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Articles 1 - 30 of 34
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
History Of Deer Herd Reduction For Tick Control On Maine’S Offshore Islands, Susan P. Elias, Benjamin B. Stone, Peter W. Rand, Charles B. Lubelczyk, Robert P. Smith Md
History Of Deer Herd Reduction For Tick Control On Maine’S Offshore Islands, Susan P. Elias, Benjamin B. Stone, Peter W. Rand, Charles B. Lubelczyk, Robert P. Smith Md
Maine Policy Review
The incidence of Lyme disease in Maine is associated with high abundance of blacklegged (deer) ticks, which in turn has been partly attributed to local overabundance of white-tailed deer. With evidence from Monhegan Island that the complete removal of deer reduced ticks and risk of contracting Lyme disease, nine other offshore communities initiated efforts to cull deer. We reviewed and summarized available histories of deer management on Maine’s offshore islands. Concern about Lyme disease provided the overarching impetus for deer culls. Culls mostly occurred on islands that have no regular firearms hunting season, island communities have been challenged to control …
Patterns Of Drug-Induced Mortality In Maine, 2015 Update, Marcella H. Sorg, Margaret Greenwald, Jamie A. Wren
Patterns Of Drug-Induced Mortality In Maine, 2015 Update, Marcella H. Sorg, Margaret Greenwald, Jamie A. Wren
Maine Policy Review
Drug addiction and drug-induced mortality have received a good deal of attention nationally and in Maine in recent years. The authors review overall trends in the patterns of drug overdoses that have continued for nearly two decades, including those involving opioid pharmaceuticals, and discuss the recent resurgence of the illicit drugs heroin and non-pharmaceutical fentanyl.
Technology And Aging: An Emerging Research And Development Sector In Maine, Carol H. Kim, David Neivandt, Lenard W. Kaye, Jennifer A. Crittenden
Technology And Aging: An Emerging Research And Development Sector In Maine, Carol H. Kim, David Neivandt, Lenard W. Kaye, Jennifer A. Crittenden
Maine Policy Review
The authors discuss the importance of research for developing products and services that cater to the needs of a rapidly growing aging population and provide examples of projects underway at the University of Maine. Products designed to improve and protect older adult health and well-being represent a significant opportunity for economic growth in Maine.
Maine’S Initiatives In Geriatric Medical Care: Commentary From The Front Lines, Cliff Singer, Roger Renfrew
Maine’S Initiatives In Geriatric Medical Care: Commentary From The Front Lines, Cliff Singer, Roger Renfrew
Maine Policy Review
Cliff Singer and Roger Renfrew write from their perspectives as medical practitioners and leaders in geriatric medicine to examine issues affecting health care and outcomes for older adults in Maine. Focusing on the acute and primary care systems, they highlight issues and policy recommendations they think are most urgent or helpful.
A Call To Action: Maine’S Colleges And Universities Respond To An Aging Population, Jeffrey E. Hecker, Marilyn R. Gugliucci
A Call To Action: Maine’S Colleges And Universities Respond To An Aging Population, Jeffrey E. Hecker, Marilyn R. Gugliucci
Maine Policy Review
Jeffrey E. Hecker and Marilyn R. Gugliucci report on the findings of the Higher Education Workgroup, which is part of the Maine Aging Initiative. They present summary information on aging-related research, gerontology/geriatrics educational curricula, and educational opportunities for older adults including retooling for employment.
Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies In Maine, David E. Harris, Suzanne Roy, Sarah Mayberry
Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies In Maine, David E. Harris, Suzanne Roy, Sarah Mayberry
Maine Policy Review
Incontrovertible evidence of the deadly impacts from both direct tobacco use and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke has led to the institution of smoking bans, first in indoor venues and, more recently, in some outdoor area. This article reviews the science behind smoking bans as well as the history and policy implications of smoking bans with an emphasis on the experience in Maine. As examples we focus on recent outdoor smoking bans in South Portland (parks and beaches) and smoke-free campus rules at a Maine hospital (Franklin Memorial Hospital) and a part of the University of Maine system (University of …
Farm To School, Amy Winston
Farm To School, Amy Winston
Maine Policy Review
Farm to school programs aim to link institutional purchasing to local food producers. This article describes how these programs in Maine have the potential to not only benefit food producers and communities economically but also to improve the health of schoolchildren and to reduce the carbon footprint of food production.
