Jackie Farwell
Health Editor
Jackie Farwell of Gorham is health care editor for the Bangor Daily News. Farwell began her career with the BDN a decade ago, leaving in 2006 for a job with The Associated Press in New York. She most recently was employed by Mainebiz. In addition to health care, Farwell covered energy, real estate development, banking and finance for Mainebiz. Working from Portland, Farwell will cover both health care finances and health issues that directly affect Maine residents. Outside of her workday, Farwell is a fitness enthusiast who hikes, cross-country skis and rides horses. She completed her first 5K road race this summer.Doctor exhibited ‘odd behavior’ at Fort Kent hospital before license suspension
FORT KENT, Maine — A physician deemed a danger to patients this week by a state licensing board exhibited “odd behavior” while working at Northern Maine Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Dr. Robert K. Desai was immediately removed from caring for patients on May 7 after staff witnessed ...
Fort Kent doctor deemed a danger to patients, barred from practicing
FORT KENT, Maine — A Fort Kent physician described by licensing officials as an “imminent danger to his patients” has been temporarily barred from practicing medicine in Maine. In an uncommon disciplinary move, the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine “summarily suspended” Dr. Robert K. Desai, prohibiting him from treating ...
Ellsworth doctor warned over man’s failed laser hair removal
ELLSWORTH, Maine — An Ellsworth doctor has been warned by a state medical licensing board after a patient complained about his failed laser hair removal. Stephen Nightingale of Coastal Skin Center also was placed on probation for one year, according to a Thursday press release from the Maine Board of ...
Weight Watchers looks to light a fire under first responders in Maine
Last winter, Jackie Conn decided she needed to help Maine’s first responders to get fit. Conn, general manager of Weight Watchers in Maine, learned that a friend of her daughter’s had lost her father, a firefighter, to a heart attack. The Worcester, Mass., man was snowblowing after a blizzard when ...
New health insurer prepares to sell policies in Maine, reaches agreement with physicians group
One of two carriers that will offer policies through Maine’s health insurance exchange has lined up a group of central Maine physicians to treat patients with the new coverage. Maine Community Health Options, a consumer-run health insurer based in Lewiston, announced this week that it has contracted with the Kennebec ...
Bills seek to open Maine hospital board meetings to public
AUGUSTA, Maine — Two bills that would open hospital board meetings to public scrutiny went before lawmakers Tuesday. One bill, LD 1118, seeks to make board meetings of hospitals that receive significant taxpayer funding open to the public. The law would apply to hospitals that receive more than 50 percent ...
Reports: Maine ranks first in hospital safety, medical errors on decline but some still serious
A national hospital watchdog group has ranked Maine’s hospitals the safest in the nation, just as another new report shows a drop in serious medical errors in the state. Eighty percent of hospitals in Maine earned an “A” in the Hospital Safety Score ratings released May 8 by the Leapfrog ...
Hospital executive calls Anthem insurance plan with MaineHealth a ‘backroom deal’
Patients in western and southern Maine will lose access to local doctors and hospitals under a “backroom deal” between MaineHealth and the state’s largest health insurer, according to an executive at another health system excluded from the arrangement. The deal could affect tens of thousands of Maine residents and greatly ...
Maine groups call for universal health coverage
PORTLAND, Maine — Several Maine advocacy groups joined forces Thursday to launch a new grass-roots campaign for universal health insurance coverage. At press conferences in Portland and Bangor, the coalition urged Mainers to work toward a new health care system that recognizes treatment for illness and disease as a human ...
Lyme disease: A big problem caused by a tiny tick
Heidi McDonald and her family follow a strict routine when they come in after spending time outdoors. To someone who has never suffered from Lyme disease, the family of four’s precautions might seem paranoid. But McDonald said she isn’t taking any chances with the tiny deer ticks that have made ...
