BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Negotiations aimed at averting a nurses strike at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor have broken down. Current plans call for the 833 unionized nurses to hold a one-day strike on Nov. 22. But the hospital administration says that if the strike takes place it will lock out the unionized […]
health care
Posted inLocal & State
LePage team says Dirigo will be replaced when it’s ‘Diri-gone’
AUGUSTA — A spokesman for Gov.-elect Paul LePage said Wednesday that the incoming governor will have a comprehensive plan to replace Dirigo Health and rejected criticism that the new administration’s plan to kill the program would benefit insurance companies. Dan Demeritt, LePage’s press secretary, said details of the governor-elect’s health care plan were still being […]
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Posted inConnections
Bates College’s Civic Forum series announced
LEWISTON — The Bates College Civic Forum series will begin in October with a panel discussion on education reform, followed by a presentation by an expert on health care finance. In a discussion titled “Wrestling with School Reform in Maine: National Strategies, Local Realities,” national and regional education experts will examine different approaches to reform […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Medical van brings health care to migrant workers
TURNER — Maurice Logan’s lower back had been hurting for weeks. It wasn’t enough to stop the 44-year-old Jamaican man from working at Ricker Hill Orchards harvesting apples, but he still ached for relief. He knew going to the doctor would have been expensive. A migrant worker, Logan sent all of his money home to […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Young Mainers to gain health coverage
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A consumer group says the new health care law that allows parents to keep children on their health insurance plan until age 26 will benefit 3,330 young people in Maine. US PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, says provisions that went into effect Thursday are the first of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
What others say about Dirigo
Maine Medical Association: Dirigo is good “We like Dirigo,” said Gordon Smith of the Maine Medical Association, which represents doctors. “The DirigoChoice product is run through a commercial company which pays commercial rates. It doesn’t create the problem we have with MaineCare (reimbursements)” because DirigoChoice makes full payments. The MMA’s highest priority is getting people […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Face transplant patient promotes organ donation
CLEVELAND (AP) — There is an initial shock upon first glance at Connie Culp, the woman who received the nation’s first face transplant nearly two years ago. She taps her way through the hospital waiting room, feeling along the floor with a cane and smiling hesitantly at a visitor, even though she can only make […]
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
Census: 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty. The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its […]
Posted inConnections, The Franklin Journal
Many health and wellness resources available
FARMINGTON — The Healthy Community Coalition is one of 28 Healthy Maine Partnerships that is spreading the word on resources available in Maine to help to promote health and wellness. One such resource is 2-1-1, a statewide information clearinghouse that offers free 24-hour service to the public. An individual with a chronic disease calling 2-1-1 […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Doctor’s orders in Maine, Mass: Eat your veggies
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Physicians fighting obesity have long told patients to eat their fruits and vegetables. Now they’re writing prescriptions for it. Health care providers are offering vouchers worth $1 per day to members of low-income families in Massachusetts and Maine participating in a new program. The idea is to boost consumption of fresh […]