Unless something changes soon, Houlton Regional Hospital will become the 10th main hospital in 10 years, closing off the birth force and leaving only a few of the remaining 32 community hospitals in the state that provide birth services.
York Hospital closed its birth force in 2023.
Supported by the Maine Nurse Association and its affiliates nationwide, the Hollton nurses were called a protest meeting that attracted 200 people, followed by candlelights and a petition signed by 1,400 people.
A few years ago, I was told by a veteran hospital administrator that the maternity ward is always at a loss, like a 24-hour emergency room, except for the largest hospital. The reason hospitals provided birth services is that going to the hospital is one of the few positive reasons, otherwise linked to severe illness and death.
Hospitals used revenues from more compensation services, primarily surgical inpatient stays, to make up for the differences. No one ever talked about making a profit. Even the break was sufficient.
That was the case. Currently, 32 acute care hospitals in Maine are owned primarily by two companies. North Lights in Bangor and Portland's main health – and North Lights are under severe financial stress. Neither shows responsibility for closure of these popular services.
The new scenery is amazing. All but two counties have single hospital birth centers, but there are none in the Waldo and Sagadahoc counties.
The surprising exception is the population has declined from 97,000 in 1980 to 67,000 today. Does Arostock County still have birth centers in both Caribou and Presque Isle?
The reason is clear. CaryMedicalCenter is Maine's only municipally owned hospital and is owned by the few city of Caribou in New England.
In contrast, one hospital serves two people in York and Cumberland counties in Boydford, both from Cumberland counties in Portland, covering 38% of Maine residents (543,000), or eight times the population of Aroostook.
Public ownership leads to different priorities. Carey recently opened a “state-of-the-art” birth center and won the Best Hospital Women's Choice Award in Obstetrics. For some reason, this 63-bed hospital makes it work.
If you're looking for worse hospital news, consider the imminent closure of Waterville's inland hospital, which will close clinical services on May 27th and close soon after. We celebrated our 80th birthday in 2023.
Inland is Maine's only osteopathic disability hospital, an equivalent source of expertise on behalf of the more familiar MDS, and is the training ground at the University of New England Bideford University, Maine's only medical school, which uses the osteopathic curriculum and offers degrees.
The Inland End Mise leaves 31 community hospitals in Maine, making you wonder how many more people can survive another decade. People in Farmington, Scowhegan and Dover Foxcroft are vulnerable when it comes to hospital births. Everything has reduced 25 beds as a “critical access” hospital, increasing federal rebates and limited staff.
With community hospitals and independent physician practices, how did you get here with the species at risk? It was a long, winding road.
The usual explanation of the closure of birth centers is not convincing. Yes, births are on the rise, but the total is negligible. 97% of Maine women still give birth in hospitals.
And that's true Maine's birth rate, but it's been getting better recently, as most states have seen a decline in fertility rates. According to the Census Bureau, Maine is currently the 14th fastest growing state and should experience an increase in births.
No, the real reason is that the American healthcare system (where called the system) is based on maximizing revenue rather than providing services to the public.
Maine hospital businesses are charities that are technically nonprofits under state tax laws, but now operate like a huge healthcare company that controls health insurance and medicines. They can't explain to the public or even the government.
I continue to look north at Canada, where the Medicare system was installed very differently from us in the 1960s. Services, not services, they call songs. Services are assigned to address public needs rather than private companies' requirements.
Patients do not receive the bill. Doctors can practice independently. The cost of the system is less per capita than we do. And yes, you may wait for an elective surgery, but no one is denied care.
Of all the reasons to fantasize about main joining Canada, this is undoubtedly the most substantive.
Douglas Lukes is a Maine editor, columnist and reporter and has been a reporter for 40 years. His new research from the Ken Curtis administration, author of four books, is scheduled for next year. He welcomes comments at drooks@tds.net
