Latest news with #MaineHealth
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MaineHealth's federal grant cut off over previous research on vaccine hesitancy
Apr. 7—The Trump administration is cutting part of a five-year research grant awarded to MaineHealth because the grant funded a vaccine hesitancy survey four years ago. Dr. Clifford Rosen, a senior scientist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research, said the National Institutes of Health axed about $500,000 of a five-year, $1.25 million grant this month. The grant is part of the Pilot Project Program to support a variety of research by young scientists, including the 2021 vaccine study. Documents filed with Rosen explaining why the funds were being cut said that "it is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research that focuses on gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment." "The reason they gave had nothing to do with what we are doing now," Rosen said. The cut comes as laboratories and researchers in Maine and nationwide are nervous about ongoing federal funding and future support for medical research and other scientific studies. Rosen said the cut is an example of how the entire NIH is being politicized. "The system we have has worked for 60-70 years, and now it's under siege." The political motivations are counter to sound science, Rosen said, and it's important to know the reasons why people refuse vaccines. "It's a great idea to understand and learn what's going on," Rosen said. "But there's tremendous backlash against vaccines." The NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is now led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy is a longtime critic of vaccines who has spread misinformation about their safety and efficacy, including the false claim that they cause autism. The study cited by the NIH as the reason for cutting off funding had focused on the role of misinformation in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Rosen said research included a survey asking why some people in rural Maine were hesitant about getting their immunizations. In addition to reviewing and cutting outside research grants, Kennedy's HHS is cutting public health funding provided to states and slashing the agency's workforce, including the NIH, by about 25%. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is laying off at least 40 subcontracted workers after losing $91 million in federal public health funding. Officials said the cut would reduce capacity in some public health services, including vaccine distribution, infectious disease tracking and outbreak management. Maine has joined a multi-state lawsuit to reverse those cuts. Andrew Nixon, U.S. DHHS spokesperson, said in a written statement about the public health cuts that the "pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago." NIH grants nationwide are being canceled because they do not align with the Trump administration's priorities, such as dismantling programs or initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit this week in Massachusetts, in an attempt to reverse NIH canceling $1.1 billion in grants in an "ideological purge," arguing the cancellations were not based on valid scientific reasoning. The Trump administration is also fighting a separate lawsuit over its initiative to cap the indirect costs in NIH grants at 15%. Many research grants have much higher indirect costs, which are costs for overhead like purchasing and maintaining technical equipment. The indirect costs lawsuit is pending in court. The Pilot Project Program is part of a $20 million collaboration between MaineHealth, University of Vermont and the University of New England to boost research in northern New England. Rosen said the PPP grants $50,000 in seed research to young professionals to research many topics, such as chronic pain. "You cut off young investigators, ideas dry up," Rosen said. "It impedes the progress of science." Griffin Scott Tibbitts, 25, a doctoral student at Northeastern University's Roux Institute in Portland, said he's not experiencing any threats to current research projects, but he worries that the Trump administration is having a chilling effect on research. The structure of many research programs at universities relies on NIH grants, Tibbitts said. Tibbitts is studying computational and mathematical models of animals that use regeneration, like salamanders. The research centers on how regenerative cells are different than non-regenerative human cells. "If you cut off the source of new ideas, it chokes off basic research from these institutions, and slows the innovative companies and clinical advances that would arise from them," Tibbitts said. "It could slow progress we are making with diseases, cancers, Alzheimer's." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MaineHealth asks lawmakers to alter equal pay law to entice specialists to rural hospitals
Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, Maine. (File photo) An obstetrics and gynecology doctor left Franklin Hospital in Farmington for a job out of state that offered higher pay. A hospitalist, an ear, nose and throat doctor and two orthopedists also recently declined offers at Waldo Hospital in Belfast all citing low pay. These are just some examples of the hiring challenges rural hospitals are facing, which brought Katie Fullam Harris, chief government affairs officer with MaineHealth, before the Legislature's Labor Committee Tuesday to ask that its members support a change to the state's equal pay law. 'So the gist of it is you'd like to pay people more money but you're afraid you're going to be in violation of Maine wage laws?' asked Sen. Dick Bradstreet (R-Kennebec). Answering in the affirmative, Harris said MaineHealth wants the flexibility to offer a candidate who could fill a specialist position higher base pay to move to Norway, for example, or some other rural corner of the state where the organization has had trouble recruiting. Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) introduced LD 898 as a vehicle to address hiring challenges at rural hospitals, while staying true to the intention of the state's equal pay law, which is in part to close the gender pay gap. Specifically, the proposal would amend the law to allow pay differentials based on geographic location and credentials. Under current law, MaineHealth has to pay an oncologist in Portland the same it pays an oncologist in Farmington. This bill would allow for a scenario in which the organization could offer a higher base salary to the Farmington physician because it's much harder to convince people to work there than in southern Maine, Harris explained. The Maine Department of Labor had planned to oppose the bill, said legislative liaison Dillon Murray, who instead asked for more time to consider after learning more about the intention behind the change. In general, Murray said the department wants to be cautious with any changes made to the state's equal pay law. Committee members asked Harris if the healthcare organization could use bonuses or other forms of compensation such as housing or transportation stipends to make offers in rural areas more attractive. But those aren't the barriers keeping specialists from rural hospitals, she said. Rather, 'we have been told over and over again that the reason that we're being turned down for these positions is because we cannot offer compensation that is adequate.' The committee also asked a series of questions about the potential of this bill leading current employees to seek raises. However, Harris said the intention is rather to target specialist positions, which are limited. Harris said this would also address situations where a candidate has more credentials or experience compared to others in that position and wants to be compensated as such but can't under current law. For example, Harris said a family medicine physician who had additional training in palliative care declined an offer because MaineHealth couldn't offer higher compensation for that training beyond what other family medicine physicians in the organization are paid. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce also voiced its support for the bill at the hearing Tuesday. The labor committee also held public hearings for two bills looking to adjust aspects of the state's minimum wage law. A 2016 citizens referendum required the state minimum wage be adjusted every year based on the cost of living index. However, LD 206, introduced by Sen. Jeff Timberlake (R-Androscoggin) along with several Republican co-sponsors, would do away with those annual adjustments and set the minimum wage to its current rate of $14.65. Alternately, legislation from Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland) would replace the minimum hourly wage with a county-based living wage. Starting in 2026, LD 853 would divide the state's counties into three regions and replace the statewide minimum hourly wage with a wage based on the cost of living in those regions using data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator. The committee also heard arguments for and against LD 941, which would require employers to disclose wage salary ranges in job postings. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Boston Globe
22-03-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Here's what Maine health providers think of AI
MaineHealth recently completed — and plans to expand — pilot programs with AI platform Abridge to provide Advertisement Providers get consent from all patients prior to using the ambient documentation tool, said Dr. Daniel Nigrin, MaineHealth chief information officer. Nigrin said AI helps providers by reducing rote tasks and distilling large amounts of information into summaries so that they can focus on patients instead of documentation or data entry. MaineHealth has a policy that prohibits use of publicly available AI tools when dealing with protected patient health information and has an AI advisory committee that reviews all new uses of AI technology, he said. Moran added that MaineHealth is exploring how AI and machine learning can help reduce insurance denials. 'AI doesn't make the final decision, but it pulls together the information we need as clinicians to make better-informed decisions on behalf of our patients,' Moran said. Nigrin said it's important to 'move cautiously' with AI to ensure technological advancements still serve patients, but said he expects the technology to serve a 'critical role' in health care in the years to come. It won't replace doctors, said Nigrin, but providers who use it 'will far outperform those who do not.' The diagnostic capabilities of AI are improving rapidly. In a small Advertisement 'The study showed more than just the chatbot's superior performance,' The New York Times Part of the problem was doctors didn't know how to use the chatbot to its fullest extent, the Times reported. That could change as more health care systems incorporate the technology and providers become more comfortable using it. The providers The Monitor spoke with said they are currently using AI to streamline administrative tasks, rather than for diagnostics. Jayne Van Bramer, president & CEO of mental health provider Sweetser, said her organization is using technology from Eleos that takes notes throughout a clinical session. She called the tool a 'game changer' in allowing providers to focus on client engagement and support. 