Maine Policy Review Cited in Critical Article on Potential Labor and Delivery Unit Closure

Maine Policy Review was recently cited in Maine Morning Star: A legal battle is underway over MaineHealth’s proposed closure of the birthing center at Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, where local pregnant resident Corrinna Stum and the Miles Delivers Action Coalition have filed a lawsuit to block the move. The closure will expand rural “maternity deserts,” forcing local families to travel over 40 minutes for obstetrical care. While MaineHealth attributes the decision to recruitment difficulties and declining birth rates rather than finances, the article points to a 2025 analysis in Maine Policy Review by Dr. Dora Anne Mills, MaineHealth’s own chief health improvement officer, which cautions that spreading maternity deserts consistently leads to worse maternal and infant health outcomes.