MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital will host a public forum via Zoom on Wednesday to introduce independent experts reviewing the data and process behind the decision to close the labor and delivery unit at the hospital.
In a Monday press release, MaineHealth Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Kathleen Taggersell said the review team will assess whether alternatives considered by the hospital’s management were “reasonable, feasible, and sustainable.”
On Aug. 6, MaineHealth voted to close the labor and delivery unit at Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta on Friday, Dec. 18. The decision came after two other votes from the MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital Local Board and the Coastal Region Board.
In the announcement of the closure, MaineHealth said it will not close any additional labor and delivery programs anywhere in the health system during the next two years.
Under the new regional model, the Damariscotta and Brunswick-based hospitals would operate as “one coordinated regional OB-GYN and certified nurse midwife team,” hospital officials said in the announcement. Patients will be transitioned to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick.
Lincoln Hospital President Cindy Wade said in a Tuesday interview that the creation of the review team and forum is for transparency, as well as more input on the assessment and to see if there are any alternatives that can be approached. The research will consider if the decision to close the labor and delivery unit is reasonable and appropriate, she said.
“It’s really transparency, but also, because they have in-depth experience in rural maternity care, workforce sustainability, community engagement, and other things,” Wade said.
According to the press release, the five-member review team brings in knowledge from areas such as maternal-fetal medicine, family medicine, nurse midwifery, public health and healthcare operations.
Wade said the idea for the review came after the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance, and Financial Services Committee held a hearing on Aug. 27, at which committee members suggested a third-party review of the assessment that led to the decision to close the unit.
She said after conversation at the senior team level of MaineHealth, the organization decided to move forward with creating a review team to see if all possibilities were looked at and considered.
At the Wednesday forum, community members will be able to meet who is on the team and can send in questions beforehand to a designated email.
Taggersell said reviewers are free to reach conclusions that differ from those of MaineHealth or other stakeholders. If the review team comes up with any opposing information, Wade said it would remain in the hands of MaineHealth’s three boards — local, regional and system — if there will be reconsideration of the closure.
“I’m appreciative of the fact that we’ve been able to have independent experts come in and take a look at this,” Wade said. “I think that is certainly, you know, something we welcome. So, we look forward to hearing what their feedback is.”
The review team is expected to have a full report by Dec. 11 and Wade said it will then be up to the MaineHealth system to make a consideration based on the results.
Conversation surrounding the closure started before the decision was made. For months, community members, including the grassroots Miles Delivers Action Coalition, pushed back against the closure, bringing in attention for local and state politicians. The coalition has since transitioned its work to focusing on reversing the decision and finding alternatives to the closure.
In a Sunday email from the coalition, members urged the community to submit public comments by Friday to support the state’s proposed maternity care closure rules and asking the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to “strengthen them further.”
The email references that Maine recently enacted a law that requires hospitals give a 120-day notice before closing labor and delivery services, pushing for the citizen-led petition to use the legislation in favor of reversing the decision.
On April 3, Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 2189, An Act to require Prior Notification of Closures of Labor and Delivery Units and Changes in Maternity or Newborn Care Services by Hospitals as Recommended by the Commission to Evaluation the Scope of Regulatory Review and Oversight over Health Care Transactions That Impact the Delivery of Health Care Services in the State.
“But advance alone isn’t enough,” the email said. “Patients need clear communication, continuity of care, and assurance that hospitals are prepared for obstetric.”
The independent review public forum is from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday. Questions for the review team can be sent in advance to lincolnfeedback@mainehealth.org.
This story appears through a media partnership with The Lincoln County News.