Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement on MaineHealth:
“We are in the midst of the largest, most difficult vaccination effort of our time and our health care providers have been important partners in this effort. But we have a limited supply of the vaccine, and we have had to prioritize who can be vaccinated. Right now, we are focused on protecting those who are providing direct care – frontline health care workers – and those who are 70 or older because their lives are most at risk. MaineHealth’s decision to vaccinate outside of this strategy undermines the public’s confidence in our efforts. Simply put, it was not the appropriate way to give away our precious vaccine.
“Beyond that, vaccinating out-of-state contractors who came here to disrupt a union organizing effort was an insult to the hardworking nurses trying to assert their rights and to those who are waiting patiently for their turn – the 80 year old grandmother who hasn’t seen her family in months, the man being treated for cancer, the teacher wanting to return to the classroom, the grocery clerks and delivery drivers who are exposed to the public and working to put food on the table.
“That was an inexcusable act. I am glad they have recognized their error and have committed to following our strategy, as is required of all vaccine providers in Maine.”