FARMINGTON – Rebecca Ryder considers Franklin County health care programs that focus on wellness instead of sickness to be exciting.

That wasn’t her only reason to return to Maine as Franklin Community Health Network’s president in early January, though.

“There’s something about coming home,” she said Monday.

Raised in the Scarborough area, she was nursing in the Portland area when she found her way into hospital administration. She left Maine for administrative work that led her to Utah, Washington and Texas before her return.

“I thought I knew about the wonderful work being done here but now I’m thrilled to see it in action,” she said of the network’s staff, primary and specialties care.

While the hospital still treats sick people, work being done to keep people well in Franklin County is the backbone of its mission, she said.

“Other places do a horrible job at keeping people well,” she said, noting she had visited here in the 1990s to learn about wellness programs. “I read about the organization but it was way ahead of it’s time,” she said.

Ryder also has her eye on challenges facing FMH, she said.

The economy is taking its toll on the medical field. The number of patients under the hospital’s charity care has increased 100 percent, she said. That includes patients who are unemployed and those who can’t meet insurance copays or deductibles. The challenge will be to free up hospital resources to meet demand, she said.

Another challenge is to get the $12.7 million owed to FMH by the state for MaineCare and Medicare treatment. The governor said last week the money would be paid from the national stimulus package, she said.

While part of the hospital’s mission is to see all patients, Ryder sees the need for FMH to live on a tight budget.

She expects to see national health care reform, including changes to health care funding, and to malpractice reform. She also expects to see more emphasis on wellness.

Another challenge all hospitals face is the need to recruit experienced health care providers, she said.

Still, the hospital remains the community’s safety net, the place to go for medical or mental needs, she said.

The mission for FMH is to provide care for every patient and the tools to regain health and lead healthier lives, Ryder said.