Northern Light board approves Mayo Hospital merger
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Northern Light Health's board of directors has approved a merger with Mayo Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft.
The planned merger between Northern Light Health system and Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft cleared another step on Wednesday with the unanimous approval of Northern Light’s board.
The vote comes about a month after Mayo’s board gave its green light to a merger that has been months in planning and still requires additional approval by Maine lawmakers.
If the merger goes ahead, Mayo is set to become the 10th hospital of Northern Light Health, a statewide health system based in Brewer.
Michelle Hood, Northern Light’s president and CEO, hailed the board’s decision as an important step in preserving access to quality healthcare across Piscataquis County.
“As the major health care provider in this part of the state, we feel an obligation to help ensure that the delicate fabric of the delivery system can be maintained,” she said in a news release. “This vote allows us to proceed with plans to bring Mayo into our integrated healthcare system.”
She added that the two “look forward to continued discussions about ways that we can work together on our common goals of providing care close to home.”
Mayo Regional is the primary hospital for Piscataquis County, which has a population of just under 17,000. The nearest other hospital is Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, 36 miles away on two-lane Route 15.
Rural hospitals nationwide have been under increasing pressure to remain viable. One recent casualty is Penobscot Valley Hospital, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments