Health care may be growing, but that doesn't mean it faces no challenges
Maine is getting older and the economy will reflect that in the growth of health care-related jobs.
In January, in our “Five on the Future” story, our panel warned that Maine's aging population would also put a greater strain on its health care resources.
“Maine is the oldest state in the country with a median age of 44 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with little prospect of moving toward a more youthful demographic in the near term. This challenge may be offset by the opportunity for increased growth in the health care industry — albeit with an increased burden of paying for an aging population,” Stefan K. Iris, a chartered financial analyst and chief investment officer at Camden National Wealth Management, said in the "Five on the Future" story, in the Jan. 8 issue.
Legacy industries may have fewer job openings, but health care-related jobs will be in demand. If you're a doctor, a registered nurse, can do an MRI or have expertise in IT, you'll likely be in demand in the coming decade.
In this issue's focus on health care, Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber gets the latest on Maine Medical Center's planned $512 million expansion. By the time patients get to the hospital, many are suffering from more than one ailment; the hospital is getting prepared by investing in single-occupancy rooms and updated procedure rooms, among other upgrades. See Page 12.
The lifeline between ailing patients and the hospitals has always been EMTs. As Senior Writer Renee Cordes reports, with wages hovering at around $16 an hour, there are fewer people willing to work inside an ambulance as emergency medical technicians. That means Maine's 275 emergency rescue services are competing for a dwindling pool of workers. See Page 20.
Maine's aging population also means a greater demand for assisted living homes, though, as Staff Writer Maureen Milliken points out in her story, the newer places are offering a greater range of amenities in an effort to attract residents. See Page 16.
A leadership program at USM
The University of Southern Maine will hold its first annual Timothy B. Hussey Leadership Institute on March 26 at the Portland campus. The institute will bring together more than 100 current and future millennial leaders to explore “how to do well in business while doing good for communities,” USM said in a press release. Harvard Business School Professor Rebecca Henderson will kick off the event with a presentation on how big and small companies can embrace the challenge of innovation. Breakout sessions will focus on creative problem solving, leading with integrity, embodied leadership. Tim Hussey, former president and CEO of North Berwick-based Hussey Seating Co., died in 2016.
Maine's second-largest city is …
In my column of Feb. 5, I referred to Bangor as Maine's second-largest city. My bad. As a couple of readers pointed out, Lewiston is actually Maine's second largest city.
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