MaineHealth’s decision to close the labor and delivery unit at Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta is part of a larger trend endangering pregnant women in rural America. Lincoln is slated to become the 12th Maine maternity unit to close since 2015. It is one of close to 100 closures across the nation since 2024.
That’s why Maine needs to address this issue as a public health crisis that requires a regional strategy, rather than as the latest in a string of individual hospital closures.
Preserving timely access to appropriate obstetric care keeps mothers and babies safer. Recently, the March of Dimes released a report showing that more than one-third of U.S. counties are now considered “maternity care deserts,” with no obstetric clinicians or birthing facilities. Pregnant women and their babies in these areas face higher risks of death than pregnant women and babies in areas with access to delivery care.
To read the full opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald, click here.