Publications and Resources

Sweetser Annual Report

Sweetser’s Annual Report is published in the winter. The report is available in Adobe Acrobat format.

Annual Report 2011-2012 (PDF, 3.04 MB)

In the midst of the challenging combination of budget cuts, healthcare reform and prolonged economic slowdown, hard work, creative interventions and charitable donations help us along the way. This annual report highlights our continued success - success which equates to good things for those who come to use our services.

Annual Report 2010-2011 (PDF, 4.40 MB)

This annual report focuses on Sweetser's vision of helping people create promising futures. We remain committed to providing quality services in our communities, at a time when we face an increasing demand for services with diminishing sources of traditional funding. The hard work from our many fine staff and a continued confidence in us from those we served have all been critical in achieving the very positive results we present here.

Annual Report 2009-2010 (PDF, 2.93 MB)

We have had a memorable year. Sweetser has expanded programs of services to better respond to community needs and streamlined some programs to ensure their future capabilities. We have created early intervention programs and diversified intervention with peer services.

Annual Report 2008-2009 (PDF, 2.08 MB)

If it were not for the support of many Sweetser friends and supporters, many more needy Maine citizens would go without vital services that include therapy, housing and education. Our Board, staff and volunteers are doing everything possible to help meet the needs of those who turn to us for help. Cost cutting has become a routine focus. Balancing a growing demand for services with fewer staff and without jeopardizing the quality of care we provide is our greatest challenge. We continue to make adjustments, always prioritizing to best serve the 13,000 Mainers who depend on Sweetser.

Annual Report 2007-2008 (PDF, 1.89 MB)

Our donors, volunteers, staff and friends have been extremely supportive of the organization’s mission. In addition, Sweetser receives in excess of 10,000 calls a month through our PromiseLine. The following pages demonstrate our successful efforts. As always, we are indebted to those who volunteer and donate to our charitable cause. When resources shrink, demand always increases. Many heart-wrenching stories have had happy endings because of the responsiveness of Sweetser staff.

Annual Report 2006-2007 (PDF, 813 KB)

Maine people who have come to count on our organization will always be able to count on assistance from Sweetser. We will look a little different as a result of the changes, but we look a lot different now than when we started our commitment to Maine citizens 179 years ago!

Annual Report 2005-2006 (PDF, 901 KB)

Sweetser served more than 16,000 people in the last fiscal year. Throughout the year, our staff and board have embraced opportunities to practice innovative and effective behavioral healthcare, and to serve as educators and spokespeople for the benefits of such care. Sweetser is led with the belief that a comprehensive network of behavioral healthcare is an essential element of our communities.

Annual Report 2005 (PDF, 1.15 MB)

We are helping Maine communities discover hope through locally accessible and expert behavioral healthcare. In 1991, we served about 200 children; during this past year, we surpassed 20,000. We have celebrated many accomplishments and new initiatives this year, including new programs and facilities, technological advances and international recognition.

The Sweetser Report

The Sweetser Report is Sweetser’s newsletter. Recent editions are available in Adobe Acrobat format.

Spring 2013 Report (PDF, 3.33 MB)

Fall 2012 Report (PDF, 2.13 MB)

Our Fall report highlights the 10th anniversary of our Learning & Recovery Center, a community garden project, Sweetser's sponsorship and participation in National Recovery Month events and recently awarded grants.

Spring 2012 Report (PDF, 1.15 MB)

Read about the new partnerships we're building with primary care practices throughout Maine. This edition also includes highlight from a visit to our School in Saco by Senator Susan Collins, grants we have received and program updates.

Fall 2011 Sweetser Report (PDF, 3.42 MB)

This report takes a closer look at the services Sweetser provides, as well as the mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations community partners. It also highlights a new service, telepsychiatry, and the new partnership we have forged with DFD Russell to provide psychiatric treatment via video link technology. The School at Sweetser in Saco's 20th Anniversary and the Pendleton Awards are also featured.

Sweetser Report Spring 2011 (PDF, 1.19 MB)

Reflecting on the myriad of activities that this organization is engaged in, to achieve the multitude of accomplishments we have enjoyed over the many years we have been providing services is a marvel. Programs like Wraparound exemplify the all-encompassing approach to treating clients and helping them create promising futures.

Sweetser Report Summer 2010 (PDF, 342 KB)

As you read this newsletter you will see the results of our change process. New efforts with infants and their families, creative systems approach through high fidelity wraparound service and statewide warm line services to folks negotiating living successully in their communities. Enjoy your reading and keep in mind the huge effort our wonderful staff undertake for Sweetser to be successful.