Poor Nutrition Amidst Plenty, Dora Anne Mills
Poor Nutrition Amidst Plenty, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
Hunger and food insecurity is on the rise in Maine as are increases in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, all linked to food choices. Old and young, immigrant and native, rural and urban—Mainers are experiencing a food emergency made graver by the economic recession and rising health costs. Dora Anne Mills writes about “poor nutrition amidst plenty,” its causes, consequences, and the programs and policies that address it
Food Safety, Alfred A. Bushway, Beth Calder, Jason Bolton
Food Safety, Alfred A. Bushway, Beth Calder, Jason Bolton
Maine Policy Review
The authors describe the importance of food safety regulations and practices in this era of global food systems and illustrate some of the challenges facing Maine’s small food producers and processors.
Economic Assessment Of Children’S Health And The Environment In Maine, Mary E. Davis
Economic Assessment Of Children’S Health And The Environment In Maine, Mary E. Davis
Maine Policy Review
Reducing children’s exposure to environmental toxins is important for both moral and economic reasons. Mary Davis discusses the economic impact of environmentally related childhood illnesses in Maine, focusing on disease categories with fairly strong evidence connecting environmental pollution to childhood diseases: lead poisoning, asthma, neurobehavioral disorders, and cancer. Lead poisoning and neurobehavioral conditions are the most expensive because they lead to chronic diseases that are largely incurable and not easily treated. She concludes that state funding for initiatives aimed at reducing childhood exposure to environmental pollutants “would be money well spent.”
Early Childhood Health, Dora Anne Mills
Early Childhood Health, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
Dr. Dora Anne Mills presents a panoramic portrait of early childhood health in Maine, describing the ways in which poverty, health insurance, pregnancy, early growth and development, infectious and chronic diseases, oral health, environmental health, injury, mental health and physical activity and nutrition affect children. She notes policy successes in these areas and describes some of the challenges that remain and the new challenges that are arising.
Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham
Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham
Maine Policy Review
Research by the authors with parents, child care providers, and other service providers found that parents of children with special needs face particular challenges trying to maintain stable employment while balancing work and family. These parents have more difficulty finding and keeping child care for children with special needs, and there is a lack of coordination of therapy with child care programs. Since the study was completed, Maine has taken several steps to begin to address these issues
The Community Caring Collaborative: Case Study Of A Grassroots Collaboration To Create A System Of Care For At-Risk Infants, Young Children, And Their Families In Washington County, Maine, Marjorie Withers
Maine Policy Review
Marjorie Withers presents a case study of rural Washington County, Maine, where community-agency partnerships are increasing services for community members and their children affected by exposure to drugs, alcohol, and other risk factors. The Community Caring Collaborative (CCC) is an effective model in part because of its structure. But most important, according to Withers, is the creation of hope and new energy in an area of the state characterized by longstanding feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.
Improving The Health Of Maine, One Employee At A Time, Jerry Whalen
Improving The Health Of Maine, One Employee At A Time, Jerry Whalen
Maine Policy Review
In this commentary, Jerry Whalen, an officer in Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, discusses employee wellness programs and the importance of focusing on the workplace. He notes that managers and senior executives have a key role to play in ensuring success of employee wellness programs
Building On Mainecare’S Success, Lisa Pohlmann, Christine Hastedt
Building On Mainecare’S Success, Lisa Pohlmann, Christine Hastedt
Maine Policy Review
This commentary provides a particular viewpoint on MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program). Lisa Pohlmann and Christine Hastedt critique reform efforts in several states and emphasize the key role of MaineCare in the state’s overall health care system.
