After the Maine Department of Transportation floated a controversial proposal to change where it docks ferries overnight, state lawmakers have called for a working group that would study the longstanding role those vessels have played in providing emergency medical transportation for residents of island communities.
While state ferries have long docked overnight on the midcoast and Hancock County islands that they serve, officials have proposed that they instead berth overnight on the mainland. They say that could help recruit more workers to the ferry service, but representatives of multiple island communities have opposed the change.
The new bill, which has been introduced by Sen. Chip Curry, D-Belfast, would direct the Maine Office of Community Affairs to create a working group made up of ferry service officials, EMS professionals, island representatives and others to study how emergency medical services are delivered to island communities.
The working group would also assess how changes to the ferry service may affect that delivery, Curry said in a press release on Wednesday.
It’s one of several bills that have been introduced following tumult at the Maine State Ferry Service last year, including staffing shortages and the new berthing proposal. Other bills introduced include one that would study the feasibility of a new route to Monhegan, and another that would expand service to Matinicus.
The proposal to study the medical services provided by the ferry service, L.D. 841, was originally set to get a hearing in the Legislature’s public safety committee on Wednesday, but it has now been carried over to the next session.
“This bill is about preparation, partnership and ensuring that all Mainers — whether they live on the mainland or an island 12 miles offshore — can rely on timely, effective medical care,” Curry said.
Several island residents and lawmakers have expressed concern that berthing ferries overnight on the mainland would eliminate the emergency medical service that the ferries provide. If an island resident experiences a medical emergency overnight, they could take the ferry to the mainland to go to the hospital.
Maine State Ferry Service officials have claimed that berthing the ferries on the mainland would provide a better work-life balance for ferry employees, and that the state would help provide separate emergency vessels to provide medical transport from the islands at night.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
