The Central Lincoln County (CLC) Ambulance Service Board of Directors met with members of the Miles Delivers Action Coalition at a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 3 to discuss how both organizations can support each other.

The Miles Delivers Action Coalition was founded in May by community members after MaineHealth announced it was considering closing the labor and delivery unit at Lincoln Hospital in Damaricotta. CLC Ambulance service the towns of Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Newcastle, Nobleboro, and South Bristol, while also providing contract services to Edgecomb and part of Jefferson.

By the end of the meeting, the board voted unanimously to draft a letter in support of keeping the unit open or at least putting a pause in the decision. Representatives from Damariscotta and Bremen were not present at the meeting.

“It’s the oldest county in the oldest state in the country, so we need to attract these people, but it’s not going to attract young people if you are looking at 45 minutes in the horizon to give birth,” board Chair Joe Rose said.

The board was joined by coalition co-founder Margaret Reynolds, who was accompanied by Leah Hurwitz, Dr. Melissa Keeport, and Elizabeth Anderson.

The group brought forth information the coalition has been gathering in the three months since it was founded, as well as some of the support from state politicians it has received in recent weeks.

Discussion mostly circled on how closure would potentially affect the ambulance service and how the coalition could provide support. Board members, as well as CLC Ambulance Service Chief Nick Bryant, agreed potential closure could create much more work for the service.

Bryant said if the ambulance service were to receive an influx of pregnant patients due to closure who need to be transported to surrounding hospitals such as MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport and MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, the time the vehicle and staff is away could double.

The board also voiced worries about closure potentially leading to more first responders delivering babies. Bryant said the service transports women in labor only a handful of times a year, usually in situations where home births have gone wrong. For breech births and similar situations, Bryant said the service only transports about one or two a year.

If the unit were to close, Bryant said it would not be “unreasonable” to predict the population of pregnant women who choose to drive themselves to Lincoln Hospital due to proximity will start calling an ambulance.

“My response is that first responders, ambulance personnel, paramedics, EMTs, doctors, nurses; they’re going to do what they have to do when the time comes. Putting them in the situation to have to do that is unconscionable,” Rose said.

Beyond the ambulance service, Nobleboro’s representative Mike Ward said the town is “constantly” trying to attract younger residents and families, potential closure is a possible deterrent.

“Our ability to keep attracting those families and keep people here is going to be hurt too,” Ward said.

On July 31, Governor Janet Mills released a letter urging the MaineHealth Board of Trustees to suspend its vote on a potential closure. This comes after the coalition met with Mills on July 23, sharing their concern about the impact on the local community if there is not nearby labor and delivery services.

In the letter, Mills said she shares the same sentiment.

“The decision on the future of labor and delivery services at Lincoln Hospital has broad implications for the region and the state as a whole as we strive to create economically vibrant communities where families, schools, and businesses can flourish,” Mill said. “We cannot fully realize that goal without ensuring access to safe, timely, and high-quality maternity and newborn services reasonably close to home, a belief I know this board and the leadership of MaineHealth shares.”

Other than Mills, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, released a letter also urging MaineHealth to reconsider closure and calls attention to the decline of maternity care across the state.

She acknowledged the challenges rural hospitals face, especially when it comes to labor. Despite the difficulties, she urged MaineHealth to “do everything in their power” to keep the unit open.

A letter from the Maine House Republicans took a similar stance that labor and delivery services should continue at Lincoln Hospital, but also blamed “Democrat policies” for the potential closure.

“Preventing further closures and preserving access to essential health care for rural Maine families should be a bipartisan priority,” the letter said. “We agree. Unfortunately, Democrat policies needlessly created this and other healthcare crises.”

Earlier this month, a steering committee made up of care team members at Lincoln Hospital made a recommendation to close the unit. The MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital Local Board was the first stop for consideration, the next being the Coastal Region Board, who met on July 30.

The ultimate decision is in the hands of the MaineHealth Board of Trustees, who will meet on Thursday, Aug. 6.