Taking A New Look At Mainecare, Paul Saucier
Taking A New Look At Mainecare, Paul Saucier
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s Medicaid program, called MaineCare, provides health care coverage to one in five state residents. Paul Saucier gives an overview of MaineCare’s services, eligibility categories, and financing. He discusses root causes of MaineCare’s continued expansion in breadth and cost, which has prompted reform proposals to rein in what many believe is unsustainable growth. Examining reform efforts in other states, Saucier cautions that we need to learn from these experiments. Finally, he raises important questions for policymakers related to MaineCare’s mission, its complexity, and the stability of its financing.
Mainecare—A Provider Prospective, Erik N. Steele
Mainecare—A Provider Prospective, Erik N. Steele
Maine Policy Review
Dr. Erik Steele in this commentary discusses MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) from a provider’s perspective. He suggests that delays and problems in the state’s reimbursement to providers have led to doubts about the state’s credibility both as a payer and as a health care systems change leader.
Solving Maine’S Health Care Crisis Requires “Tough Choices”, Wendy Wolf
Solving Maine’S Health Care Crisis Requires “Tough Choices”, Wendy Wolf
Maine Policy Review
Wendy Wolf’s commentary discusses the “tough choices” process which invited selected Maine citizens to participate in town hall meeting sessions to provide input on the state’s health plan. She notes that it was easier for participants to agree on health promotion and healthcare delivery processes than for them to make choices about how to pay for healthcare.
Maine Community Hospitals: Providing High-Quality, Affordable Care, Mary C. Mayhew
Maine Community Hospitals: Providing High-Quality, Affordable Care, Mary C. Mayhew
Maine Policy Review
Mary Mayhew in this commentary provides the perspective of the Maine Hospital Association in response to a study analyzing hospital costs in Maine from 1993-2003.
Mental Health Parity And Beyond: Aligning The Public And Private Systems Of Care For People With Mental Illness, Kitty Purington
Mental Health Parity And Beyond: Aligning The Public And Private Systems Of Care For People With Mental Illness, Kitty Purington
Maine Policy Review
Maine is one of the first states to mandate comprehensive mental health coverage for its citizens under private insurance plans. Mental health advocates nationwide long have lobbied for such parity. In this article, Kitty Purington first provides an overview of the federal and state legislation leading up to the present law. She then compares current parity provisions under private plans with those of MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program, reporting that coverage under MaineCare for individuals with serious mental illness still exceeds that which is mandated under private plans. She discusses
Bates And Olmstead: Court-Initiated Strategies To Implement Community Inclusion Of Persons With Psychiatric And Other Long-Term Disabilities, Theresa A. Laurie
Bates And Olmstead: Court-Initiated Strategies To Implement Community Inclusion Of Persons With Psychiatric And Other Long-Term Disabilities, Theresa A. Laurie
Maine Policy Review
In this commentary, Theresa Laurie discusses the impact of the Bates and Olmstead court decisions regarding the rights of the disabled, and their applicability to people with psychiatric and other long-term disabilities. She notes that Maine will have to make policy adjustments in order to redefine program objectives based on these court decisions.
Patterns Of Drug-Related Mortality In Maine, 1997-2002, Marcella H. Sorg, Margaret Greenwald
Patterns Of Drug-Related Mortality In Maine, 1997-2002, Marcella H. Sorg, Margaret Greenwald
Maine Policy Review
Since 1997, the number and rate of drug-related deaths in Maine have risen dramatically. Contrary to what much of recent popular media coverage suggests, prescription medications and not illicit drugs are involved in the majority of these deaths, and many of these prescription medications are used by people from all walks of life. In this article, Sorg and Greenwald summarize the results of a recent statewide study to determine the characteristics of those in Maine who have died from drug-related causes over the past five years. They find that Maine’s substance abuse problem continues to be largely one of alcohol …
Rising Prescription Drug Costs: What Is Involved And What Can Be Done?, James Carroll
Rising Prescription Drug Costs: What Is Involved And What Can Be Done?, James Carroll
Maine Policy Review
The rapid rise of prescription drug costs in the United States has triggered heated debate at the federal and state levels about how to control costs and expand access for those in need. In part, the United States finds itself in this situation because, unlike most countries throughout the world, the federal government thus far has refused to exact federal price restrictions on pharmaceutical products. James Carroll argues that this has left each state in the difficult position of trying to leverage lower costs and expanded access for its citizens. In this article, Carroll provides an overview of these attempts, …
Dirigo Health: A Small Business Perspective, Deborah Cook
Dirigo Health: A Small Business Perspective, Deborah Cook
Maine Policy Review
In her commentary Deborah Cook, executive director of the Maine Small Business Alliance, discusses Dirigo Health from the viewpoint of small businesses, whose employees and families, along with the self-employed, represent the largest proportion of uninsured in Maine’s population. She notes that rising costs of health care and insurance are a major threat to the viability of small businesses.
