Sheila Pinette is no longer head the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention. However, even without managing the department, it appears she will still be responsible for a number of the public health-related duties she had at the CDC. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, said Tuesday that […]
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Breaking: State CDC director takes new role in DHHS
AUGUSTA — The director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control is moving to a new position. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew announced Sheila Pinette will become Chief Health Officer for DHHS while Ken Albert will take over as director of CDC. “The Maine Centers for Disease Control is headed in an […]
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Maine Democrats, Republicans see opportunity for cooperation in fixing welfare ‘cliff’
AUGUSTA (AP) — “Welfare” has become one of the most divisive words in Augusta. But lawmakers say that addressing the so-called welfare “cliff” may be one area where they can find common ground this year. Legislators on both sides of the aisle agree that one of the biggest problems with the welfare system is that […]
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Maine DHHS questions Portland’s spending on General Assistance
LEWISTON — A proposal by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to revamp the way the state reimburses cities and towns for General Assistance payments takes clear aim at Maine’s biggest city. Under the proposed change, Portland would lose at least $4.4 million in reimbursements, although Portland officials estimate the figure could be as high as $6 […]
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DHHS budget addresses LePage’s vision not lack of funding
AUGUSTA, Maine — Despite accounting for about half of the governor’s proposed $6.3 billion two-year spending plan — and including provisions that immediately sparked controversy two years ago — the new budget proposal for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has earned few remarks in Augusta. That’s partly because Gov. Paul LePage’s budget […]
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DHHS says EBT card photo fight could lead to loss of SNAP benefits
AUGUSTA — The roughly 249,000 Mainers who receive federal funds to help them buy food could see that aid vanish if an ongoing dispute between state and federal agencies over a new program that urges recipients to put their photos on the cards they use to buy groceries. Food and Nutrition Service — the U.S. […]
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LePage: Critics of new service building should ‘get over it’
The new 75,000-square-foot structure, which cost approximately $10 million, will consolidate the regional offices of the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education, now housed in several buildings in downtown Portland. The appeal of consolidating agencies under one roof is to make the services more accessible for […]
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LePage administration defends photo EBT cards
AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage’s administration is firing back at the federal government over its policy of putting welfare recipients’ photos on the cards used to access food stamps, which federal officials have warned could cause Maine to lose some program funding. In a Dec. 18 letter to the Food and Nutrition Service obtained […]
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Suit settlement benefits adults with disabilities
AUGUSTA (AP) — Adults in Maine with autism and intellectual disabilities will receive housing and other support services through the state’s Medicaid program thanks to the settlement of a class-action lawsuit. The settlement, completed Monday in Kennebec County Superior Court, was welcomed by Gerald Petruccelli, the plaintiffs’ attorney. He told the Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1xRNOTx ) […]
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Maine DHHS commissioner lobbies feds for food stamp reform
AUGUSTA — Maine’s health and human services chief on Monday pressed members of the state’s congressional delegation to join her in pushing for federal changes to overhaul the food stamps program. In a letter, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said Maine residents are concerned about the “proliferation of welfare benefits and seemingly […]