SCARBOROUGH, Maine - Maine is in the midst of a boom in new urgent care centers, with several starting up in the past few years.
The Portland Press Herald reports that new centers have opened in Yarmouth, Portland, Brunswick and Saco. The newest is located in Scarborough. A state website says Maine has at least 23 urgent care centers.
The industry is also growing at the national level. Urgent care centers are a $15 billion industry that grew 8 percent from 2009 to 2014. An Arizona-based health care consulting company says 6 percent annual growth is expected over the next five years.
Maine Quality Counts Executive Director Lisa Letourneau says the quick, less expensive walk-in clinics are growing because more people have health insurance and deductibles have gotten more expensive.