Current patients click here for up-to-date information about providers.

 

On May 27, Northern Light Inland Hospital and its associated Waterville clinics and services will close. The hospital and team members who work there have served the people of Waterville and the surrounding communities for more than eight decades, and the healthcare needs and the resources available have changed substantially in that time.

Important

  • This decision does not affect Lakewood, Continuing Care, which will remain open.
  • Northern Light Primary Care, Unity will remain open.
  • Northern Light Walk-In Care in Waterville will remain open.
     
For patients of Northern Light Inland Hospital and clinics

Leaders and care teams in Waterville are working together to implement formal plans to wind down services and support you as you transfer your care to other facilities.

Our clinics will be reaching out to patients in the coming weeks regarding moving care to another facility or provider.

  • If you have an appointment or procedure scheduled after May 27, we will be reaching out soon to help plan an alternative.
  • If you have an appointment scheduled before May 27, you should go as planned. If there is any reason that this appointment needs to change, your practice will reach out to you to let you know.

Our team is working to develop a consistent process to provide support as patients prepare to transfer their care to the new provider or facility of their choice. We will be reaching out in the next few weeks to each patient to share more information.

We encourage you to connect with a new provider and care team before you need care. Taking steps now will ensure that you are able to keep your annual wellness visits, screenings, and prescriptions on track.

If you have already selected a new provider, please make sure you request the release of your medical records, so your new care team has access to your medical history and any current treatment plans.

Your Medical Records

You will continue to have access to your medical records after our facility and practices close. You can request your medical records from any Northern Light Health facility or hospital or online at any time.

Click here to visit our Health Information Management page and more information about completing the required forms.

Finding a new provider

We are working with all of our providers to determine next steps.

  • For those providers who remain with Northern Light Health, you will be able to seamlessly follow them to their new clinic. We will share that information as soon as it is available.
  • For those providers who move to another organization, we will share as much information as we can.
 

If you are looking to match with a new provider now, the following tools are available to locate a provider who is accepting new patients:

  • Northern Light Health’s Provider Finder found online at NorthernLightHealth.org – click on Providers
  • You may also have assistance available to find a provider through your insurance provider, please review your benefits information
Click here if you are interested in matching with another Northern Light Health Primary Care Provider.

Over the next couple of months, we will follow up with you to share information about providers who are accepting new patients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Current Patients

Practices will be sending letters and further information to all our patients over the next two weeks. These letters will have more information about what to expect over the next two months and how to get the support you need to transfer your care.

All clinical services will end by May 27, 2025. 

The hospital, practices, and clinical services in Waterville are closing.
 

  • Northern Light Walk-In Care in Waterville will remain open.
  • Northern Light Primary Care, Unity will remain open.
  • We are working on plans that would allow the Madison primary care practice and walk-in care locations to remain open and will share more information when it is available.

 
Important: This decision does not affect Lakewood, Continuing Care, which will remain open.  

Your patient portal account and electronic health record will remain intact after our facilities close and will be accessible using the app and website. You can request your medical records from any Northern Light Health facility or online at any time.

Click here to visit our Health Information Management page and more information about completing the required forms. 

 

We want to share as much information about our providers and where they are headed. Many of them are staying in the area, and many of them will be able to continue to provide care for their current patients at their new practice locations. Current patients click here for up-to-date information about providers, which will be updated as more information becomes available.

Patient choice is important when receiving care. We are happy to help connect you with a new care team at another Northern Light Health facility or help transferring your care to another local healthcare provider such as MaineGeneral Health, Redington-Fairview General Hospital, and others.

If you have a maintenance prescription (such as blood pressure medication), and are not due for testing, please reach out to your practice (by phone or through the patient portal) to ensure that your prescription refills are up to date.
 
If you have a current prescription for a controlled substance, you will receive more information soon. It will be important for you to identify a primary care provider as soon as possible. 

The hospital, clinics, and clinical services in Waterville are closing. The last date of any clinical care will be May 27, although some practices may wind down care sooner based on staffing and patient demand. If this happens, we will share this information with our patients.
 
  • Northern Light Primary Care, Unity will remain open.
  • We are working on plans that would allow the Madison clinic and walk-in care locations to remain open and will share more information when it is available.
 
Important: This decision does not affect Lakewood, Continuing Care, which will remain open.
This will vary by patient and practice many letters have already been sent. Work is being done to ensure patients receive information as quickly as possible.
Your care team will be in contact with you regarding your care and appointments. The last date of any clinical care will be May 27, although some practices may wind down care sooner based on staffing and patient demand. 
  • Many appointments scheduled before May 27 will take place as scheduled.
  • If you have a procedure planned close to May 27, your care team will discuss options with you to ensure you have appropriate support during recovery. 
  • If for any reason your appointment needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, your care team will reach out to you.
If your Northern Light Inland Hospital or clinic provider has ordered testing for you that you have not completed, it is important that you complete this testing before May 27. Please note that some medications require testing to be completed prior to renewal/refill, not completing testing may affect your ability to refill your medications.
 
Please contact your care team if:
  • You completed testing at another location.
  • You want to complete testing at another facility, so we can fax your orders to that location.
  • You cannot or do not want to complete your test(s), so we can inform your provider.
The imaging team will reach out to reschedule your appointment at another location.
 
If you have been referred to a specialist outside Northern Light Inland Hospital or our clinics, please do not cancel this appointment. It is important that you attend this appointment. If this appointment is after May 27, make sure you tell your specialist about your change in primary care provider.
 
If you receive behavioral health services through your primary care location, you will receive a separate letter about the transition of this care.
 

General

Inland is facing many of the same challenges that healthcare is facing throughout Maine and the rest of the country including  

  • Rising operational costs - the goods and services we use to care for our patients are more expensive 

  • Stagnant or reduced reimbursement rates – insurance payments we receive are not keeping up with the cost to provide care 

  • A tight labor market – there is increasing competition for a limited number of qualified employees 

The Waterville service area has a very specific combination of needs and resources that make these challenges insurmountable. Inland is near other facilities that offer similar levels and types of care, and the service area does not have the patient volume or payer mix necessary to sustain all of these facilities. The facility has experienced sustained financial hardship for a decade, and it is not feasible to replace or maintain the aging facility or equipment necessary to continue to provide the standard of care our patients need and deserve. 

There are no plans to close any other Northern Light Hospitals.  

While every hospital faces similar challenges, there are differences in our service areas that make each of our situations different. It is important that we all continue to think strategically about how and where we provide services and make meaningful changes to ensure that we are on a path towards a sustainable future. 

The property will be put up for sale. We will ensure the grounds and building are maintained while we steward the sale of the property, with consideration to community needs.

We are working to evaluate ways to use these funds that align with donor intent. The Foundation will be communicating with donors and donor families directly.
The Foundation is working with legal and our donors to determine what happens to these funds.