Thursday, April 24, 2025
4/24/2025
Congressionally Directed Spending for Construction Projects - The Regional Medical Center at Lubec is planning to build a new healthcare facility in East Machias, ME to replace the current facility which is too small to meet the existing healthcare demand. The new East Machias Clinic will increase access to both medical and dental services in Washington County. The Regional Medical Center at Lubec’s East Machias clinic currently employs 2 Nurse Practitioners, 2 Medical Assistants, a receptionist, a referral specialist and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. The new facility will increase healthcare access by adding an additional medical provider and medical assistant, and offering new dental services by hiring a dentist, a dental hygienist and two dental assistants, to an underserved area of Washington County, Maine. The Regional Medical Center at Lubec is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) which provides primary medical care, dental care and behavioral health services to the people of Washington County. As stated in the Washington County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) report in both 2018 and 2021, access to care is the top health priority, listed as an issue by 54% of all respondents. In addition, Washington County has a significantly higher MaineCare population than the state average, making it more difficult for this patient population to access services. This is especially evident with dental care because private dentists do not typically accept patients with MaineCare. We will address these needs by adding an additional medical provider, a dentist, and a dental hygienist. As a FQHC, our sole focus is on providing primary, preventative care which strives to keep people healthy and out of the hospital. To this end, we also provide case and care management, which includes patient education related to when a situation is more appropriately dealt with at our facility and when an illness is acute enough to go to the emergency room. Through this education, we strive to reduce the unnecessary utilization and expense of hospital emergency room visits. By working to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, we reduce the overall cost of healthcare.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).