Welcome to the Midcoast Public Health Council

The Midcoast Public Health Council is a representative, district-wide body formed in partnership with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) to engage in collaborative planning and decision-making for the delivery of the ten Essential Public Health Services in the Midcoast Public Health District.  The Midcoast Public Health District includes Waldo, Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties; the Council includes representation from the four counties, as well as from Brunswick and Harpswell, Cumberland County towns with longstanding public health ties and partnerships with the Midcoast District.

Vision - A healthy population served by comprehensive, well-coordinated public health services

The Midcoast Public Health Council mobilizes working partnerships to combine efforts and resources within the District to produce results that no one community, organization, or sector could achieve effectively or efficiently alone.

Midcoast Public Health Council (MPHC), and its Committees

Midcoast Public Health Council

The Midcoast Public Health Council (MPHC) meets five Tuesdays per year at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom. Our remaining 2024 meeting dates are September 10th, and November 12th.

Please contact Public Health Educator Lindsey O'Hara at lindsey.ohara@maine.gov for the latest connection information.

Click here to download a list of our Council members.

MPHC Steering Committee

The Council Chair, Vice-Chair, Statewide Coordinating Council (SCC) Representative, and Council members from around the District serve on the Council's Steering Committee. The Steering Committee guides and facilitates the Council's work. Steering Committee Members are:

• Melissa Fochesato, Chair - Mid Coast–Parkview Health
• Jemma Penberthy, Vice Chair - Penobscot Bay Medical Center/Waldo County General Hospital
• Cathy Cole - LincolnHealth/MaineHealth
• Susan Dupler - Belfast Public Health Nursing
• Jamie Lovley - Penboscot Bay Community Health Partnerships
• Christine Lyman - SCC Representative - Public Health Consulting
• Drexell White - Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC)

Get Involved with the Midcoast Public Health Council

The Midcoast Public Health Council is one of eight geographic, and one Tribal, District Coordinating Councils for Public Health in Maine. The Council's responsibilities include:

• Identifying District public health issues and coordinating public health activities in the District;
• Providing public health services in our communities;
• Addressing health disparities to meet the specific public health needs of our District;
• Convening non-traditional public health partners;
• Advising public health policy and allocation of funding; and,
• Preparing and maintaining the public health system for public health accreditation.

The Council is made up of (elected) Council members representing public health "sectors" that are identified in the Council's bylaws and interested persons within the District. Please join us for one of our Council meetings to learn more about the work we do.

To get involved or for more information, contact:

Lindsey O'Hara
Midcoast Public Health Educator
lindsey.ohara@maine.gov

Melissa Fochesato
Midcoast Public Health Council Chair
Melissa.Fochesato@mainehealth.org

Jemma Penberthy
Midcoast Public Health Council Vice Chair
jemma.penberthy@mainehealth.org

For a complete listing of upcoming meetings and events, please go to our Meetings and Events Calendar