Maine
Nurses criticize Northern Maine Medical Center for lack of transparency over unit closure
Nurses at Northern Maine Medical Center said the Fort Kent hospital was not transparent about the closure of its child psychiatric unit in September.
Nurse Terry Caron said staff only found out a week prior, after nurses directly pressed hospital administration to respond to rumors. And Caron said it’s not the first time the hospital has abruptly closed a unit.
“Our obstetrics unit closed as well,” she said. “And again, we were assured that that unit was not going to close, and then it did.”
Registered nurses at Northern Maine Medical Center unionized earlier this year, in part, they said, to have more influence in policies. They’re currently negotiating a contract.
Hospital officials said most admissions to the 7-bed unit were from outside Aroostook County. They said they closed the unit to better address the needs of the community and make the best use of available resources.