$1.33 Million for Northern Light Acadia Hospital Rural Dementia Care Program Secured by Senator Collins

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $1,330,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for a rural dementia care program at Northern Light Acadia Hospital in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill.  Congress has passed the bill, and the President has signed it into law.

“Families across Maine know all too well the compassion, commitment, and endurance that it takes to be a caregiver of a loved one with dementia,” said Senator Collins.  “As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will support the creation of a training program for hospital staff at Northern Light Acadia Hospital, providing them with the skills needed to care for patients with dementia.  This program will help ensure that patients with dementia and their families in all areas of Maine have access to quality, affordable care.” 

“We thank Senator Susan Collins for her support to fund the Northern Light Health Rural Dementia Care Education Project,” said Chief of Geriatric Mental Health and Neuropsychiatry at Northern Light Acadia Hospital Dr. Clifford Singer.  “This project will enable Northern Light Acadia Hospital to lead a training program for outpatient and hospital-based care in six predominantly rural counties, resulting in shorter wait times for patients and families to access dementia care.”

This project will support the establishment of a rural training program at Northern Light Acadia Hospital in Bangor to teach staff how to best care for patients with dementia in outpatient and hospital-based settings.

This funding is part of the 231 targeted investments Senator Collins secured through the FY2024 appropriations process, driving more than $577 million to the state for initiatives throughout each of Maine’s 16 counties.

In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023.  As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.

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