MaineGeneral Health cutting mental health, disabilities services for children
May 5—MaineGeneral Health confirmed Monday that it is cutting pediatric psychological services in central Maine — a move advocates say will make it more difficult to access care for children with mental health challenges, autism, attention deficit, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Nathan Howell, president and CEO of MaineGeneral Health, the parent organization of MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta, said in a written statement on Monday that "PREP and psychological services" at the Edmund Ervin Pediatric Center are closing as of May 16.
The Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program, or PREP, provides services to children recently placed in the foster care system, while psychological services are for a broader pediatric patient mix.
Howell said the reasons for the cutbacks are financial, as "health care across Maine and the nation is in a crisis." The cuts are because state "reimbursements do not cover the cost of care, excessive insurance denials and increased costs of doing business."
The Ervin center is currently operating at a $1 million annual loss, MaineGeneral said.
Nancy Cronin, executive director of the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, a quasi-governmental agency funded by federal and state dollars, said the Ervin center shuttering some of its services will make it difficult for some parents — especially those with MaineCare — to obtain a diagnosis for their child.
Without a diagnosis, pediatric patients would not qualify for needed services, Cronin said.
"We've lost a huge piece of the puzzle," Cronin said. "It's like a bridge has been blown up."
Cronin said over time, beginning in the LePage administration, the state reduced financial support under MaineCare for diagnostic services for children with mental, intellectual and developmental disabilities. Cronin said the cuts have never been restored since Janet Mills became governor in 2019, leading to an erosion in these services.
While the MaineGeneral cuts will directly affect families who live in central Maine, Cronin said it follows the loss of services in other parts of the state and that access will become a more acute problem. Cronin is hoping to rally support to provide more robust funding for diagnostic services and for PREP, either by the Mills administration tapping into the state's rainy day fund or through legislation.
"What we are doing is creating enormous barriers to get children what they need," Cronin said. "This is going to be a nightmare."
Cronin said she does not blame MaineGeneral for the cutbacks, but rather considers it a failure by the state to sufficiently fund the programs.
Lindsay Hammes, a Maine Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, said in a written statement that the agency "is disappointed to learn of MaineGeneral's decision."
"It is a business decision made independently by the hospital," Hammes said. "We are reviewing options to support impacted families within existing services."
Howell said in his statement that "while we recognize the impact of these changes, we will continue to offer 95% of our current services through our robust pediatric and outpatient rehabilitation service lines." Those services include speech therapy, physical therapy, counseling and medication management.
The Edmund Ervin center name will be retired, with the remaining services falling under the MaineGeneral umbrella.
The cutbacks come in the wake of a September 2024 lawsuit against the Mills administration by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to provide adequate behavioral health services to children in the Medicaid program, which is called MaineCare in the state. That lawsuit was settled in November, with the state agreeing to boost services.
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