Maine gets $52.7M boost to expand infectious disease testing

Photo / Maureen Milliken The $52.7 million awarded to the state to help increase capacity for infectious disease testing will accelerate construction of the state's new laboratory, which is being built on the state office campus in east Augusta.

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By Maureen Milliken

The state has received $52.7 million in federal grant money that will help expand its lab capacity, including in rural areas, to address the COVID-19 outbreak and other infectious diseases.

The money from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is part of the $480 billion package Congress passed last month to bolster the COVID-19 effort, and included $25 billion for testing. In April, Maine was allotted an initial $16.3 million, and last week 18 Maine health centers received $4.7 million.

Among other uses, the money will help expand the state's physical lab footprint and increase staffing, including redevelopment of a building for laboratory use on the state office campus on Augusta's east side that began before the pandemic. In general, the purpose of the funding is to increase epidemiological and laboratory capacity to respond to infectious diseases, particularly COVID-19, but also beyond the current pandemic.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine CDC are in the initial planning stages and will unveil more detailed plans in the coming weeks, according to a a news release from Gov. Janet Mills' office.

The money will be used to expand state lab capacity, both short-and long-term, at the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, including expanding physical space and increasing staff. It means that construction of the new lab on the state office campus on the former AMHI grounds will be accelerated, said Mills and DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew, who spoke at the Thursday Maine CDC daily briefing.

The redevelopment of the Greenlaw Building, with work being managed by Cianbro, broke ground before COVID-19. The $28 million project to renovate and expand the building to 46,000 square feet was initially expected to be completed by December 2022. No information is available on how the funding might change that timetable.

Investing in a state-of-the-art laboratory will facilitate COVID-19 response, innovation and public health generally, Mills and Lambrew said.

Hospitals, businesses to benefit

The federal money will also:

Bolster rural hospital lab capacity. COVID-19 has underscored the long-standing challenges rural residents face in accessing timely health care, the release said. Maine CDC will build on rural health care initiatives the Mills administration has already put in place to expand laboratory capacity at rural hospitals so they can respond better not only to COVID-19, but other infectious disease outbreaks.
Establish drive-through testing sites. As the state lab ramps up testing capacity, it aims to increase the number of testing sites outside of health care office settings. Maine has 38 testing sites outside of office settings and is exploring options to partner with businesses and others to establish new drive-through “swab and send” sites. This would allow primary care providers to recommend patients get testing in sites that are both accessible and safe, the release said.

The federal funding builds on the state's partnership with IDEXX Laboratories to expand testing in Maine, which allows health care providers to recommend testing for anyone they suspect of having COVID-19. Clinicians may now order tests for symptomatic people and people without symptoms who may be at risk for transmitting COVID-19 to others, which hadn't been the case when testing was more limited.

State and health officials have said expanded testing is key to understanding the spread of the virus, therefore determining how people can do businesses and interact in the community.

Mills added, “This work is still in the initial stages and will take time over the coming weeks and months, but it would not be possible without the partnership of the congressional delegation.”

The delegation, in a joint statement, said, "We applaud Gov. Mills for her administration’s good work to expand testing and lab capacity in Maine. Expanding this capacity will not only help protect Mainers’ health during this public health crisis, but also help safely reopen our communities." The delegation consists of U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine; and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, and Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District.