AUGUSTA –– A joint Maine legislative committee is asking MaineHealth to hold off on plans to close a Damariscotta birthing center.
The Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee has asked the healthcare nonprofit to “reconsider or pause their decision” to close the birthing center at Lincoln Hospital.
“The committee is strongly urging MaineHealth to delay the Lincoln Hospital closure until an independent consultant can fully assess the factors driving the decision and evaluate any viable alternatives,” said state Rep. Kristi Mathieson (D-Kittery), one of the committee’s co-chairs. “The committee believes a short-term pause, to allow for this independent assessment, will benefit all parties and help to restore MaineHealth's relationship with the county.”
MaineHealth announced on Aug. 6 that it had decided to close the center as of Dec. 18. The decision came despite a groundswell of support that included Gov. Janet Mills, several gubernatorial candidates, and the Miles Delivery Action Coalition. The coalition is a grassroots organization that has been campaigning for MaineHealth to keep the center open.
The committee met on Aug. 27 to hear testimony from members of the coalition, along with health care practitioners and other state officials about what, if anything, can be done to stop the closure.
According to Sen. Donna Bailey (D-Saco), the committee’s other co-chair, the committee decided to send their request in writing to MaineHealth. The committee is also asking the senate president and speaker of the house to add an additional committee meeting “to review policy recommendations and discuss potential legislation and budget priorities for the next legislative session.”
Leslie Wolf is co-founder of the coalition. An expectant mother herself, she is due in November, mere weeks before the closure. She said she still believes she will deliver at the center, but with the impending closure she’s worried that staff members will leave before then.
“I feel moderately hopeful that some of my providers will still be there at the time of me giving birth, but it’s definitely not the most encouraging feeling,” she said.
Wolf said she first heard MaineHealth might close the center months ago, and said she felt “whiplash” at the news. The center is a 10-minute drive from her house, and if it closed before her due date, she might have had to go to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, 40 miles away.
Wolf said even she isn’t getting a lot of direct answers to questions about her own care, and those with due dates after the closure, she said, are hearing even less.
“When I ask questions, I sort of receive a lot of I-don’t-knows, because there doesn’t seem to be a clear plan in place for patient continuity of care, which is concerning and disappointing,” she said.
Among other reasons, MaineHealth has cited staffing issues as prompting the closure, but Coalition Member Leah Hurwitz said testimony on Aug. 27 from practitioners seemed to contradict that claim.
“We don’t buy the story that there’s nobody who wants to work here,” she said. “That’s not the case.”
Hurwitz said she and other coalition members were happy with the committee’s actions.
“It’s the first time we’ve felt hopeful in a long time,” she said.
Wolf said she wasn’t sure if the committee could make MaineHealth change its mind, but did say she felt her concerns were heard.
“I think it was fantastic that they showed deep concern for this and also asked directly for a pause to the closure and for more information,” she said.
MaineHealth declined to address the committee’s request, but instead issued a statement saying, “We appreciate the Joint Legislative Committee’s concerns and recognize this is a deeply personal issue for patients, families and our community. This was a difficult decision, grounded in our commitment to provide safe, reliable access to obstetrical care now and over the long term. Our focus remains on continuing to listen to the community’s concerns, supporting patients, and providing regular updates as this work continues.”