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This week we’re bringing you the latest story in our series on maternity care in Maine.
Nine hospitals in Maine have closed or announced plans to close their birthing units in the past decade; roughly half of Maine’s 36 hospitals do not offer birthing services. Last year saw the announcement of birthing unit closures at hospitals in Belfast and Waterville, both of which will cease offering the service this spring (the hospital in Waterville announced this week that it would close entirely in June).
Mainers around the state are now driving hours round-trip for care; more emergency medical service workers are getting a crash course in delivering babies and caring for newborns, and providers everywhere are searching desperately for solutions.
It’s a problem without an easy answer, driven in part by falling birth rates, physician shortages and financial strain. But there are some answers, and this week, we’ll focus on what is already underway in Maine and what else could be done to provide a pathway out of the crisis.
We’ve also got updates on the dams on the Kennebec River, health care workers on the use of artificial intelligence, a great new episode of The Maine Monitor Radio Hour and a story from our partners at the Bangor Daily News and ProPublica on the barrage of federal investigations into Maine.
One last note: The maternity care series (like many Monitor stories) is the result of months of reporting – more than twenty interviews, countless hours of research, and hours of back-and-forth on edits and fact-checking. It’s the kind of careful journalism we do at The Monitor, and it takes time and resources. Thank you to everyone who helps us do what we do, and especially this week to those members and new members who helped us meet (and surpass!) our goal of raising $30,000 to support our work.
Enjoy the beautiful spring weather this weekend, and happy reading.
–Kate
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