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V O L . X X V I N O. V I M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 2 0 6 Statewide shutdowns related to COVID-19 Even before Gov. Janet Mills announced a state of emergency to respond to the fast-moving coro- navirus, Maine businesses were responding and adapting to the chal- lenges. On one end of the extremes, Apple closed its only Maine store, at the Maine Mall, while grocery stores like Hannaford were staffing up for a siege of shoppers stocking up. At grocery stores, aisles or sec- tions with paper towels, bread and eggs were empty. Sporting events and events of more than 250 people were cancelled. Meetings were cancelled or postponed. Schools in Maine were closed for at least two weeks. With confirmed cases starting to build, Mills and others urged "social distancing" to prevent the virus from spreading. Many restaurants either closed or adopted curbside take-out or delivery. Ski resorts closed for what may end up being the last time of the season. e longer term effect of the business disruption is still far from being calculated. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the state of Maine will receive $4.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help fight the coronavirus. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E Get out of the weeds and focus on strategic matters with trusted peers Connect with CEO Coach, Vistage Chair, George Casey to learn what Vistage can do for you. Are you taking advantage of every opportunity? High-performing CEOs join Vistage because they want to be the best leaders they can be while moving their business forward — strategically, efficiently and effectively. Call 207.869.5491 or Call 207.869.5491 or email George.Casey@Vistage.Chair.com email George.Casey@Vistage.Chair.com Central Maine Healthcare gets initial OK for cancer center B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n State regula- tor s have given conditional initial approval to the Central Maine Cancer Center, Central Maine Healthcare's planned $38 million project that would centralize and upgrade cancer services on its Lewiston campus. The certificate of need unit of the state's Department of Health and Human Services announced preliminary approval in mid-March. The application still needs approval from DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew. If approved, CMH plans to break ground on the 50,000-square-foot cancer care center by fall, with the center opening before 2022. The certificate of need was filed in November and the cancer center plan was officially announced in December by Central Maine Healthcare. The center would combine a number of oncology functions that are spread across the CMMC campus into one place. CMH officials said it will provide more convenient, cen- tralized access to outpatient oncology services, along with needed facility and equipment updates. "Our patients will receive cutting-edge care in one central location," Jeffrey L. Brickman, CEO and president of Central Maine Healthcare, said in a news release. "The Cancer Center will provide the convenient access to care we are committed to offering." Brickman said that the center will house brand-new equipment, including new linear accelerators critical for radiation therapy. It will also be home to the Central Maine Cancer Institute, providing multispecialty, team-based care. 'A daunting task' The cancer center will be built next to the Main Street entrance of the CMMC campus where there's now a parking lot. As the hospital has grown in the more than a century it's been in its Lewiston downtown location, its oncology services have been located where there was room across the sprawling campus, sepa- rating radiation oncology, medical oncology and surgeons. Meanwhile, radiation therapy equipment cannot be replaced in its current location — in one of the oldest buildings at the hospital. "When you put yourself in the place of people with cancer, put yourself in their shoes, it's a daunting task" to navigate the campus cancer care units, Brickman said at a public information session about the center in January. He said the distance patients had to walk between different units covered roughly three football fields. At the same time, cancer incidence in Maine has increased, and Androscoggin County remains one of the areas with the highest occurrence of cancer in the state, and Maine has one of the highest cancer rates in the country. While the region is a "hot spot for oncology," the health care system hasn't had the facili- ties to keep care local, Brickman said. "We need to be relevant." The center will be developed by Bateman Partners LLC, of Portland, and leased to CMH. Bateman has also developed the health care system's Topsham urgent care center, and another one opening this month on Sabattus Street in Lewiston. B R I E F R E N D E R I N G C O U R T E S Y / C E N T R A L M A I N E H E A LT H C A R E Central Maine Healthcare's $38 million cancer center, planned for its Lewiston Central Maine Medical Center campus, has received preliminary certificate of need approval from DHHS.

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