
Medical Director

    Dr. Ray began his full time practice at SVHC during the summer of 1998. He completed his Bachelor's degree at the University of Maine in Orono in 1975, and received his Doctor of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in 1983. He operated a private chiropractic practice in Portland for 10 years and then attended the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine, where he received a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine in 1995.
    Dr. Ray completed his internship at the University of Massachusetts and his residency at the Maine-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency in Augusta. Dr. Ray’s responsibilities at SVHC include direct patient care, and, in his position as Medical Director, clinical management and supervision of the medical provider team. He is also a member of the Health Center’s Management Team.

Daniel W. Bates, D.O.
    Dr. Bates has joined our staff one day a week to provide psychiatry services to children and adolescents. He trained to become a physician at University of New England in Biddeford, Maine and did his psychiatry residency at Maine Medical Center in Portland.    Before medical school, he worked as a lobsterman, carpenter and woodcutter, and then trained to be a paramedic and nurse.
    When he is not with patients, Dr. Bates enjoys raising animals of all sorts, playing music with his friends and working on his house and barn with his wife and children.

---

Kate Delewski, P.A.
    Kathleen (Kate) Delewski is a Physician Assistant who completed her Master’s Degree at the University of New England in 2006. Prior to joining our health care team she worked at a community health center in Sanford, Maine. Kate has a BS in psychology and worked as a mental health therapist at a day hospital in Pennsylvania prior to completing her master’s studies. She also works as a volunteer ski instructor for the White Mountain Adaptive Ski School in Lincoln, NH. Kate’s medical interests include women’s health, child and adolescent medicine and cardiology. Her personal interests include skiing, hiking, kayaking, traveling and spending time with her husband Ben and daughters Chloe and Mackenzie.

---

Joseph Fahey, M.D.
   Dr. Fahey moved here in March 2008 to begin work as our first pediatrician. He graduated UMass Medical School. Since finishing pediatric residency at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, he has worked in a variety of practice situations with equal time spent as an outpatient general pediatrician and an inpatient teaching attending at UMass Medical Center in the Department of Pediatrics.
    Dr. Fahey enjoys spending time with his three beautiful daughters. He also enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing and just about all sports.

---

Gale Johnsen, Ph.D., M.S.N.
Family Nurse Practitioner
     Gale Johnsen is a family nurse practitioner who rejoined the SVHC team in 2008. She received undergraduate degrees in nursing and sociology from the University of Southern Maine, master and doctoral degrees from Boston College, and a postgraduate certificate in family practice from Simmons College. In addition to many years working as a family nurse practitioner in primary care, Gale has taught at the graduate level. Her clinical interests include women’s health, geriatrics, and mental health.
    Gale believes in being an active part of her community and is also a passionate fiddler, playing at many local events. She lives with her husband David on a small farm, where she enjoys her horse, dog, cats, and chickens.