This is a rebroadcast of an earlier show (original air date December 18, 2019); no calls will be taken.
Maine’s primarily rural population is served by hospitals that are increasingly struggling to maintain the resources, staff and up-to-date health care that is needed to serve their surrounding communities. In the past year, two — Penobscot Valley Hospital and Calais Regional Hospital — have entered bankruptcy. We discuss the particular challenges that face rural hospitals, and what innovative solutions Maine’s rural health care leaders are pursuing to keep these hospitals strong.
Guests
Peter Wright, president, Bridgton and Rumford hospitals, Central Maine Healthcare
Lisa Letourneau, senior advisor of delivery system change, Maine Department of Health & Human Services; leader of rural health transformation work for DHHS
Kris Doody, chief executive officer, Cary Medical Center
Norm Dinerman (by phone), medical director, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center Transfer Center, LifeFlight of Maine
Andrew Helman, attorney, Murray, Plumb & Murray
Resources
- Maine Hospital Association: The Rural Maine Hospital Crisis: How To Help
- Maine’s emergency medical response system is teetering on the brink of collapse
- 5 rural Maine hospitals, including one in bankruptcy, will get expert help to run sustainably
- Rural Hospitals Say ‘Medicare For All’ Would End Up 'Closing Our Doors'
- State-by-state breakdown of 113 rural hospital closures
- Press Herald: Our View: Rural hospitals close at an alarming rate
- MaineHealth completes hospital consolidation
- No Mercy: After The Hospital Closes, How Do People Get Emergency Care?