'Seeing this application in action — seeing AI used like a medical scribe that follows a provider around to help with documentation demands — has reassured staff and affiliates that this is there to enhance their work,' Van Bramer said. The application doesn't record the session and there are no recorded clips of client engagements, according to Justin Chenette, senior director of public relations and advancement. Chenette said the tool is HIPAA compliant and providers tell clients about the device and how it will be used, turning it off if they object. AI-assisted notes are not finalized until a clinician reviews, edits and approves them, said Chenette. 'AI is just helping clinicians be more present.' Northern Light Health is using Clinical AI Agent from Oracle Health and DAX Copilot for patient visit documentation and is working on a policy for systemwide guidelines and procedures 'for the ethical and responsible use of AI technologies,' said Hugh Jones, senior vice president and chief strategy and business development officer. Consent for these programs is incorporated into general patient consent, and then providers ask patients before they start using the AI scribe. Advertisement While AI can be beneficial to health care, Jones said, it will take time for the industry to fully adapt. 'One of the key barriers to adoption is the sensitivity around privacy and information security for highly sensitive (and regulated) personal health information,' he said. 'These are surmountable in the long-term.' In response to a survey on the use of AI in health care, some medical and health care providers told The Monitor they had concerns about the growing use of AI across different settings. Many are in private practice or work at smaller organizations ranging from hospital settings, in-home nursing, behavioral health and oncology. Very few said they were currently using AI, although a couple said the technology is useful for quickly gathering studies and other research. Multiple respondents said they worried about people using AI to make medical decisions without consulting health care providers. Sarah Kelley, an oncology social worker in Portland, said she uses AI technology on her personal computer to quickly find community groups and resources for patients across large geographic distances, but worries about AI replacing aspects of the patient-provider relationship. 'I would be very concerned if AI tried to use mental health screeners to replace sound clinical face-to-face judgement (that) I glean through relationship building and patient interaction,' said Kelley. Elaina George, a mental health counselor, said she isn't currently using AI and she'd prefer it wasn't in health care at all. Advertisement '(AI) doesn't belong in health care,' she said. 'It takes the human aspect out of something very personal and unique.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UNE professor develops new test for breast cancer
Feb. 27—A blood test developed at the University of New England could help more women survive one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. The test — which searches for a biomarker in plasma — could be a game changer for women who contract triple negative breast cancer, which has a 77% survival rate and affects about 70,000 women each year in the United States. It has been through initial clinical trials but still requires review and approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Srinidi Mohan, a pharmacy professor at the University of New England, has been researching a biomarker test for triple negative breast cancer for more than a decade. He was researching nutritional supplements when he unexpectedly discovered the biomarker in 2014. Mohan was awarded a patent for the test by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2018. "I'm humbled to have been in the right place at the right time. Knowing this will help patients is what has kept me going, kept me motivated," Mohan said. "It's about time for this test to start saving lives." Mohan said he recently completed the clinical trial he was working on in conjunction with MaineHealth, and the test is now awaiting FDA approval. If it obtains final approval — which will take about four or five years — doctors across the country will be able to use the test during various phases of treatment. Mohan said doctors will use the test to more quickly determine whether the treatments patients are undergoing for breast cancer, such as chemotherapy, are working. If they are not working, doctors will be able to more swiftly switch patients to other treatments that could work better at eliminating the cancerous cells. In some cases, patients who otherwise would have undergone mastectomies will avoid the surgery. "If we can minimize exposure to therapies that are not working, that will really help the patients," Mohan said. The test, while seeking FDA approval as a post-diagnosis test, could also eventually have broader applications for breast cancer screenings. Mohan said that would especially help in rural areas where patients have a harder time accessing mammograms, and in other countries where mammograms are inaccessible. Mohan said the test may eventually supplement some of the routine mammogram testing. The research