The main entrance of MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

The Damariscotta Select Board has joined the fight to keep MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital’s birthing center open.

The select board sent a letter to MaineHealth’s board of trustees and hospital leadership on Tuesday urging them to stop considering whether to close or reduce labor and delivery services at the hospital and “exhaustively pursue” ways to keep the maternity ward running.

A recent proposal under consideration by Lincoln Hospital officials to close the birthing center has drawn pushback from community members. A grassroots coalition has been formed to try and save it, organizing a rally, large turnouts at the hospital’s public forums and a widely circulated petition.

The Lincoln Hospital board is set to vote on whether to recommend the ward’s closure, as will a regional hospital board, before the issue goes to the MaineHealth board as soon as August. If the decision is to close, that could happen as soon as December, hospital officials say.

Lower birth rates and difficulty attracting obstetricians and nurse-midwives are among the difficulties of keeping the birthing center open, hospital officials have said. Births at Lincoln Hospital have gone up in the last few years, but are still down compared to 20 years ago, according to hospital statistics.

In its letter Tuesday, the select board said eliminating maternity services “poses an unacceptable threat to the health, safety, and long-term viability of our community.”

“A decision to eliminate these services directly undermines our region’s ongoing efforts to attract and retain the young families who are essential to our workforce, schools, and local economy,” the board wrote. “Access to reliable, local obstetric care is a primary factor for couples deciding where to plant roots and raise a family. Stripping Damariscotta of this vital service sends a clear signal to prospective residents that our region cannot support their growing families, creating an economic and demographic decline that will impact generations.”

Cindy Wade, president of Lincoln Hospital, said in a statement Tuesday that officials are still evaluating “the long-term sustainability of birth services” at the hospital and a decision has yet to be made.

“MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital understands that access to maternity care matters greatly to families and communities across Lincoln County,” Wade said. “We recognize that the assessment of labor and delivery services has raised questions and concerns for many people, and we appreciate the thoughtful feedback and perspectives that have been shared throughout the process.”

If the ward at Lincoln Hospital were to close, some area residents would have to travel to MaineHealth’s Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick or Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport for care. From Damariscotta, those trips could take about 35 to 45 minutes — and potentially longer during the summer tourist season or during bad winter weather. MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta is about an hour’s drive.

“Local maternal healthcare should be a baseline guarantee, not an emergency room gamble or a high-risk transit emergency,” the select board wrote.

The select board said it “echoes the requests from the Lincoln County Commissioners,” including that MaineHealth pause its consideration for closing the birthing center, consult with municipal leaders, industry professionals and community members on a solution, and share data and analysis it’s using in its decision-making process.

“We cannot simply accept a managed decline of rural healthcare infrastructure,” the select board wrote, later adding, “Our families, our children, and the future of the Midcoast region depend on the preservation of local, accessible healthcare. We stand ready to work alongside you as partners to protect these essential services.”

Wade said the hospital has been working with and receiving feedback from a variety of stakeholders, including community members, local leaders and medical staff, and that their input is “being carefully considered.” Wade said officials are also considering other factors, including birth volumes, workforce challenges and a changing healthcare environment.

“We remain committed to a thoughtful, data-informed process focused on ensuring safe, high-quality care for the communities we serve, both now and in the future,” Wade said. “We also remain committed to working collaboratively across our region to help ensure families have access to the maternity care services they need.”