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Rural Health Information Hub

Maine Resources

'A Silent, Unmet Need': Rural Motherhood and the Challenges of Postpartum Care
Discusses the importance of rural access to postpartum care, including perinatal mental healthcare. Features programs in Montana, Maine, and Alaska that are providing support to rural mothers via postpartum doulas, telehealth, and home visiting.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Northern Maine Medical Center: A Rural Hospital Gaining Momentum in its Work Toward Quality Improvement
Profiles a prospective payment hospital in northern Maine that engaged in the 2022-2023 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP), focusing on financial sustainability, cost efficiency, and quality improvement. Highlights hospital accomplishments and improvements via participation of the project.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Pediatric Subspecialty Outreach Clinics: Reach and Impact on Access to Care
Examines the impact of pediatric subspecialty clinics on driving times to children's subspecialty care in Maine. Compares distance to outreach clinics and clinical hubs for seven pediatric subspecialties, utilizing Google Maps driving time estimates for each Maine ZIP code tabulation area. Includes breakdowns by rural versus urban area.
Author(s): James C. Bohnhoff, Anya Cutler, Sean Hagenbuch, Kristen Kurland
Citation: BMC Pediatrics, 24, 519
Date: 08/2024
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Innovative State Strategies for Rural Broadband: Case Studies from Colorado, Minnesota and Maine
Explores the roles of state broadband policy, local leadership, and private investment in expanding broadband coverage and infrastructure in rural areas. Presents case studies from Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota and describes how rural recipients leverage state and federal broadband funds, navigate financial and regulatory constraints, and develop innovative place-based solutions. Identifies unique challenges, lessons learned, and implications for broadband policy.
Author(s): Natassia A. Bravo, Mildred E. Warner
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Cornell University
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Community Buprenorphine Continuation Post-Release Following Extended Release Vs. Sublingual Buprenorphine During Incarceration: A Pilot Project in Maine
Compares post-release outcomes among incarcerated people who received extended-release buprenorphine (XRB) versus sublingual buprenorphine (SLB) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural Maine jails. Includes data from two jails, one of which had implemented an XRB pilot program, on rates of post-release community buprenorphine treatment continuation, diversion, safety concerns, XRB side effects, and post-release mortality.
Author(s): Alane B. O'Connor, Catherine Gelsinger, Sadie M. Donovan, Jessica Marshall, Katherine A. Ahrens
Citation: Health & Justice, 12, 28
Date: 06/2024
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2023 Maine Perinatal Health Disparities Needs Assessment
Qualitative assessment of the perinatal system of care in Maine, based on information from interviews and rural focus groups. Includes information on perinatal health indicators and the perinatal workforce capacity, and offers recommendations for improvement.
Author(s): Cecelia Stewart, Allison Tippery, Hailey Marnell-Bozdag, Frances Tarbell
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
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Needs Assessment of the Obstetric Workforce in Maine's Rural Hospitals
Report assessing the workforce needs for 15 hospitals with obstetrics units in rural Maine. Offers a SWOT Analysis and discusses factors contributing to sustainability of the workforce, community characteristics impacting the workforce, recruitment and retention challenges, and training challenges. Offers recommendations at the state, regional, health system, hospital, and unit level.
Author(s): Brianna Keefe-Oates, Katherine Simmonds, Louisa H. Smith, Jeni Stolow
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organizations: MaineHealth, Roux Institute, The Maine Rural Maternity & Obstetrics Management Strategies Network
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Maine Doula Workforce Assessment
Describes characteristics of doulas in Maine, their locations, the populations they serve, and what types of challenges Maine people face in accessing doulas' services. Includes information from online surveys conducted in 2023-2024. Mentions rural throughout.
Author(s): Sarah Tewhey, Cait Vaughan
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Maine Doula Coalition
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Risk and Protective Factors for Vaping and Smoking Among High School Students in Maine
Examines risks and protective factors related to vaping and smoking among 17,651 high school students in Maine. Provides odds of vaping and smoking according to health and wellness behaviors, perceptions of substance use, and family support, as well as by demographic factors such as sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, grade level, and county.
Author(s): Gabriel Tilton, Sara Huston, Pamela Albert
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 04/2023
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Maine Opioid Response: 2023-2025 Strategic Action Plan
Outlines steps being taken to save lives, to prevent substance use disorder (SUD), and to ensure that people in Maine can achieve their full potential. Focuses on prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery, as well as public safety and infrastructure, language to acknowledge the importance of working with veterans, New Mainers, and faith-based SUD treatment programs. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organization: Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
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Additional resources are available. See a full list of Maine Resources.


Last Updated: 3/3/2026