The Challenge Of Preserving And Expanding Affordable Health Care In Maine, Wendy Wolf
The Challenge Of Preserving And Expanding Affordable Health Care In Maine, Wendy Wolf
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s health care system is in crisis. The state’s health care expenditures represent the third highest percentage of Gross Domestic Product in the nation; state health care spending is projected to top $11 billion per year, or $8,291 per person per year, over the next seven years; businesses in Maine pay 12-23% more for coverage than the national and New England state averages; and, the state’s uninsured and vulnerable populations continue to grow. In this article, Wendy Wolf charts the rising cost of health care in Maine and the implications of these costs for all Mainers. In turn, she looks …
Top 10 Health Issues Faced By Maine People, Dora Anne Mills
Top 10 Health Issues Faced By Maine People, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
In this article Maine’s Bureau of Health Director, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, outlines the top 10 health issues facing Mainers today. As Mills points out, many chronic health issues would be greatly alleviated if people ate less and better, exercised more, and didn’t smoke. Despite the role of self determination in affecting these behaviors, Mills argues that all can be influenced through more proactive policies at the local, state, and national levels, and changes to our surrounding environments. Only when neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities are structured in ways that promote healthy lifestyles will there be real changes in the …
Dirigo Health, Sharon Anglin Treat, Michael Brennan, Ann Woloson
Dirigo Health, Sharon Anglin Treat, Michael Brennan, Ann Woloson
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s pioneering Dirigo Health program aims at reducing health care costs, improving quality, and increasing access by providing health insurance coverage to all of Maine’s currently uninsured population. State senators Sharon Treat and Michael Brennan and co-author Ann Woloson provide an overview of the components, structure and financing of the program. They discuss some of the challenges and opportunities posed in Dirigo Health’s implementation, and give an insider’s perspective on the process by which the program was enacted.
Dirigo Health: Its Opportunities And Obstacles, Godfrey Wood
Dirigo Health: Its Opportunities And Obstacles, Godfrey Wood
Maine Policy Review
No abstract provided.
Why More Is Required To Address Maine’S Childhood Lead-Poisoning Problem, David Littell
Why More Is Required To Address Maine’S Childhood Lead-Poisoning Problem, David Littell
Maine Policy Review
Although largely hidden from the public eye, childhood lead poisoning has been identified as one of Maine’s leading environmental health problems. Recent data show not only that lead-poisoning levels are unacceptably high among Maine’s children, but also that screening rates are lower than recommended by national health organizations and lower than in other New England states. David Littell discusses why childhood lead poisoning is such a problem in Maine and what can be done to remedy the situation, providing a thorough examination of how children are exposed to lead and the magnitude of the problem. He reviews the state’s existing …
An Interview With Norm Ledwin: Continuous Change In Healthcare Management, Norm Ledwin
An Interview With Norm Ledwin: Continuous Change In Healthcare Management, Norm Ledwin
Maine Policy Review
Managed care continues to enter Maine—a trend that alarms some and is welcomed by others. Norman Ledwin, president and chief executive officer of Eastern Maine Healthcare and Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMH/EMMC), believes managed care has the potential to greatly improve the state’s ability to provide high quality, economical healthcare for its citizens. In a December, 1995 interview with Maine Policy Review Ledwin discussed managed care as well as related healthcare changes underway in Maine.