I implore our representatives in Augusta to place a greater focus and effort on helping people who are trapped in the system, due to being in a low-income situation. The state is failing these individuals by not reasonably funding the departments that can assist them, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, MaineCare and the Justice Department.
All of the service providers, who receive funding from the state, are not able to maintain appropriate staffing levels due to the low wage funding levels being offered to the providers.
Social services, nursing homes and our obligation to provide legal representation to those who are unable to afford such are all severely understaffed. The result is low-income Mainers receiving far less levels of treatment than those who able to pay for better opportunities to improve their situation.
Those who are unable to pay have few options and need our help now.
Andy Soucy
Standish
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.