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October 5, 2025

Health organizations in Maine close more walk-in and primary care programs

By Laurie Schreiber

More health care programs in rural Maine are scheduled for closure in the coming months.

Northern Light Health, Maine’s second largest health care system based in Brewer, said its walk-in clinic in Waterville, managed by Northern Light Mercy Hospital, will close by the end of the year. 

Maine Family Planning said it will discontinue primary care services at its Houlton, Ellsworth and Presque Isle locations, affecting about 800 primary care patients.

Northern Light

When Northern Light Inland Hospital closed earlier this year, the Waterville walk-in clinic was kept open to ensure continued access to care while people transitioned to new providers and services, according to a news release.

“That transition has been successful, as patient volumes at the Waterville walk-in care clinic have steadily declined as individuals and families have established ongoing relationships with other providers in the community,” the organization said. “At the same time, other local organizations are well-positioned to meet same-day care needs, ensuring there is sufficient access to care for the community moving forward.”

As the clinic winds down operations, a Northern Light care team will be available to assist area patients with medication management, primary care connections and other follow-up needs.

Northern Light shuttered Inland Hospital in Waterville in late May, citing operating losses of $1 million to $1.5 million per month, unsustainably low reimbursement rates and a tight labor market as the reasons for the closure. 

In September, the organization closed its Bangor walk-in clinic and reduced its workforce by approximately 3%, with more than two-thirds of the reduction made up of attrition, including retirements.

The changes come amid a trend of deeper financial losses and federal Medicaid funding cuts.

Maine Family Planning

Last week, Maine Family Planning, an Augusta-based nonprofit that provides reproductive health care services and family support services, said it would discontinue primary care services at three of its locations: Houlton, Ellsworth and Presque Isle, effective Oct. 31. 

However, basic sexual and reproductive health services will continue uninterrupted across the organization’s 18 clinics.

The organization said a new federal law that withholds Medicaid funding from providers like Maine Family Planning “has made it financially impossible to continue operating our primary care services.”

The organization continued, “This closure is the direct result of federal legislation targeting health care providers who offer comprehensive sexual and reproductive services.”

For the 800 patients affected by the primary care closure, the organization said it’s providing direct communication, information about alternative primary care providers, assisting with transferring medical records and support for scheduling visits with new primary care practices, and is continuing to address emergent patient needs through Oct. 31.

In 2024, around 8,000 patients made more than 15,000 visits to Maine Family Planning’s 18 clinics and mobile medical unit and tens of thousands of additional patients received care through subcontracts at other clinics across the state. 

Many of Maine Family Planning's clinics provide care in rural areas of the state where there are no other health care providers. 

The organization was founded in 1971 as the Family Planning Association of Maine.

Other recent closures include Central Maine Healthcare’s Manchester Care Center; the maternal and child health program at Ellsworth-based Downeast Community Partners, serving Washington and Hancock counties; and a non-hospital-affiliated private practice, Aurora Healthcare in Fairfield, effective Dec. 1.

MaineGeneral Health identified 148 positions where the system could achieve cost savings or restructuring. Labor and delivery at Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast and Houlton Regional Hospital closed.

York Hospital closed its inpatient birthing unit in 2023 and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston closed its maternity and women’s health unit in 2022 and decided last year to suspend its intensive care unit.

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