The measure would eliminate nonmedical exemptions to vaccinations for measles and other infectious diseases that are required before children enter school.
maine department of health and human services
Legislature’s watchdog committee urged to make protecting children a priority
Lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee also are told that many of the changes they approved after the deaths of two girls in 2017 and 2018 are in the works.
Mills administration aims to bring Maine CDC back to full strength
DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew says the LePage administration let 111 jobs in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention – about 25 percent of its workforce – remain vacant.
Mills administration to change scope of new psychiatric facility in Bangor
Rather than sticking with Gov. Paul LePage’s plan for a privately run ‘step-down’ facility, Gov. Janet Mills said the new unit will operated as part of Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center and serve a broader scope of patients.
Lead testing in schools wins legislative committee support
The measure, approved 7-3 by the Health and Human Services Committee, would expand testing of drinking water into schools using public water supplies.
Maine seeks flexibility in Medicaid spending to address opioid, mental health issues
The state plans to apply for a federal waiver that would eliminate a ban on using Medicaid dollars to pay for care at substance use disorder treatment facilities with more than 16 beds.
Riverview Psychiatric Center regains certification, and that could mean $20 million a year for Maine
The state facility in Augusta had been decertified because of problems with its treatment of patients.
Flaws in Maine’s child protection system frustrate frontline workers, report says
Caseworkers in the child protective services system are overburdened, lack support and training, and struggle with outdated systems that force them to do work on their own time, the Legislature’s watchdog agency finds.
Mills administration will increase supplemental food stamp benefit for working Mainers
The monthly amount for those who work 30 hours per week, or 20 hours if they have a small child, will jump from $15 to $50, paid for with federal funds that went unspent by the LePage administration.
Maine DHHS adds $3 million to home heating assistance
The federally funded program helps low-income families afford home energy costs.