Patty Wight

News Producer
  • Maine Public

Patty is a graduate of the University of Vermont and a multiple award-winning reporter for Maine Public Radio. Her specialty is health coverage: from policy stories to patient stories, physical health to mental health and anything in between. Patty joined Maine Public Radio in 2012 after producing stories as a freelancer for NPR programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She got hooked on radio at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, and hasn’t looked back ever since.

Ways to Connect

Biddeford Provider Says DHHS Was Responsible For Death At Facility

By • 3 hours ago

The CEO of the company that lost its contract with the state after the death of an adult resident in its care says the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible.

Maine DHHS Ends Contract With MaineCare Provider After Death At Facility

By & • Oct 22, 2019

The state announced Monday that it has terminated its MaineCare contract with a Biddeford-based provider following the death of an adult with developmental disabilities in August.

Feds Grant $15 Million To Maine To Clean Up Lead In Housing

By • Oct 18, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Maine is receiving nearly $15 million in federal grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to identify and clean up lead in low- to moderate-income housing.

Maine's Biological Science Industry Touts Growth Over Past 5 Years

By • Oct 17, 2019

Maine's life science sector, which includes companies such as IDEXX and Jackson Laboratory, has grown by 14% in the past five years, according to a new report from the Bioscience Association of Maine. 

Portland To Get Nearly $900K For Help With Asylum Seekers

By • Oct 12, 2019
Julie Pike / Maine Public

Maine's Congressional delegation announced Friday that the city of Portland, Preble Street Resource Center and the Jewish Community Alliance will receive nearly $900,000 in federal funding for the aid that they provided to hundreds of asylum seekers who arrived in Maine this summer. The bulk of the funding is being awarded to Portland's family shelter.

Former State Representative Enters Republican Race For Maine's 2nd District Seat

By • Oct 11, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Former state Rep. Dale Crafts has become the latest Republican to announce his bid to run for Maine's 2nd Congressional District and unseat Democrat Jaren Golden.

Maine Republicans Rally In Support Of Donald Trump Outside Jared Golden's Office

By • Oct 9, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Maine Republicans rallied outside of Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s Lewiston office on Tuesday to protest what they say is his lack of support for President Donald Trump.

Maine Supreme Court Hears Appeal Of Teen Held At Long Creek For 7 Months

By • Oct 7, 2019

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is considering an appeal in a case involving a teen boy who was detained at Long Creek Youth Development Center for seven months after being found incompetent to stand trial. Though the teen is now in residential treatment, his attorney argues that his case sets a bad precedent.

'It’s Just New People To Bond With' — Maine Host Families And Asylum Seekers Adjust To Life Together

By • Oct 5, 2019
Patty Wight / Maine Public

It has been six weeks since hundreds of asylum seekers — mostly from African countries — had to vacate the Portland Expo, and the housing search for these nearly 450 people continues.

Maine Behavioral Healthcare Opens Substance-Use Disorder Treatment Center in South Portland

By • Oct 3, 2019

Maine Behavioral Healthcare unveiled a new treatment center in South Portland Thursday for people with opioid and other substance-use disorders. It's the fifth so-called 'hub' for treatment under the MaineHealth system, and it’s the only one that operates in Cumberland County, which has the most drug overdose deaths in the state.

Four More Vaping-Related Lung Illnesses Reported In Maine

By • Oct 3, 2019
Craig Mitchelldyer / ap

Four new lung illnesses related to e-cigarette use have been reported in Maine, according to the state Center for Disease Control (CDC). That brings the total number of cases in Maine to five.  The cases in Maine add to the growing list of more than 800 hospitalizations reported nationwide, as well as twelve deaths.

Analysis: Maine Still Short Of Caseworkers, Despite Hirings

By • Oct 1, 2019

Maine has a shortage of caseworkers, according to a new analysis by the state Office of Child and Family Services.

Federal Data: 48 Maine Veterans Died By Suicide In 2017

By • Sep 30, 2019

Forty-eight veterans died by suicide in Maine in 2017, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — a number that has held relatively steady for the past several years.

Maine Fire Marshal's Office Says Leak In Propane Line Caused Farmington Explosion

By • Sep 28, 2019
BRIAN BECHARD / Maine Public

The state Fire Marshal says an explosion in Farmington that destroyed a social services agency earlier this month was caused by a leak in a propane line. Though the cause has been identified, the investigation into the blast is still not over.

State Senator Drafts Bill To Limit Sales Of E-cigarettes

By • Sep 27, 2019
Marco Verch / Flickr Creative Commons

Seven deaths and hundreds of lung injuries in people who use e-cigarettes have prompted Democratic state Senator Rebecca Millett to draft a bill that would ban the sale of the devices.

Pages