AUGUSTA — The head of the state’s largest health system told lawmakers Thursday that hospitals need help from the state to ensure vital services are available statewide for years to come.
Dr. Andy Mueller, CEO of MaineHealth, described the hospital system’s recent decision to close the labor and delivery unit at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta as “incredibly gut wrenching.”
But he warned that a focus on maternity services alone will miss other potentially more impactful decisions in the future. For example, Mueller said trauma services and general surgery are under pressure as well.
“While it might be tempting to try to solve the issue around maternity with specific policies or specific legislative action, I really do think this is a much bigger, broader conversation,” he told members of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee. “There are potentially some unintended consequences trying to solve this piecemeal.”
The committee met Thursday to hear from the hospital system about what led to the planned closure of the labor and delivery unit and to hear from members of the public who have fought against it.
Since 2015, 11 hospital birthing units have closed across Maine.
Although MaineHealth announced its decision to close the unit earlier this month, those who live near the hospital asked lawmakers Thursday to force the hospital to keep it open while other options are considered.
The closure is scheduled for mid-December.
Opponents are concerned that travel time to Brunswick for a delivery will take far too long, particularly if they get stuck in traffic in Wiscasset or have to deal with bad weather.
“In a Maine winter, an obstetrician an hour away might as well be on the moon,” retired Dr. Constance Adler told the committee.
When it comes to the MaineHealth decision, hospital President Cindy Wade said they tried for six years to recruit physicians to the area. But a low birth rate — 132 babies were born at the hospital last year — combined with the pressures of needing to be on call kept doctors from wanting to come to the area, she said.
Also, among those who live locally, 68% are already deciding to give birth elsewhere, she said.
In addition to fewer births, Maine is a state with a large older population, Mueller said. Maine is ahead of the national aging curve with 25% of the population 65 years old or older.
Much of the nation is facing a similar dilemma with fewer babies being born and an aging population. And once people are old enough to join Medicare, reimbursement rates to hospitals fall while the need for expensive care goes up, Mueller said.
“We’re facing a huge crisis,” he said. “We’re all going to have to put our heads together and figure out how to solve for it.”