MaineHealth Board Votes to End Labor-and-Delivery at Lincoln Hospital
The system says low birth volumes and an inability to sustain 24-hour obstetric staffing prompted a December transfer of deliveries to Mid Coast Hospital with a two-year moratorium on other closures.
Overview
- The MaineHealth Board of Trustees ratified the decision Thursday to end inpatient labor-and-delivery at Lincoln Hospital with deliveries moving to Mid Coast Hospital on Dec. 18, 2026 to allow patients time to adjust their plans.
- MaineHealth officials said the move follows years of falling volume — about 130 births a year recently — and an inability to recruit and keep the physicians, midwives and clinical teams needed for reliable 24-hour coverage.
- Under the new regional model Lincoln Hospital will keep prenatal and postpartum services and expand gynecologic care while Mid Coast becomes the primary site for deliveries and teams will coordinate care across both hospitals.
- The vote drew strong local and political opposition, including calls from Gov. Janet Mills and Rep. Chellie Pingree, a lawsuit from a pregnant Lincoln County resident and a denied emergency injunction from Justice Daniel Billings.
- MaineHealth projects average travel time to the nearest delivery unit will rise to about 40 minutes, the change would follow a decade-long trend of maternity unit losses in the state, and the system urged state leaders to pursue longer-term solutions.