Downeast - District 7

• On this page:
• Downeast Public Health Council
• Steering Committee
• District Committees
• Meetings & Events
• Publications

Maine’s nine Public Health Districts are geographic areas that work to improve public health in the state. Each district is made up of one or more counties. In 2011, in collaboration with the five Maine Tribal jurisdictions, a Tribal Health District was established with boundaries determined by Tribal Health Center service areas and tribal jurisdictional boundaries.

At A Glance

• Downeast Public Health District – District 7 – covers Hancock and Washington counties
• Downeast district population: 174,119 people, 10.1 individuals per square mile (2020 Census)
• Hancock County: 55,478 people, 35.0 per square mile
• Washington County: 31,095 people, 12.1 per square mile
• 2 county governments: Hancock and Washington Counties
• 83 municipalities (incorporated local governments)
• Some towns or villages are ocean island communities
• Tribal Nation: Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine, of Indian Township and at Pleasant Point

Resources

• Newsletters: March 2023 (PDF), April (2023 (PDF), June/July 2023 (PDF), September 2023 (PDF) 2023
• Public Health Improvement Plan (PDF)
• Public Health System Assessment (PDF)

Downeast District Public Health Unit

The Downeast District Public Health Unit is located at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Offices at 17 Eastward Lane in Ellsworth, Maine; 38 Prescott Drive in Machias, Maine; and, 338 North Street, in Calais, Maine. To report an infectious disease, public health emergency consultation, or Health Inspection complaint please email to: disease.reporting@maine.gov or call 1-800-821-5821.

District	Town	Program	Referral/Reporting #	Staff
Downeast Public Health District	Ellsworth DHHS  17 Eastward Lane Ellsworth, ME 04605 Machias DHHS 38 Prescott Drive Machias, ME 04654 Calais DHHS 338 North Street STE 1 Calais, ME 04619	Public Health Nursing	1-888-644-1130	Cynthia Grass (Supervisor)  (Tel.) 207-356-2452 Stephanie Lavigne (Tel.) 207-263-4462 Catherine MacDonald (Tel.) 207-214-3982 Kerri Jones (Tel.) 207-271-8067
		Health Inspection	1-800-821-5821	Weibley Dean (Tel) 207-904-8232 To be Determined
		Epidemiology	1-800-821-5821	Maura Lockwood
		Drinking Water - Non-Municipal Water System Inspector	207-287-2070	Scott Whitney (Tel.) 207-592-0578
		Drinking Water - Municipal Water System Inspector	207-287-2070	Mary Bourque (Tel.) 207-441-5328
		District Public Health Liaison	207-255-2017	Alfred May (Tel.) 207-263-4975
		Public Health Educator	207-255-2017	Kawther Mohamed

Downeast Public Health Council

The Downeast Public Health Council is a representative, district-wide body formed in partnership with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) to engage in collaborative planning and decision-making for the delivery of the ten Essential Public Health Services in the Downeast Public Health District. The Downeast Public Health District serves the people in Hancock and Washington Counties.

Vision

Downeast Maine communities are among the healthiest in the state.

Mission

Promote the health of all our communities by providing public health information, coordination, collaboration, and advocacy.

The Downeast Public Health Council mobilizes working partnerships to coordinate efforts and resources within the District to produce results that no one community, organization, or sector could achieve effectively or efficiently alone.

District Public Health Planning

In collaboration with District partners and the Maine Center for Disease Control, the Council creates and updates a District Public Health Improvement Plan (DPHIP). The plan identifies the Downeast District’s public health priorities in order to create a multi-year plan of objectives, strategies, and outcomes for district action. The DPHIP also informs partners of the district work and is used to inform the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).

Our last District Public Health Improvement Plan was for the years 2017 – 2019. In 2020, in order to assess a better understanding of the system in the district, all districts undertook the Local Public Health Systems Assessment (LPHSA) process during the spring. As the district meetings were scheduled and planned, many of the districts had to postpone those meetings due to the COVID-19 response. They will be rescheduled.

District Areas of Need

• Palliative care and hospice
• Healthy aging
• Cancer
• Health literacy
• Emergency preparedness

District Public Health Improvement Plan Priorities

• Build better cardiovascular health (improved nutrition and physical activity)
• Improve mental health awareness focused on early childhood ages
• Prevent drug and alcohol use
• Build awareness for prevention of cancer

Executive Committee

Organizations and agencies that have health or public health in their mission and are classified as a sector in council bylaws and state statute can become members of the council. Active council members are nominated and then elected annually to serve on the Council's Executive Committee. The Executive Committee guides and facilitates the Council's work.

• Andrew Sankey – Hancock County Emergency Management Agency
• Angela Fochesato – Healthy Acadia (Washington County)
• Helen Burlock – Consultant on Healthy Aging and Community Member
• Kelly Brown – Next Step Domestic Violence Project
• Maria Donahue – SCC Representative – Healthy Acadia (Hancock County)
• Meredith Alexander – Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
• Steve Lail – Down East Community Hospital
• Al May – Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC)

District Committees

Ad hoc committees are formed when needed. Many committees are formed as a result of the priorities selected as a result of the Shared Community Health Needs Assessment. In 2020-2021, the council has formed committees based on infrastructure needs in the areas of Palliative Care and Hospice, Healthy Aging, Cancer, Health Literacy, and Emergency Preparedness.

Get Involved

The Downeast Public Health Council is one of nine (eight geographic and one Tribal) District Coordinating Councils for Public Health in Maine. The Council's responsibilities include:

• Identifying district public health issues and priorities using an assessment process;
• Coordinating and assuring public health services in our communities;
• Addressing health disparities in our district;
• Convening non-traditional public health partners;
• Advising on public health policy and allocation of funding;
• Preparing and maintaining the public health system for public health accreditation.

Members

The Council is composed of member organizations representing public health "sectors" that are described in the Council's bylaws and interested persons within the District. Please join us for one of our Council meetings to learn more about the work we do. List of council members.

Contact

Alfred May
District Liaison
207-255-2017
alfred.may@maine.gov

Helen Burlock, Community Health and Counseling Services
Downeast Public Health Council Acting Chair

Maria Donahue, Healthy Acadia
Downeast Public Health Council SCC Representative

Meetings & Events

The calendar of events below includes Downeast Council and Committee meetings, as well as meetings and events from around our District, that have been submitted by our Council members. We meet every other month on a designated Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in various locations.

Please contact District Liaison Alfred May alfred.may@maine.gov to have your meeting or event added to the calendar.