Downeast Community Partners says it's terminating a program that provides in-home support for mothers and children at the end of September because the state didn't renew its contract.
Nurse Jen Winter says she's one of four nurses who visit roughly 100 families a month under the program. She says she's worried that families won't get the support they need.
"Especially in such an area that is, I mean, we're losing birthing hospitals. Some of these families have to drive hours to see somebody."
But Lynnda Parker, associate director of public health nursing at the Maine CDC, says there will be no loss of services.
"We have been able to staff our state public health nurses in that area to position ourselves to take on the work," Parker says.
She says the CDC has grown the number of public health nurses across the state in recent years from a dozen to more than 40.
She says Downeast Community Partners and Bangor Public Health are the only two contracts for maternal and child health that the CDC did not renew.