Sweetser Report Fall 2009 (PDF, 830 KB)

We have strengthened our relationship with public schools by offering both local school services or special out-of-district services. We have engaged families with new cost effective services such as our summer Camp Endeaver. We are proud to be near completion of our Electronic Client Records (ECR) initiative, which is enhancing the coordination and quality of client care. Difficult times for children and families was the motivation for incorporating the Sweetser Home in 1828. It seems only fi tting that 181 years later, with a larger special-needs population, that our mission continues.

Sweetser Report Spring 2009 (PDF, 1.64 MB)

The world in which we live has become a very different place than we are accustomed. Job losses, credit crunch, foreclosures, deficits and business closings are all too often the topic and sound bites of the day. In the smaller world in which Sweetser finds itself, these topics exasperate an all-too-often difficult situation. Homelessness, unemployment and hopelessness just compound the difficulties children, adults and families confront on a daily basis.

Sweetser Report Summer 2008 (PDF, 1.50 MB)

Change…it means different things to different people. Some good, some not-so-good, but, like the seasons, regardless of our wishes, change comes and goes. This Sweetser Report shares some changes with you. Changes that are both embraced and challenged by many. The constant is that change is a part of both our personal and professional lives. We have been exceptionally blessed to have committed board members, donors, staff and friends who support us and give us inspiration.

Sweetser Report Spring 2007 (PDF, 1.45 MB)

As one family recently told us, “Sweetser’s services were excellent and provided a safe haven for my daughter during a time of great stress. Your staff ’s ability to mediate our conflict and relate to my daughter was invaluable.” We work diligently every day to achieve outcomes like this and improve lives. In addition, we continue to uncover innovative and exciting ways to advance the system of delivering care to those in need. Sweetser is a critical public voice on issues surrounding behavioral healthcare, and we continue to push for improvement in the lives of those we serve.

Sweetser Report Winter 2006 (PDF, 331 KB)

This edition of the SWEETSER REPORT reflects our many recent accomplishments, which have been critically important as both our staff and clients endure very turbulent times. As the state of Maine attempts to reduce taxes, structurally reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services, manage client care, reduce rates to providers and solve financial issues, the bottom line for Sweetser and those we serve is that costs are up and revenues are down. These issues are challenging nonprofits across the state. Their effects—staff reductions, service limitations and program closures—if not carefully thought out, have negative impacts on all involved.

Sweetser Report Summer 2006 (PDF, 2.17 MB)

While the landscape of Maine’s behavioral and mental health care system is undergoing a major makeover with the shift to a managed care environment, Sweetser’s staff and volunteers continue to work to provide exceptional care to those we serve. While sometimes it is an uphill struggle, the route is often a rewarding one. This edition of the SWEETSER REPORT highlights new opportunities, success stories, and the good works of our wonderful employees and friends.

Sweetser Report Summer 2005 (PDF, 685 KB)

Sweetser recently developed a unique strategic partnership to provide and expand access to outpatient therapy and psychiatry services in Portlandand Saco, and across the state of Maine. In addition to providing outpatient therapy and psychiatry services. Sweetser will continue to look for new ways to realize our shared objectives of increasing access to high-quality, cost-effective services for our clients, which may include additional partnerships, acquisition, merger, or other means of integration for Maine’s children, adults and families.

Speaker's Bureau

Sweetser has a team of employees that makes presentations to civic clubs, organizations and community groups about Sweetser. In addition, our employees are available to serve as topic resources for the media. As a leader in behavioral health care in Maine for nearly 200 years, Sweetser employs a team of professionals who are experts in their fields. Our team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, registered nurses, clinicians, educators, administrators and social workers with a variety of specializations. Please contact Stephanie Hanner at shanner@sweetser.org or 1-800-434-3000 and we would be happy to connect you with an appropriate expert.

Sweetser Radio Minutes

Sweetser has aired 60-second radio spots called Sweetser Radio Minutes on several radio stations in southern and midcoast Maine. The spots featured Sweetser staff sharing helpful parenting tips. Learn more.

Contact Us

For more information about Sweetser's publications, contact Stephanie Hanner at shanner@sweetser.org or 1-800-434-3000.

What Our Clients Are Saying

I am so proud to be a part of the Sweetser team, and with my recent return to the organization, feel like I've come home to family again. I started working for Sweetser about 15 years ago as an ed tech in the School, under Gail Lawrence. I then worked at the School in Windham under Tom Bouchard....

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