Boothbay wants citizens, visitors and other stakeholders to help the town convince MaineHealth to grant “a stay of execution” for the St. Andrews emergency department.
Boothbay Town Manager James Chaousis II said the town hopes to postpone the acceptance of the proposal until after a public community engagement process.
“We really think the public engagement part is missing” from the Lincoln County Healthcare proposal “because we literally know nothing,” Chaousis said.
Chaousis said all elements of the proposal concern the town, from the loss of a 24/7 emergency department and the impact it will have on current and prospective residents to the immediate economic impact of job losses.
Approximately 50 employees at the Boothbay Harbor facility – roughly 1/3 of the workforce – will lose their jobs as a result of the changes, according to Lincoln County Healthcare.
Boothbay has a reputation as a retirement community and counts many elderly property owners among those who call the town home, Chaousis said. He said he’s sure changes at St. Andrews will “weigh on their decision” to live here, as well as the decision-making process of those considering a move to Boothbay.
Boothbay invites citizens to email their concerns to Chaousis at townmanager@townofboothbay.org or write to P.O. Box 106, Boothbay, 04537-0106.
Chaousis and two members of the Boothbay Board of Selectmen plan to attend the Thurs., Aug. 2 meeting of the MaineHealth board of trustees in order to express their concerns in person.
The Lincoln County Healthcare board of trustees has proposed closing the department and end inpatient care at St. Andrews Hospital and Healthcare Center in Boothbay Harbor. The decision is subject to approval by the MaineHealth board.
If the board approves the decision, the changes would take place in April 2013, at which time St. Andrews would cease to be a licensed hospital. The name of the facility would be shortened to St. Andrews Healthcare Center.
Lincoln County Healthcare plans to hire more than half of the St. Andrews employees who lose their current jobs into positions elsewhere in the system.
The organization also downplayed the effect of what some in the Boothbay region see as devastating – the replacement of a 24/7 emergency department with a part-time urgent care center.
“Almost every emergency patient currently seen at St. Andrews (who needs emergency care) requires transportation to another facility for additional care,” according to Lincoln County Healthcare. “This new arrangement will have the patient immediately heading to the most appropriate level of care without an intermediate stop.”
Boothbay, meanwhile, is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan. As part of that process, the town has been attempting to answer the question “How can we bring better economic development to the area?” Chaousis said.
“One month ago, it was a large question,” he said. “Now it’s larger.”