A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) identified the health needs in Lincoln county.
1. Lincoln county is the oldest county in the oldest state in the nation with many healthcare needs normally associated with an aging population — heart disease, cancer and stroke
2. A significant number of our younger year ʻround residents are unemployed, underemployed or self-employed in marginal employment and therefore are often medically under-served. Many, males in particular, report having no regular primary care medical provider.
3. There is a high percentage, perhaps 40%, of Emergency Room or Urgent Care Center visits for non-emergency Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions that could better (more effectively) and more economically be taken care of in a primary care setting with good continuity of care and follow-up.
4. In Maine, Lincoln County has the highest percentage (43%) of former smokers.
5. We have the highest % with a history of substance abuse.
6. We have the highest % of youth reporting suicidal ideation.
7. We have the highest % of youth using smokeless tobacco.
8. We have a high % of premature birth and low birth weight babies.
9. We have a high % of obese youth
10. We have the lowest % of youth getting regular physical exercise
Source: Statewide Community Health Needs Assessment 2013, OneMaine Health Collaborative