The MaineHealth Board of Trustees voted Thursday to approve what is being referred to as a regional model for women’s health care, a change that involves the closure of the existing labor and delivery unit at the Lincoln Hospital.

As part of this decision, however, MaineHealth has committed to not shuttering any more of its labor and delivery units over the next two years.

After December 18, 2026, inpatient labor and delivery services at Lincoln will be fully transitioned to MaineHealth’s Mid Coast Hospital.

According to a press release shared by MaineHealth, the new model “preserves comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care in Damariscotta” and “expands local gynecologic services.”

“Under the new regional model,” the organization explained, “MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital and MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital will operate as one coordinated regional OB/GYN and certified nurse midwife team, giving patients access to a broader clinical team while allowing them to receive all care other than Labor and Delivery close to home.”

Comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care will continue at Lincoln Hospital, as there are also plans to expand local gynecologic outpatient and surgical services.

“By working as one regional team with MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital, we can continue providing prenatal, postpartum and gynecologic care locally while connecting patients to a larger clinical team when it is time to give birth,” said Cindy Wade, RN, BSN, MHA, president of MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital.

In its press release, MaineHealth called upon the state government to take action addressing “the challenges of labor and delivery services in rural communities.”

The organization said that “despite sustained recruitment efforts,” Lincoln Hospital “has not been able to establish the stable physician and clinical staffing needed to safely support a reliable 24-hour Labor and Delivery program.”

“Providing maternity care requires a team of physicians, nurses, anesthesia professionals and support staff who are consistently available to respond to routine deliveries and life-threatening emergencies at any hour,” the statement said. “Following its assessment, management concluded it could not identify a staffing model capable of providing safe, reliable care over the long term.”

Patients currently receiving prenatal care at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital will work with their care teams to “develop individualized birthing plans that reflect their needs and preferences for Labor and Delivery services.”

MaineHealth explains that the December date was selected for the transition because it exceeds the state’s required 120-day notice and will allow patients already well into their pregnancies to maintain existing delivery plans as much as possible.

"We pursued every reasonable path we could identify because this decision was never about whether Labor and Delivery matters—it absolutely does," said MaineHealth Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mueller, MD. "It came down to one responsibility: determining whether we could continue providing safe, reliable care for every mother and every baby, every day and every night."

"The Board's commitment not to close any additional Labor and Delivery programs anywhere in the MaineHealth system during the next two years reflects our belief that the next chapter in strengthening rural maternity care should build upon – not pause – the important work already underway," Mueller continued.

Click Here to Read the Full Press Release

Maine Republicans have placed blame on years of Democrat-backed policies for creating an environment in which these kinds of closures are necessary.

In a letter sent to the MaineHealth Board of Trustees urging the organization not to move forward with plans to close the birthing unit, lawmakers noted that 11 hospital labor and delivery units have closed across Maine since 2015.

[RELATED: Maine Senate Republican Leader Calls on MaineHealth to Pause Lincoln Hospital Maternity Unit Closure]

Republican leaders have argued that the causes of these closures stem from years of Democratic control of state government and what they describe as inadequate MaineCare reimbursement policies.

Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) said the closure is a predictable outcome of years of state healthcare policy, while House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) argued that state spending priorities have come at the expense of core public services.

[RELATED: Maine Republicans Blame Democratic Policies for Proposed Closure of Lincoln Hospital Birthing Unit]

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) has also urged MaineHealth to consider “every possible avenue to preserve access to labor and delivery services in Damariscotta,” citing residents’ concerns over the expected impact of the closure.

“Beyond the specific circumstances at Lincoln Hospital, I fear the continued erosion of maternity care access statewide,” said Rep. Pingree in an open letter. “We must decide to draw a line somewhere, or risk sending the message that you cannot raise a family in Maine outside of our biggest cities.”

“Rural maternity care that is truly sustainable will require substantial policy change — from restoring the historic cuts to Medicaid in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to training more providers across rural settings, to boosting reimbursement rates,” she said.

Click Here to Read Rep. Pingree’s Full Letter

In addition to staffing shortages, MaineHealth has also brought attention to low birth volume at the Lincoln location, as well as how a large percentage of families living in the service area for the hospital choose to give birth elsewhere.

MaineHealth’s statistics show that only 32 percent of births among families living in Lincoln Hospital’s service area actually took place there.

Click Here for More Information on the Closure from MaineHealth