The Bangor Daily News was the first to report this story. What you’re reading here would likely not be made public without the efforts of professional journalists asking questions, interviewing sources and obtaining documents.
Penobscot Community Health Care is trying to transfer some of its services to other organizations as the struggling provider tries to avoid declaring bankruptcy.
The Warren Center for Speech and Hearing could close in the next two months if the provider can’t finalize a deal that would continue audiology under a different organization, and Unlimited Solutions Clubhouse is on track to be taken over by Kennebec Behavioral Health, according to a statement from PCHC.
These reductions in services come after the organization, which is considered a safety net provider for low-income Mainers, announced in late August that it needed $3 million within the next two months to avoid drastically cutting services or declaring bankruptcy. Losing PCHC services will further strain a healthcare network in the region that is already stretched thin.
The healthcare provider already announced a round of layoffs at the beginning of the month.
“We know these changes have serious consequences for employees, the people who rely on these programs, and the communities we serve and wish they were not necessary,” Lori Dwyer, PCHC president and CEO, said. “Our commitment is that we will continue to make the critical changes in structure and scope necessary to strengthen PCHC for the long term and be here for our communities.”
Two overnight positions in the organization’s transitional housing program have also been eliminated, with those responsibilities now under the purview of on-call staff.
PCHC also will not give any of its employees raises this year or fund 2025 discretionary retirement contributions as part of “broader efforts to reduce costs and preserve cash as PCHC works to stabilize its financial position.”
The Warren Center had already stopped providing speech therapy service after providers left the organization, and those services will not be restarted, according to the statement.
Unlimited Solutions Clubhouse helps adults with mental illness with jobs and education, independent living and social support. The Waterville-based Kennebec Behavioral Health has “preliminarily agreed” to take over the service, but if the transfer isn’t finalized, the clubhouse would close on Nov. 30.
Mention of PCHC’s chief financial officer has also been scrubbed from its website, although the organization declined to comment through a spokesperson when asked about its CFO earlier this month.
The additional changes also come as the city of Bangor is moving forward with plans to exercise its right of first refusal to buy a PCHC property, effectively disrupting a deal that would’ve allowed the healthcare organization to more quickly sell the building to another medical provider.
PCHC is Maine’s largest federally qualified health center and provides care regardless of insurance or ability to pay at clinics in Bangor, Brewer, Old Town, Belfast and Jackman.
State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have urged the Mills administration to provide emergency funding for PCHC.