MaineHealth will close Lincoln Hospital’s labor and delivery unit in December

MaineHealth has announced its decision to close the labor and delivery unit at Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, effective December 18th. The health system's board of trustees made the announcement after months of deliberation and community opposition. The closure will result in the 12th maternity unit in Maine to cease operations since 2015, leaving three counties without hospitals that deliver babies.

This decision leaves fewer than half of Maine's 34 hospitals capable of providing birthing services. Prominent figures, including Governor Janet Mills, U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree, and all three gubernatorial candidates, had urged the hospital to reconsider and maintain birthing services in Damariscotta. MaineHealth's statement assured that the closure would not occur again within the next two years and called for state lawmakers and the incoming governor to address the challenges facing labor and delivery units in rural communities.

The health system cited low birth rates and the difficulty in recruiting a consistent staff as reasons for the closure. MaineHealth intends to transition towards a new regional model, linking OB-GYN services between its hospitals in Damariscotta and Brunswick. While Lincoln Hospital will continue to offer prenatal, postpartum care, including ultrasounds, fertility services, and postpartum counseling, labor and delivery services will no longer be available on-site.

Patients will be redirected to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, or any other facility of their choice, for childbirth.