could also have similar applications for ovarian and other cancers. UNE and MaineHealth collaborated on a successful clinical trial of 44 Maine patients, Mohan said, proving that the test worked. The FDA will expand testing to 200-300 patients nationwide. Dr. Susan Miesfeldt, who worked with Mohan on the research trial, said the test's goal is to improve "the outcome of those facing a cancer diagnosis. As an easy-to-use blood test, it has very promising global applications." To help with the FDA approval process, UNE signed an intellectual property license agreement with Satya Diagnostics, a Maine-based testing firm. Satya Diagnostics was granted $100,000 in MaineHealth Bonfire Funding, a program designed to help spur innovation in medicine. Susan Ahern, MaineHealth's vice president of innovation, said "we have amazing talent and great ideas" in Maine, and getting groups of people to work together can help get something like Mohan's biomarker test across the finish line. MaineHealth's NorDx lab and Maine Cancer Foundation have also been part of the team. "This is a really great example of how collaborations make innovations work," Ahern said. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Maine attorney general dismisses Trump effort to restrict gender-affirming care
Feb. 5—Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey and 14 other state attorneys general issued a joint statement Wednesday supporting gender-affirming care and dismissing President Donald Trump's effort to restrict access to the care. "The Trump Administration's recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law," according to the statement. "Despite what the Trump Administration has suggested, there is no connection between 'female genital mutilation' and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order." The Jan. 28 executive order says, without evidence, that "medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child's sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions." Maine law does not permit gender reassignment surgery without parental consent for minors. Under limited circumstances, 16- and 17-year-olds can receive gender-affirming hormone therapy without the permission of their parents. Medical experts say that even in states where it is legal to perform the surgeries, it is extremely rare and would almost always require parental consent. Frey joined attorneys generals in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin in opposing the executive order. The letter said that "we stand firmly in support of healthcare policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms. Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves." Trump's executive order mandates that federal agencies withhold federal money from hospitals and other health care providers that provide gender-affirming treatments, including hormone therapies and puberty blockers, to anyone under age 19. While the attorneys general say they would challenge any attempt to cut off federal funding as threatened by Trump, some hospitals in other states have curbed access to the care. Hospitals in Colorado, Washington, D.C. and Virginia and a California health clinic have already stopped gender-affirming care, in response to the executive order. In response, groups supporting transgender rights, including PFLAG and families represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration's executive order. Access to care appears to be unchanged in Maine. John Porter, spokesperson for MaineHealth, the parent organization of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland and seven other hospitals in Maine, said in a statement that "MaineHealth has made no change to its service offerings following the President's executive order regarding transgender health care, as it continues to evaluate the scope and meaning of all the executive actions undertaken by the new administration. MaineHealth remains committed to providing the highest quality of care to all who need it." And Karen Sanborn, spokesperson for Northern Light Health, the parent organization of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Mercy Hospital in Portland, said in a written statement that the health care network has made "no changes to services offered in response to the President's Executive Order regarding healthcare for transgender patients under 19 years of age. " Sanborn said that Northern Light will "monitor all executive and legal actions which may have an impact on services." MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta has indicated that the executive order did not result in any changes to their services. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England also is not changing its services, and "is proud to provide gender-affirming care," said Lisa Margulies, vice president of Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, in a written statement. "We look forward to working with leaders in our state who seek to protect the rights and freedoms of all Mainers, no matter what," Margulies said. The attorneys general letter also pointed out that a court order last week directed the federal government to resume funding that had been temporarily frozen by the Trump administration. "This means that federal funding to institutions that provide gender-affirming care continues to be available, irrespective of President Trump's recent Executive Order. If the federal administration takes additional action to impede this critical funding, we will not hesitate to take further legal action," the letter said. Copy the Story Link
