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September 18, 2017 Edition
Focus on Health Care & Wellness

As rural health care providers struggle, employers eye wider implications

Laurie Schreiber

The obstetric department at Calais Regional Hospital had 64 births in 2016, but needs close to 300 births per year to break even. It's a quick statistic that hints at a world of difficulty for health care providers trying to remain viable in rural Maine.

Today's Poll

Will Maine be hurt by not offering free tuition at community colleges?
Poll Description

This year's high school graduates will be the last to benefit from a program that offers free tuition within the Maine Community College System. 

The Free College Scholarship, launched in 2022, covered all tuition and mandatory fees for students who graduated from high school or passed an equivalency exam between 2020 and 2025. Nearly 18,000 students took advantage of the program. 

But last week, state lawmakers declined to continue the funding and it was not part of the budget signed by Gov. Janet Mills.

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