How much for joints, heart attack or pneumonia? Compare how Maine hospitals charge for common services
Maine hospitals charge widely differing amounts for the same procedures, in some cases three times more than their counterparts, according to new data released Wednesday by the federal government. The price variations were detailed in a slew of data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that for ...
Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems bid for Portland hospital draws support
PORTLAND, Maine — A bid by Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems to add a Portland hospital to its network drew unanimous support Tuesday at a public hearing about the deal. Announced in late December, the system’s proposed merger with Mercy Health System of Maine would mark Brewer-based EMHS’ first foray outside ...
MaineHealth partners with Anthem on health care cost-cutting model
PORTLAND, Maine — One of Maine’s largest hospital systems has teamed up with the state’s biggest private health insurer in an effort to improve patients’ health while lowering costs. MaineHealth, parent organization of Portland’s Maine Medical Center, has partnered with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine to launch ...
Health officials: Risk of disease from ticks heating up as days grow warmer
Ticks have emerged for the season, raising the risk of Lyme disease throughout the state, Maine public health officials said Wednesday. Maine recorded an all-time high of about 1,100 cases of the tick-borne disease in 2012, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention expects the number of cases ...
Report: Maine’s air cleaner, but still reaching unhealthy levels
Maine’s air is cleaner than in years past, but too many of the state’s residents are breathing in pollution that contributes to a host of serious health problems, according to a new report. In the American Lung Association’s 14th annual “State of the Air” report, released Wednesday, none of Maine’s ...
Maine lawmaker’s bill highlights novel option for affording long-term care: life insurance
Maine seniors and the state’s cash-strapped MaineCare program could both win under new legislation up for debate Wednesday in the Legislature, according to the bill’s supporters. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, involves an often overlooked way for seniors to pay for long-term care. The bill aims to ...
EMHS to invest at least $115 million in Portland’s Mercy Health
BREWER and PORTLAND, Maine — Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems plans to spend at least $115 million over the next five years to fold Portland’s Mercy Health System of Maine into its network of health providers, according to new documents filed with the state. EMHS and Mercy, which announced plans to ...
Lewiston woman sickened by ground beef rallies against antibiotics in meat
Danielle Wadsworth vividly recalls the night in late 2011 when she awoke with agonizing stomach pain. Lying on the couch in her Lewiston home, Wadsworth was violently ill for several days with what she assumed was the flu. She’d been discharged from the emergency room at a local hospital earlier ...
Third Skowhegan practitioner fined over medication error cited in patient’s death
SKOWHEGAN, Maine — A Skowhegan doctor has been reprimanded and fined by a state licensing board for failing to spot a medication error that preceded a patient’s death. Deep Acharya accepted a reprimand and $1,000 fine from the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine, according to a Tuesday press release ...
Why become a hermit?
Speculation has abounded this week about what drove Christopher Knight to abandon society and live as a recluse in the woods of Rome, Maine. Some assume the man, now widely known as the North Pond Hermit, suffers from a mental disorder. Others have applauded the 47-year-old as a folk-hero figure ...
Man accused of killing Glenburn teen denied bail, has received death threats, attorney says
Family remembers Nichole “CoCo” Cable, warns of social media dangers
Kyle Dube arrest, murder charge surprising to some who know him
Glenburn woman gets 18 months for embezzling $100,000 from beagle rescue group
Man linked to Boston bombing suspect killed by FBI in Florida
Nichole Cable: In our minds, hearts
Guest Post: “I’m about ready to name my daughter Revolution.”
How to humble a wing nut
Help Maine charter schools succeed before adding more
Bucksport’s Wood enjoying the professional cage in MMA bouts
Unity Raceway heading in new direction when track opens for season Sunday
Former Dexter, Nokomis coach Pratt takes Mount View football post
UMaine’s Fransoso overcomes injuries, turns passion for baseball into stellar career
Houlton makes plans for new hockey boards at Millar Civic Center
Bangor veteran of World War II exemplifies the way life should be
Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console