Bangor officials urge Maine CDC to reconsider excluding city from maternal-child nursing RFP

City Manager Carolyn Lear and Bangor Public Health officials told the City Council that the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) posted a request for proposals (RFP) that excludes applicants from Northern and Eastern Maine, an action that would end Bangor’s current contract to provide maternal and child health public health nursing on Sept. 30.

“Bangor Public Health has 2 public health nurses on staff,” Lear said, noting the service is funded through a Maine CDC contract supported by federal block grants. Public health staff said they were surprised to find the RFP omitted their jurisdiction after decades of delivering in‑home maternal and child health services.

Why it matters: Bangor Public Health leaders said their two nurses provide home visits and direct care integrated with local services such as WIC, housing and outreach programs; that local infrastructure and trust are difficult to replicate quickly; and that Maine CDC’s replacement plan could leave patients with less robust services. “This had been services that we have had at Bangor Public Health for decades,” said Jen Guterman, director of Bangor Public Health. Guterman said the city’s program traces to referrals as far back as 1990.

State response and city concerns: According to city staff, Maine CDC replied in a letter (included in the council packet) and offered to increase the city’s FIG (infrastructure) funding to cover the two nursing positions for two years, while the RFP would create a five‑year contract. City staff called that response inadequate because it would require Bangor to redesign programs with only temporary funding and because Maine CDC’s direct nursing staff currently report being “stretched thin” in the region.

Program details and local capacity: Jenny Doyle, Bangor’s health promotion manager, described services the city nurses provide that she said are not standard for the state program, including taking buses or formula directly to families, conducting home visits wherever clients are located, bringing vaccines or conducting STI testing in homes, and listening to an infant’s heartbeat during visits. Doyle said these low‑barrier services are critical for people experiencing unstable housing or substance use disorders. “We go to meet them wherever they are,” Doyle said.

Scope: Guterman told the council the city’s maternal‑child caseload is variable but currently totals about 217 clients who receive multiple visits; she said the service is offered without regard to a client’s ability to pay. Councilors and planning board members pressed staff for steps the city could take, including sending formal letters to state officials and engaging the legislative delegation and local health partners.

Council response and next steps: Councilors recommended pursuing formal advocacy. Guterman asked the council to consider requesting Maine CDC to pull and revise the RFP and to engage those jurisdictions and municipal health departments that have long provided the service. Councilor Turnbull (as recorded in the meeting) and others recommended involving oversight committees and hospital partners, noting regional loss of obstetric units and possible increased demand on nursing services.

What the city may do: City staff said they could accept the two‑year FIG funds as a fallback while pursuing advocacy, and they are exploring ways to bill for services (for example, lactation or mental health) to increase future financial sustainability if Maine CDC proceeds. Guterman asked the council for permission to continue coordinated advocacy and for their consent to push for reconsideration of the RFP.

Evidence: The discussion and concerns are drawn from city manager Carolyn Lear’s presentation and extended remarks by Jen Guterman and Jenny Doyle during the City Council meeting. The city packet included Maine CDC’s letter; city staff summarized its contents and expressed disagreement with several of the letter’s claims.