Mount Desert Island residents are expressing frustration with MDI hospital leadership who have announced that the hospital will close its labor and delivery unit.
Some residents said the decision raises fundamental questions about the future of the island.
"Do we see this as a place where young people want to come and have families?" asked Susan Letcher. "Do we see this as a year-round community that we build together, or do we see it as a place that the insurance companies make the decisions and the wealthy people make the decisions?"
Hospital officials announced the closure last week, citing declining birth rates. The nearest hospital with a labor and delivery unit will be Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth.
But residents said that can be a long, slow drive during the busy tourist season. They said that means patients could be stuck.
"Women will continue to have babies on the island, and whether that's at home or on the side of the road with the police and the ambulance coming," Paige Steele said.
Hospital officials attribute the decision to declining birth rates in the area- so low, in fact, that staff could have trouble maintaining skills and certifications.
