Struggling Bangor health care provider further restricts walk-in services

Penobscot Community Health Care is restricting the walk-in care at its clinics, after reducing hours last fall.
In a letter to patients, PCHC said it would be taking same-day appointments, rather than walk-in appointments, starting Nov. 1, WABI reported Friday.
In September 2023, the major health care provider temporarily stopped providing walk-in care in four clinics on Saturdays, and ceased walk-in services at another clinic entirely due to staffing shortages.
The provider’s dental care center in Bangor will not be affected by the change, and walk-in dental services will be available based on provider availability, according to the letter.
The provider also noted that staffers previously working in walk-in care positions would have the opportunity to take new roles within the organization.
PCHC, like many health care providers in Maine, has experienced short staffing, and struggled last year to address a $4 million financial deficit it accrued following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before September of 2023, PCHC sold two non-clinical properties and ended its lease of an administrative building on Odlin Road in Bangor, which housed 35 employees who oversaw patient records and referrals, billing and other communications, to cut costs.