Northern Light’s Waterville hospital set to end clinical services
PHOTO / COURTESY NORTHERN LIGHT HEALTH
Northern Light Inland Hospital and its associated services and clinics in Waterville will stop clinical services on May 27.
Two months after announcing plans to shutter its Waterville hospital, Northern Light Health said it will close the doors next week.
On May 27, the 48-bed Northern Light Inland Hospital will end all clinical services at 5 p.m. Its emergency department will stop accepting new patients at noon.
The facility, associated services and most practices have been winding down services and working to transition patients to new care locations since announcing the closure earlier this year.
The health system has other practices in the area that will remain open to serve patients and the community:
- Northern Light Primary Care, Unity: a medical clinic in Unity that will operate as part of Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital
- Northern Light Walk-In Care, Waterville: a medical clinic in Waterville, that will operate as part of Northern Light Mercy Hospital
- Northern Light Primary Care, Madison: a medical clinic that will operate as a practice of Redington-Fairview General Hospital, an independent critical access hospital in Skowhegan
Many providers will continue to provide care in Waterville and the surrounding area at new practice locations, and many current patients can choose to continue care with their current provider, according to a news release.
Letters have been mailed to established patients of closing practices advising on any action needed to continue care with their current provider or to transition care to a new provider practice.
The closure does not affect Northern Light Continuing Care Lakewood, a 105-bed, continuing care center that operates as a separate entity in Waterville.
Earlier this year, Northern Light Health cited 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. It said most of the staff of 300-plus employees would be redeployed to other Northern Light hospitals and sites.
The closure is expected to allow Northern Light Health to direct Inland’s resources to its other locations.
Northern Light Health said it plans to maintain the facility and grounds while stewarding the sale of the property.
Headquartered in Brewer, Northern Light Health is Maine’s second-largest health care system.
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