Despite strong pushback, MaineHealth’s board has voted to close the labor and delivery unit at Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta.
The board announced Thursday that it’s transitioning labor and delivery services at the hospital to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick beginning Dec. 18.
The board said it’s committed to not closing any additional labor and delivery units for the next two years.
MaineHealth cited staffing challenges and low birth rates, while many including Gov. Janet Mills and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree urged the board to keep the unit open, saying the closure would force many expecting mothers to make long drives to the nearest delivery unit.
In a statement, Lincoln Hospital President Cindy Wade said:
“We recognize that changes to long-standing hospital services are deeply felt, especially by those who have advocated for and supported this care in our community. We are grateful to the patients, providers, care team members, community partners, elected officials, members of the Miles Delivers Action Coalition and many others who shared their perspectives and helped inform our assessment throughout this process.”
The maternity unit at Lincoln Hospital is the 12th one to close in Maine in the last 10 years.
A local woman, Corinna Stum, filed a lawsuit earlier in the week to prevent the closure.
Stum, who’s pregnant, said the closure would force her to drive to the nearest maternity ward 40 miles away to give birth.
In the suit, Stum’s lawyers dispute MaineHealth’s claims of low birth rates in the area, saying births at the hospital have actually increased in recent years.
In a statement on Facebook Thursday, the group Save Miles Labor and Delivery said:
“MaineHealth leadership has voted to close our labor & delivery unit despite many, many alternatives. One of the most harmful decisions our community will ever see. Cowardice. Plain and simple. They have ignored the voice of our governor, politicians on all sides, the local ambulance service, businesses far and wide, and they are creating a maternity desert in Lincoln County. This isn’t a hospital, it’s a morgue.”
The board says it will be expanding local gynecological services as part of the plan.
