AUGUSTA — Maine’s top health official says he supports vaccinations and efforts to help parents make an informed decision. But he says a bill that would’ve made it more difficult for parents to opt out of immunizations went too far. The “informed consent” bill would have required parents seeking philosophic exemptions to vaccinations to obtain the […]
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Posted inOxford Hills, sj-web
Maine CDC says E. coli death investigation to take several days
OXFORD — Maine authorities say it will be several days before they comment on the results of an investigation into two cases in which Androscoggin County children were hospitalized with symptoms associated with E. coli. The agency says both children attended the Oxford County Fair in September and visited animals barns and a petting zoo. […]
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Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Lewiston-Auburn, Oxford Hills
Superintendent reports confirmed case of viral meningitis
PARIS — Oxford Hills School District Superintendent Rick Colpitts has notified parents of a confirmed case of viral meningitis in SAD 17. The affected student has been identified as a fifth-grader. Colpitts is prohibited from revealing specific information under federal law, but he said the notification to school officials appears to have been done quickly […]
Posted inMaine
Oversight committee reviews report on workplace culture at Maine DHHS
AUGUSTA — The state’s largest agency may include “unfit” supervisors and the occasional “despicable” boss, but most employees of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services are satisfied with the workplace culture. A recent report issued by the nonpartisan Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability received close scrutiny from the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee […]
Posted inMaine
Ethics bill passes Maine House with broad support
AUGUSTA — A bill that aims to ensure all state employees follow the same set of ethical standards was approved with little debate and broad bipartisan support in the Maine House of Representatives on a 134-13 vote Thursday. The bill, LD 6, is the result of a document-shredding scandal at the Maine Center for Disease Control […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Secretary of state vows fixes for records retention program
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap told a legislative committee Friday that he will immediately begin to implement recommendations from a working group that found that the state’s records retention program is in disarray. The Secretary of State’s Office oversees the State Archives, which is responsible for keeping or discarding public records. Dunlap said he plans […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Lewiston’s mayor supports change to tighten lead exposure laws in Maine
AUGUSTA — Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald said the poorest children in his city have enough obstacles to overcome in their lives and he hopes state lawmakers will work to make sure lead poisoning is no longer one of them. Testifying before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Monday, Macdonald said he supports a […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Maine’s record retention program in disarray
AUGUSTA — A working group has found the state’s records retention program is in disarray, a problem that could cause public records to be destroyed — and has already been a factor in a document-shredding scandal within the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The working group found that 60 percent of state agencies […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Sheila Pinette resigns from Maine CDC
AUGUSTA — Dr. Sheila Pinette has resigned as the state’s chief health officer a month after taking the job, hastening an organizational shakeup at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Pinette has served as the state’s top public health official since 2011. She oversaw the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention during […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
DHHS commissioner replaces, reassigns Maine CDC director
Sheila Pinette is no longer head the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention. However, even without managing the department, it appears she will still be responsible for a number of the public health-related duties she had at the CDC. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, said Tuesday that […]