PORTLAND, Maine — Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, visited Maine Medical Center in Portland on Monday to follow up on where federal funds were spent a year after they were received.
In March of last year, the American Rescue Plan sent $43.4 million to MMC parent company MaineHealth in rural provider relief designed to help stabilize the "nation's health and economic recovery from the pandemic," a news release from King's team stated.
King spoke with hospital leaders Monday to see and hear firsthand how the funding has impacted the hospital system and learn about new developments.
"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine Medical Center and the entire MaineHealth network has done extraordinary work to keep our state safe and healthy," King said in the news release. "This work has not been easy, and many of Maine's health care workers have put their own health on the line to save others."
King also toured the emergency department after he learned about some of the challenges the hospital is facing when caring for patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis, according to a separate news release issued after King's visit.
"There's been an epidemic in Maine within the pandemic, and the epidemic is in the area of behavioral health, and that is something that we really have to address," King told NEWS CENTER Maine at the end of his tour. "There are not adequate resources. There are people here in the emergency room with mental health issues, and it's very difficult to find places for them to go."
King pledged to work on helping to address this problem upon his return to Washington, D.C.