Joe Lawlor

A Damariscotta hospital will be the 12th in Maine to close its birthing center in roughly the last decade.

People who were at MaineGeneral Express Care in Waterville on the morning of Sept. 12 were potentially exposed to the virus.

Debora Kapisha, a registered nurse at the hospital, was released from ICE custody on Thursday.

A Newcastle woman, who is pregnant, filed a lawsuit against the health system, seeking an injunction to keep the board from voting on whether to close the maternity ward.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said it has identified 11 rural hospitals that could participate.

The MaineHealth board is expected to vote Thursday about whether to shutter the birthing center at Lincoln Hospital.

Maine passed a similar law in 2020 that affects about 21% of the insured population.

Gateway Community Services, which has denied allegations of fraud, did not appeal the decision by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services by the July 17 deadline.

<strong><em> </em></strong>New eligibility rules for the health insurance program start Oct. 1.

The diarrhea-inducing disease caused by a microscopic parasite has spread to 34 states, federal officials said.