Acadia Hospital

Business owners throughout Maine have said they have jobs available but have difficulty finding qualified and trained workers.

The hospital, part of the Northern Light Health system, is launching a psychiatric residency which will be only the second such program in Maine.

The funds will aid in the construction of a new 50-bed pediatric inpatient wing at the hospital.

The couple, both well-known Maine authors, said the gift through their foundation to Northern Light Acadia Hospital will support desperately needed services for young patients.

Northern Light Acadia Hospital currently has 100 inpatient beds, but can't use many of them because of the way rooms are configured. With admissions spiking, the hospital hopes to build new private rooms and reconstruct existing ones.