This week’s edition!
Archive for March 2014
CMMC program spotlights migraines
Katarina Latkovich, M.D., discusses triggers, prevention, and relief of migraine headaches on Thursday, March 20.
Central Maine Medical Center will present an Accenting Your Health program called “Oh, My Aching Head… What Is a Migraine Headache?” on Thursday, March 20 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Katarina Latkovich, M.D., of Central Maine Internal Medicine will discuss migraine headaches, including what triggers them, what might prevent them, and what can be done to make them subside.
Latkovich earned her medical degree at the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia and completed her residency training at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
The program will take place in the Chairmen’s Rooms, located on the lower level of the 12 High Street Medical Office Building in Lewiston. There is no cost, but those interested in attending are urged to register in advance by calling 795-8448, emailing prevention@cmhc.org, or online at www.cmmc.org.
Interpreter services are available upon advance request.
Enough is Enough: MaineCare ride service bashed by media bashing, politics
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
How many of you reading this column have ever heard of CTS? If I told you the initials stood for Coordinated Transportation Solutions, would that ring a bell? Probably not.
Yet at the beginning of January of this year, this company dominated the news in a very negative fashion. This was the company contracted by Maine’s Office of MaineCare Services to provide rides to those on MaineCare (Medicaid) needing transportation to appointments.
CTS was contracted by the State of Maine after the federal government forced the state into a brokering system after it concluded that contracting only one company, in this case Community Concepts, presented a conflict of interest. Enter CTS, who brokered contracts with several companies, including Community Concepts, to provide the transportation needs of individuals on MaineCare.
Mechanics Savings Bank donates $2,500 to Sandcastle
Mechanics Savings Bank’s Mona Leavitt (2nd from right) presents a $2,500 donation check to Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services. Also pictured (l. to r.) are Sandcastle staff members Charlene O’Clair, Stephanie Gelinas, and Robert Baskett.
Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services is a private, nonprofit agency committed to providing quality services for children with special needs and those at risk of developmental issues. Established in 1996, the organization provides education, early identification, prevention, and therapy to 600 children each year.Mechanics Savings Bank recently donated $2,500 to Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services. The funds will be used to support the nonprofit’s only major fundraising event: Maine’s Got Talent. Lewiston-Auburn’s premier music competition will take place at the Ramada Conference Center in Lewiston on Saturday, March 8. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sandcastlemaine.org. For more information, call 782-2150.
“Sandcastle is so appreciative of the ongoing support of Mechanics Savings Bank,” said Sandcastle Executive Director Stephanie Gelinas. “Mona Leavitt, the bank’s Chief Deposits Officer, has given endlessly of her time and talent, serving as the chair of our fundraising committee and sitting on our finance committee.”
Op-ed: Culture Change in Augusta Leads to Big Drop in Workers’ Comp Rates
By Senator Garrett Mason
Workers’ compensation has long been considered one of the biggest financial drains on Maine businesses that have had to endure the high costs and bureaucratic red tape of an outdated system that no longer served the best interests of employers and workers.
But there is finally encouraging news for workers’ comp, and it would not have happened without a series of changes that began when Maine voters opted for Republican leadership in the Governor’s Office and Legislature in 2010.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance this month received a recommendation to decrease workers’ compensation rates by an average of 7.7 percent. This is expected to save Maine businesses more than $15 million. It’s the largest rate decrease since 1998. Maine is one of the few states in the nation that will see a rate reduction.
Enough is Enough: Partnerships can create a new and vibrant Lewiston
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
“We must continue to clean up blighted buildings and neighborhoods, but we must also work with our landlords and partners to create decent housing for those who work hard but have limited incomes.”
That quote is from this year’s mayoral inauguration address. These were not words designed for a sound bite. They are words from the heart. We must transform our downtown neighborhoods into neighborhoods of choice.
When I arrived in Lewiston 37 years ago, the mills were still Lewiston’s major employers. Many of our downtown residents worked on one of the mills’ three shifts. At shift’s end, they returned to their homes located in multi-dwelling apartment buildings. These neighborhoods were well kept, and apartments were neat and clean. These were neighborhoods filled with proud people of character.
