Mainebiz

O N T H E R E C O R D W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6 L ast month MeHAF hosted an all- day conference in Bangor featuring several panels describing how health providers are addressing challenges faced by Maine's rural residents. Mainebiz asked Leonard to recap some of the conference's discussion. e following is an edited transcript of her responses. Mainebiz: What can you tell us about health care in rural Maine? Barbara Leonard: MeHAF has released a series of reports this fall focusing on rural health developed by the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service, Rural Research Center. "Maine Rural Health Profi les" provides both state-level and county-specifi c information about how health status is generally poorer and health services are less available in the more rural parts of Maine. e reports also include some economic indicators, which highlight the importance of health care to the rural economy. We also released a set of "Maine Rural Health Innovation Briefs" that focus on promising strategies from Maine and other rural parts of the United States that are relevant to Maine. e fi rst step has been to identify the fact that these gaps exist, and the second step is to share some of the successful innovations already under way in Maine and across the country. We're also hoping to bring technical assistance providers who have experi- ence working with rural areas in other parts of the country to Maine to help support our own creative approaches. MB: What are Maine's biggest health care challenges, and why? BL: ere are so many health care chal- lenges, but I'll focus on two big chal- lenges that cut across the state. One is the cost: Health care costs keep rising far faster than the rate of infl ation, or the rate of increase in people's earnings. As noted by the town manager of China at the conference, health care costs are eating up bigger and bigger portions of municipal budgets. is means that individuals and families are less able to set aside funds for higher education and retirement. Cities and towns have to choose between health benefi ts for long-term employees and education, road repairs and waste management. As a country and state, we have to fi gure out how to curb the rising costs. e good news is that many health care providers and health systems, as well as state government are identifying ways to control costs that are actually more patient-centered, which is a win-win. e second challenge is the epidemic of opiate addiction that we're facing in Maine and across the country. On Nov. 17 the U.S. Surgeon General released a landmark report that highlights prom- ising approaches to address addiction. One of his important messages is that substance use disorder is a chronic disease and that with appropriate pre- vention and treatment we can address it. Recovery is possible when the right services are provided in a timely way. MB: What did you learn from your all-day conference in Bangor? BL: Rural communities face challenges and opportunities when it comes to promoting health and ensuring access to health care. Rural communities often have strong networks of friends, families and local organizations that can help to prevent social isolation. But they also face challenges because of lack of resources or the inability of smaller organizations to do work at a scale that's needed in today's more complicated health care system. MB: How might you help rural Maine? BL: First of all, we're going to be making some grants to selected rural communities that have been able to develop innova- tive approaches to improving health and health care systems. ese will be announced later in December. Barbara Leonard, who became president and CEO of Maine Health Access Foundation on Oct. 1, says her organization seeks to foster innovative approaches to improving health and health care systems in Maine. " " " Align Your Technology with Your Business " Colors Pantone 2747 Pantone 1807 IT Solutions Designed for Your Business Finding the right IT partner is one of the most important decisions your company can make. At WGTECH, making information technology work for your business is our core competency. We develop individualized solutions that help you grow your business, improve operations, and boost efficiency. We're Northern New England's resource for advanced technology – we'd like to partner with you. www.WGTECH.com 207.856.5300 Barbara Leonard began her new role as president and CEO of Maine Health Access Foundation on Oct. 1, replacing Dr. Wendy Wolf, th e nonprofi t's founder who announced her planned departure from those roles in the fall of 2015. MeHAF is Maine's largest, private, nonprofi t health care foundation dedicated to promoting access to quality health care, especially for those who are uninsured and underserved. B Y J A M E S M C C A R T H Y P H O T O / JA M E S M C C A R T H Y

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